We all know that the number one priority in any organisation is to show profit.  These profits are often made at huge and unnecessary costs.  How and Why?  When we have people on our teams who lack self-esteem and assertiveness.

Organisations are losing tons of money each year due to a variety of causes that include employee theft, corporate crime, robbery, sabotage by an employee or ex-employee who wants to settle a score with management, to name but a few work place problems.  The only good thing about this is the fact that we normally have statistics to prove these losses.

However, organisations are losing even more when employees have low self-esteem and lack assertiveness.  It is like making money on the one end while losing it at another end. The sad thing is that no statistics exist to prove losses suffered due to lack of self-esteem and assertiveness in our employees.  Both concepts are simple and often neglected and a lack thereof can have severe consequences on employee and on the organisation. 

Low self-esteem and lack of assertiveness manifest itself in the following work place problems: frequent employee absenteeism, abusive supervision practices, corporate bullying, an employee who allows others to take credit for work he / she has done, the employee who starts and spreads office gossip, the manager or supervisor who feels threatened by the skills and qualifications of a subordinate, the manager who is unable to enforce the code of conduct because subordinates do not respect him/her, because he/she lacks assertiveness, to name but a few work place problems. 

When this manager, supervisor or employee look inward, they often find that their lack of self-esteem and assertiveness originate from their childhood.  We are told to just pick up the pieces and move on.  I like to think of damaged self-esteem and assertiveness as having cracks - just like the cracks in a building.  And what we normally do is, put plaster over the cracks - not focusing on why it happened, how it happened and how to fix it to ensure it doesn't happen again.  And one day we find ourselves in our work environement, unable to deliver and we end up being recycled in the job market, becoming the "problem" of yet another organisation that will end up losing money because we lack self-esteem and assertiveness.

Because of my own experiences and work with clients I can confidently say that confidence and self-esteem are not the same thing.  This makes me travel back in time and I remember how good I was at drawing beautiful pictures and characters.  My third grade teacher (who'm I still have contact with, who just called me from Cape Town) would ask who could draw well.  The whole class knew I could draw well.  I would raise my hand because I was confident in my ability.

However, I still had low self-esteem and I still lacked assertiveness that made it impossible for me to speak up when I needed to and that caused me great panic at the slightest thought of having to say my name out loud, not to mention the sweatty palms.  Confidence refers to our ability or skill, knowing that we can do something and not to the holistic view of the individial, the self.

That is why people are sometimes confident during the selection process and are unable to deliver months later and/or become the employees mentioned above.

Do you have individuals on your team whose self-esteem and assertiveness suffered a few cracks?  Do they depend on the plaster to fix or heal them, to keep themselves together?  Is the plaster starting to crack and crumble and are you looking through those cracks in search of that confident person you hired? 

By investing in the self-esteem and assertiveness of employees, we not only contribute to the growth and wellbeing of our organisations, but to the greater good of humanity.  An employee with great self-esteem and who is assertive is more productive, can recognise challenges to their self-esteem and assertiveness and are able to deal with such challenges effectively.  They are better spouses or partners, are better able to raise children who feel good about themselves and who are assertive and as a result make a much needed, positive contribution to society and to our world.

Thank you.  And remember...  Your wellness is my business!

Website: www.andeline.co.za

 E-mail: selfesteem@mweb.co.za