I am not saying that morale issues do not exist. Here is my thought.

Every week that I speak to a new and different audience, I have the privilege of interviewing a portion of them. Here is what I have found. When morale issues exist there are a percentage of the employees who are having personal problems. Big personal problems. And what happens when we do not deal with our personal problems, is that they come to work with us. Then we are trying to create a culture of motivation and happiness with people who are depleted in their lives.

My compassion grows week after week for how much people deal with. The stories I hear from people and how much they are coping with makes me often wonder, how do they even get out of bed in the morning, much less go to work! I know life is stressful but we need to be accountable for dealing with our personal lives so we can be happier.

I sit next to people on airplanes all the time who share their personal challenges with me. I listen empathetically then often ask them, "What are YOU doing to cope with your life?" So often they can not answer that. When we are living with stress we often forget we have choices on how we cope with it.

When we do not deal with our marriage problems, teenagers, self-esteem issues, addictions, depression and stress ... which we all have... someone else will pay the price for that. They pay by how we treat them. We can pretend we are okay but your coworkers and staff know you are not. Some of you have EAP programs in place to get the help you need. There is nothing you are dealing with you cannot Google to get more information on. Go to a meeting. Join a support group. Do something to move forward.

It is impossible to come to work depleted by our lives and expect to add fullness to the work place. In the book "what happy people know" Dan Baker writes , "those who do not have control in their personal lives come to work and control" and haven't we all worked for someone like that?

I know it is hard to look at our 10%'s and change. I know first hand the hardest person to change is the one in the mirror. And I know for sure, those organizations that I speak to that have very few issues with low morale.... Also have a group of employees (starting with their leader) who is committed to their own happiness.

I believe that if we all dealt with our personal problems on our own we would then... be happier... and then we would go to work happier and everyone would not have to suffer for our lives. Morale issues would become less of an issue. And wouldn't that be a wonderful place to work?