Back in the UNH groove! and EVLN, Sponsorship, stories, and more
RWL #315
Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! We’re back in the UNH groove - it’s just like the New York Groove
… only with classes and no guitars and the only screaming are the students who haven’t done their homework. I crack myself up. Don’t worry - I’ll be here all semester.
Pic-in-a-pic above is of the rail line (the Downeaster) that runs behind the LHH.
So here’s this week’s links. I’ll be back Sunday with an essay. As usual, willing good for all of you!
Read
What: HRProfessionalNow, Employee response to job dissatisfaction
http://hrprofessionalnow.ca/business/675-evln-model-behaviour
Why: I’m working on some research that may tie in with Albert O. Hirschman’s classic, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty. In my initial poking around to find literature on the topic (other than the book, which I highly recommend), I found this article which captures the fact the later research has added another component, neglect, to the model. Neglect is like the wretched quiet quitting that has become fashionable in recent months.
Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect are four responses to someone’s dissatisfaction with an organization. The article focuses on employee dissatisfaction, but Hirschman’s initial research was based on business-to-business dissatisfaction. Regardless, it works very well for both frames.
From the article:
The EVLN model identifies four different ways that employees respond to dissatisfaction:
Exit. It includes leaving the organization, transferring to another work department (or unit) or trying to get away from the dissatisfying situation. It is important to understand that specific shock events quickly energize employees to think about leaving the organization and engaging themselves in exit behaviour.
Voice. This can be a constructive response. For instance, recommending ways to improve the conflict situation, or even filling formal grievances or making a coalition in order to oppose a decision.
Loyalty. Normally, loyal professionals are employees who respond to dissatisfaction by patiently waiting. The loyal associates can suffer in silence for days, months or even years without clear problem resolution.
Neglect. Neglect means lacking in diligence. It includes reducing work effort, paying less attention to service quality, increases in absenteeism and lateness. This type of behaviour has negative consequences for the organization.
**
What: HBR, What Great Sponsors Do Differently
Why: Mentorship is no longer cool. Now everyone wants a sponsor. I think the authors use the word sponsorship the way I use mentorship, but aside from that, this is a great article about mentorship sponsorship. It explains why it is important, how to do it, how to find a sponsor. All very important ideas for rising leaders and current leaders who want others to rise. (Be a rocket launcher!)
**
What: Ideas.TED.com, We all know people who seem to attract fun — here’s how you can do it too
Why: I have a tendency to make everything into work, which I think of as fun. But maybe I could lighten up a bit. From the article:
The primary thing that separates people who attract fun from their peers is their attitude. They approach life in general with what I call a “fun mindset”... The secret to developing a fun mindset is to deliberately seek out as many opportunities as you can in order to create or appreciate playfulness, connection and flow.
The article has a bunch of tips on how to be more fun. I will now work on those, possibly add them to my daily goals. ;)
**
Watch
What: Kurt Vonnegut, Shape of Stories (17 min)
Why: Vonnegut is the great science fiction writer of the 20th century. In this lecture he talks about the basic patterns of stories with a great deal of sarcasm and humor. What is interesting about this video is he makes a throw-away comment at the beginning of his talk that says a computer could follow these rules to write a story. And indeed a computer, ChatGPT, now is writing such stories following these rules. Because that’s what machine learning does - it discovers hidden rules in the data.
Have a listen to Vonnegut and think about what he is saying and how the advice from this science fiction writer is now being put into practice… by a machine. Most likely future blockbuster movies will be written by ChatGPT and its children since what we like about them is their formulaic nature.
**
Listen
What: As We Work, How to Nab a New Job…Without Tipping Off Your Current Boss (24 min)
Why: Spring is the time when seniors begin to look for jobs. This is a good pod for anyone thinking about going on the job market. They present a variety of perspectives - such as, should you have yourself open to recruiters on LinkedIn? Does anyone even read cover letters these days? And more.
**
What: HBR IdeaCast, Ron Howard on Collaborative Leadership and Career Longevity (28 min)
Why: Probably the most impressive thing about Howard is his longevity in a brutally competitive field. Along with that is his ability to pivot. He comes off in this pod as a man dedicated to his craft and to ethical behavior.
**
What: Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz, Dunkin' Donuts: Bob Rosenberg (40 min)
Why: Donuts!!! I should have included this link in last weekend’s essay. Dunks is the quintessential New England fast food chain. This is its origin story.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line at mark.bonica@unh.edu , or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
If you’re looking for a searchable archive, you can see my draft folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jwGLdjsb1WKtgH_2C-_3VvrYCtqLplFO?usp=sharing
Finally, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://markbonica.substack.com/welcome
See you next week!
Mark
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picaso