美女免费一级视频在线观看

In the Paleolithic era of medical advertising (1980s to 1990s), bosses might yell and grumble, be brusque and even bullying, and issue judgments in harsh and personal ways that could leave you feeling withered.

For those managers, making you feel good, listened to, affirmed and empowered was a distant priority, if at all. In the “carrots versus sticks” world of organizational management, this type of leader relied heavily on the stick. The onus was on the employee to perform and not on the employer to foster excellence through kindness and sensitivity.

All that is now ancient history, and the newest generation of bosses must employ different tactics to foster a positive workplace environment. That’s an enormously positive thing — for the most part.

Why we need caring workplace cultures

Over the past years, agencies have evolved away from top-down, authoritarian, boss-driven cultures toward ones that are bottom-up, egalitarian and support-driven. Agencies of all types and sizes have applied their considerable creative skills toward developing programs and initiatives designed to make all employees feel seen, listened to and valued in ways that are responsive to diverse needs and identities.

This represents nothing less than a Golden Age in workplace culture, reflecting the truth that happy, well-adjusted and stimulated employees perform better – and therefore improve the fortunes of the overall agency. Workplace culture has become so important that it’s now a key item on the checklist for prospective employees. It represents an important competitive advantage for companies seeking to attract the best talent.

Flexibility as caring

One of the most visible ways that agency cultures advanced in recent years was in the adoption of hybrid work practices during COVID-19. What started as a necessary response to pandemic conditions quickly became institutionalized as an employee benefit offering geographical and scheduling flexibility along with a healthier work/life balance. This benefit, to varying degrees, appears to have become a permanent fixture across the agency world.

Employees, partially freed from the burdens of traveling to work, lead more balanced, healthier lives and, arguably, have become even more creative and productive than before. In addition, agencies get to shed some physical infrastructure along with associated costs, which can be significant in larger cities. The flexible workplace concept appears to pay dividends across the board. 

But a countertrend has developed, particularly in other service businesses like banking, finance and law. Some companies have cited that remote work policies sap productivity and weaken the cohesion of agency culture. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has argued that being in office improves innovation, company culture, collaboration and learning, especially for younger employees who need spontaneous interactions and in-person feedback to thrive. He has famously stated that you “can’t learn working from your basement.”

But this doesn’t mean we should steer entirely away from the flexible work environment we learned to embrace during the pandemic.

Culture that enriches

Many agencies have also been inventive in generating organizational value through educational and cultural enrichment. Continuous learning programs can offer training and development in relevant areas like strategic thinking, creative leadership, presentation skills and AI. Mentorship programs connect agency leaders with emerging talent, imparting not only real-world expertise but the invaluable human skills necessary for collaboration, leadership and growth.

Agencies also typically offer a wide range of cultural enrichment programs designed to promote a sense of inclusivity and belonging among a diverse range of employees. These stand in stark contrast to the top-down monocultures of yesteryear, where employees were expected to conform to a narrow agency ethos and identity. Today, heterogeneity is not only accepted but celebrated.

And, of course, agencies have also gotten creative with financial rewards, which can take many forms but often include profit sharing, 401Ks and equity participation. One agency even went so far as to pay off their employee’s outstanding college tuition bills.

Can companies be too nice?

Amid this positive transformation in workplace culture, an important question emerges: Does all this niceness and empowerment risk undercutting the very hard job of ensuring that agency work quality is as elevated as it should be? In our pursuit of organizational good vibes, are we losing our ability to drive people out of their comfort zones to a place of genuine excellence?

The fact is, doing great work is hard work. And agencies must also create a culture that recognizes and rewards unflagging hard work, a passion for innovation and discovery, an intolerance for mediocrity and a genuine hunger for winning. These qualities are as indispensable to company success as is an authentically supportive work culture.

As managers and leaders, it’s vital that our critical faculties aren’t blunted by our desires to be kind and supportive. We must find the ability to have the occasionally difficult conversations that great work requires. However, these conversations should be conducted in a manner that’s respectful, energizing and empowering. That’s the crucial difference between managing for excellence now and in the Dark Ages.

All evidence suggests that workplaces dedicated to nourishing the entire employee — intellectually, emotionally and culturally — outperform ones that treat employees like an expendable commodity. As the wise saying goes: “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.”

Carrots over sticks for sure.