[January 23, 2016] A few years ago while visiting my mother-in-law in a local rehabilitation center, I overheard a nurse talking with an elderly man. She told him, in a room of about 20 people, that “it’s time to change your diaper.” A lady sitting next to me said quietly, that there’s no dignity in here.
“When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises.” – Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Eventually, we’re all going to die. Why not live our lives with dignity; that we should expect to be treated with honor and respect? Humans, and perhaps most animals, seem to inherently want dignity. Scientists have detected signs of dignity in animal primates and other higher-order animals. Anyone who owns a dog will attest to this finding.
It is incumbent upon leaders to ensure they clearly communicate the moral and practical reasons for treating others with dignity. For example, the U.S. military has encoded in their regulations the requirement to treat prisoners and all civilians with dignity and prohibits mistreatment of them under any circumstances.
When we fail to treat others with dignity, either through ignorance or by purpose of intent, we tell people they are worthless and condemnable. Everyone losses in those situations. Leaders must teach, coach, and mentor those in their care to respect the dignity of others. The practicality of this approach becomes more obvious as we are able to elicit better performance from workers and reciprocity from others.
I spoke with the nurse at the rehabilitation center, just to ensure the elderly man was treated with more understanding. Clear to me was that there had been a breakdown of leadership that was unnecessary and avoidable. I also spoke with the center’s manager about their patient “customer service.” While I doubt my interruption in their routine affected any change, it made a difference that day.
Leaders have an obligation to involve themselves directly, otherwise we’re just another person collecting a paycheck.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]