No Irony, Please

“Do as I say, not as I do” is annoying when it comes from parents. When it comes from your leadership, it can be more of a problem.

The interior design firm with ugly office space. The software developer using outdated technology. The human resource consultants who can’t seem to manage their own human capital. The international development nonprofit that sends its CEO overseas in first-class. These are ironic. These are unfortunate. These are the subject of Dilbert cartoons. And these are a source of friction in your organization.

Irony in the workplace creates problems, because it is obvious to your workforce. Please don’t fool yourself into thinking that they do not see it. Customers and clients might not notice it because they do not see all the behind-the-scenes work, but your employees do. They know how things CAN be done (because they are doing them for your customers) but then they see how things ARE being done when it comes to them and their organization. It becomes a source of frustrated discussion and a major distraction in your workplace, and that is not what you need your employees whispering about to each other; you would rather have them collaborating on something positive.

It also makes them question your leadership skills, and your talent in the field in which you are working. It’s sort of like looking at a hairstylist with bad hair; if that is what they think looks good on them, what are they going to do to you? If you are running an ironic workplace, your employees may be concerned about your ability to run the business profitably. In other words, if you think these practices are OK at work, then how does that affect what you will provide to your customers? They are liable to spend a lot of time networking and keeping their CVs up to date rather than working, just in case you run the business into the ground, and that is a problem you do not need.

So establish a “No Irony” zone in your organization. Look at your own leadership and management practices in light of what your organization does. Consider how things appear from your employees’ perspectives, not just from your customers’. Remember that, before you can do something well for people outside your organization, you really ought to be able to do it well internally, too.