I have worked in a variety of industries in my career—and out of all of them, cannabis seems to attract some of the most mission-driven employees. It’s always especially heartening to see people on the front lines—some in the first job they ever had—hyper-committed to the value of serving their customers with life-changing products and experiences. Passionate teams and workgroups create lots of wonderful outcomes; however, sometimes that intensity can create unique challenges.
Here are some examples of both:
- Emotional investment: Successes are celebrated intensely, but failures can be deeply disappointing and cause temporary, precipitous drops in morale.
- Intense workplace relationships: Close bonds form between colleagues, and conflicts can also become more personal, making it harder to work together in a consistently professional manner.
- Difficulty in work-life balance: People work hard when they’re committed, and the line between work and personal life may blur as the mission becomes all-encompassing. Sometimes employees are expected to work more, volunteer their time, and go above and beyond to complete tasks–this leads to burn out and potential retention problems.
- Resistance to change: A team’s commitment to organizational excellence and process improvement focus inward. It’s important to constantly consider outside forces. If they threaten the mission without warning, there may be strong opposition about how to handle them. This can stymie growth and innovation for the organization.
- Potential for groupthink: Strong shared beliefs might lead to a lack of diverse perspectives or critical thinking.
- Competitive atmosphere: While united in the mission, individuals might compete to contribute the most, which can become counter-productive in terms of sustaining supporting and trusting relationships.
- Difficulty attracting or retaining diverse talent: The intensity, enjoyed by many, might not appeal to everyone. This could lead to a homogeneous workforce.
- Strong organizational identity: A powerful culture develops, which can be both unifying and exclusionary, especially when different interpretations of the mission develop amongst the team.
This month, my goal is to raise awareness of the potential challenges that can come from positive things. Next month, I will focus on remedies for these challenges. In the meantime, please inquire about the next Rockin’ Your Supervisory Role course during which I discuss how to convert all of that passionate, mission-driven energy into best practices that drive workplace harmony.
Continuing reading Part 2 of this series.
Guest Blog by John Mancuso
