Labor and Management

"If done well, management is among the most noble of professions."

Today is Labor Day in the United States, a day set aside to celebrate “the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker” (US DoL). Front-line and healthcare workers have earned an extra dose of celebration over the past ~18 months as they’ve kept the country running during the pandemic. Hats off to them and to everyone whose work makes their community a better place.

From an Ann Arbor, Michigan neighborhood (source).

I chose to make a career out of bringing data to the management of people in organizations in part because the experience people have at work is so important. In the words of Adam Grant, I’m trying to “make work not suck.” Even better than giving people a day off once a year, I love the idea of making every day of work just a little bit better (or a lot better, as is needed in many cases).

Clayton Christensen, a lauded academic who developed the theory of disruptive innovation, also wrote a book called How Will You Measure Your Life? (book) (TED talk). One quote from that book has stuck with me ever since I read it:

I [have] concluded, if you want to help other people, be a manager. If done well, management is among the most noble of professions. You are in a position where you have eight or ten hours every day from every person who works for you. You have the opportunity to frame each person’s work so that, at the end of every day, your employees will go home feeling like [they had a good day].

He goes on to explain that a person who has a good day at work goes home to their home or family with a better attitude, and is kinder and more patient with the people around them. The work of good management can influence a worker, and their work, but even beyond them can influence everybody that the worker comes into contact with. Few concepts have influenced the way I approach my career as much as the idea that managers can affect people’s lives, not just people’s work.

So, today I’m reflecting a little bit on what I learned in school about the importance of unions in the United States, and a lot more on what impact it can have on people when their job brings them fulfillment and joy instead of crushing stress or anxiety from poor management practices. I’m thrilled to be working in people analytics where I can help inform what good practices look like, and make work better for as many people as possible.