Chief Encouragement Officer

Recently my friend and colleague Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas (https://www.espeakers.com/s/caps/profile/29959) and I were kidding around about the importance of encouragement within organizations, and she suggested that maybe companies and associations should appoint Chief Encouragement Officers. Half in jest, half seriously.

Think about it. The major reason companies and organizations lose good staff and mid-level leaders is that they leave their people feeling unloved. Assuming a reasonably level compensation playing field, support staff and associates are going to choose to work in a place that demonstrably appreciates them rather than a place which takes them for granted. Seriously, wouldn’t you?

On Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs (see below), once our basic physical needs of sustenance and shelter are checked off, we begin to search for things that make us feel comfortable, and once we’re comfortable, we search for things that make us feel fulfilled. All of us want to feel loved and appreciated and special. That’s not selfish, that’s nature.

In response to those who make us feel loved and appreciated and special, we normally and naturally give back with love and appreciation and loyalty. With the exception of the Great Orange One and other extreme narcissists of his ilk, normal human beings naturally want to give back to those who treat them as special. Great waiting staff in restaurants understand this, and their tip jar reflects it.

The great professional firms get this and deliberately transition their most senior and highly regarded members from producer to full-time mentor and encourager. The great Gordon Henderson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_F._Henderson) spent most of his last best years wandering the hallways, dropping into any office which had an open door to chat about the case or matter upon which the lawyer was working.

In his trademark fashion, he’d praise them for their brilliance, and in Columbo fashion, turn back just as he was leaving, with “I nearly forgot, and I’m sure you’ve already thought about it, but do you think the principle in Southampton v Jones might be helpful, here?” As soon as he was gone, you’d quickly research the case and discover it was exactly the missing key to your problem. But Mr. Henderson left you feeling ten feet tall and bulletproof.

Far too many businesses operate on the principle that “The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.” Support staff hang in just long enough to get their Christmas bonus and move on to greener fields. Juniors and associates caucus quietly in offices and over lunch discussing the better prospects in other firms, which said firms soon benefit from all your investment in advanced training and certification. They get your talent, you have the sunk costs.

Mandatory continuing education is one thing, mentoring and encouragement are something entirely different. Continuing ed provides subject matter expertise, but rarely does it address skills development and character building. The “how to” side of professional development comes not from attending lectures but from working with experts in the trenches, and such “pros” are often the best “encouragement officers”.

Often the unsung heroes and heroines are “line workers”, staffers who act as cheerleaders for up and coming young professionals. Certainly in my experience, coming back from a challenging court appearance to be treated like a conquering hero made some of the bruising I may have taken more manageable and lessons learned a little richer. But these wonderful staffers only exist in organizations where encouragement is central.

Places where encouragement is a key part of the culture are invariably led by great women and men who live in the center of their Giftings and in the quiet, confident, strength of knowing they are making the world a better place for their clients, their company, and especially for those young people coming up the ranks. Such people are Chief Encouragement Officers.

I hope your firm has at least one such person!