So what exactly is a healthy organisation?
Does it conjure up mental pictures of lean, muscular athletic people in an organisation?
Well, that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about an organisation or business that is simply awesome to work at. Where there is very little politicking, confusion and silo building going on, where there is a very low turnover and high productivity. Where everyone in the organisation is super clear on what the mission of the business is and knows what part, they play to make it happen. Where everyone feels known and valued, understands the meaning and relevance of their individual role as well as how they fit into the bigger picture and where they can measure how well they are doing in
that role.
Most businesses focus on the smart side of the business, they spend a lot of time figuring out their strategy, marketing, finances and making sure their technology is top-notch, but spend very little time working on ensuring their business is healthy. i.e. Minimal politics, minimum confusion, high morale, high productivity, low turnover. Who wouldn’t want that? The thing is although it is simple to do, it is not easy so many companies just spend more time, money and energy focusing on the smart side of the business in hopes that it will outweigh the lack of health. This comes at a high cost, and it is a human cost. It creates miserable working conditions and then those people go home, and it affects home life.
So how do we stop the madness!? Well, I am glad you asked. There are four disciplines an organisation can work on that will change this. Firstly, you must ensure you have a cohesive leadership team, there needs to be a high level of trust amongst the team so you can do the
work that is needed to do the second discipline. The team needs to get clarity and once they have absolute unanimous clarity you need to cascade that to the rest of the organisation by over-communicating that clarity. Then the final discipline is to reinforce all your human systems to align with that clarity. Simple right? But not easy. It takes time, energy, and resources to make that happen.
I love this work, because not only does the business flourishes, but it allows people to flourish too. In the original Hebrew word for work, one of the meanings is worship. In other words, work was a form of
worship to honour the God who made man, it gave him purpose and fulfillment. It should give a sense of meaning and purpose and it does when we do work that aligns with our strengths. This can make us feel strong and magnificent, imagine the difference between going home after a day where you have done your best work, you are happily exhausted but have a sense of achievement and fulfilment. Sadly, a lot of people go home dejected, drained, and frustrated and their families get the results of that.
I'm on a mission to change that and it starts with great leadership, and recognising our strengths and honouring them. Who wants to join me?
