“You know she's waiting
Just anticipating
For things that she'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah yeah
But while she's there waiting, without them
Try a little tenderness (that's all you gotta do)”
Otis Redding (1966)
For the music historians out there, VIM Executive Coaching is aware that the iconic Otis Redding song was indeed written earlier, 1932 to be specific, at what would be the depths of the Great Depression. Redding’s style and lyric changes talked to poverty, aspiration and of people taken for granted.
The sentiment expressed in Redding’s song did not essentially change from the original, as it is a statement of compassion for those who are longing. In fact, when we frame the song as an echo of those times, it makes even more sense.
Have things completely changed?
Not really. It is easy to move on from the past, especially as society has often become reduced to “clicks, follows and friends.” It is not unheard of that hand-held, digital devices are used to break-up relationships, fire employees and steal funds from unsuspecting victims.
We won’t debate whether so-called modern technology is better or worse than when the song was originally written. They tell us the world has changed, but how it has changed is never quite an issue that carries any agreement.
However, we do know that psychologists, sociologists and management experts have written extensively on present-day isolation. Isolation is epidemic in present day society. It affects employees whether they are still working remote or hybrid or back to full-time. This is a somewhat strange phenomenon, for in this age where there are seemingly a gazillion ways to communicate, true communication, authentic communication is about as rare as one can imagine.
As a result of this epidemic of isolation, communication is often so-strained, co-workers and/or their managers can easily miss social cues or forget civility and spin off into nearly untenable disagreements.
If we take the words of the strong, specifically “for things that she'll never, never, never, never possess,” we have at least one key to this discussion.
“I need your mindfulness”
There is an ocean that often separates the illusory image of the happy, beneficent work place, and the reality of what is occurring. We have all heard the theories however we would like to propose that the ever-expanding ocean is the function of a lack of mindfulness. If authenticity and compassion are lacking, those in the organization are merely posturing. This, in itself, is also interesting, for posturing is precisely what floods social media.
What many employees have told us is that connectivity and validity are lacking. Work groups often do not feel connected (“no one cares about me”) and they perceive their input is discounted (“no one hears me”). In short, they will never possess an overall sense of belonging and presence to the company itself.
The key we alluded to, is that mindfulness becomes more cultivated in the company, where employees are connected and seen; where their input is valued and they feel as though they have a stake in their organizations. Unless managers are encouraged to be more mindful, it is a certainty that turnover will continue.
Compassion and tenderness are not “soft terms,” so much as a demand for applying human rather than digital standards to the workforce. These values flourish in a mindful environment. They wither when employees are offered sound-bytes rather than connection.