How do you grow?

In the current climate of uncertainty where business leaders, senior executives and business owners may find it difficult to make investment decisions in certain markets, there is still one area where investment will always prove a winning ticket. 

GROWTH = INVESTMENT IN YOUR PEOPLE

To inspire, empower, and invest in your people is not usual practice in many organisations. It is more often the case that investment is considered to be, or measured solely in terms of capital expenditures such as equipment, machinery, buildings or more rarely funds that may be directed into discovery of new markets. 

Yet, the failure of leaders to venture into the unknown, placing shareholder interests as a primary concern, closely followed by customer interests in second place, above those of their own employees, is a key reason why growth may only be experienced in the short term and may never be sustainable.

Imagine an organisation where a conscious decision has been taken to inspire its people, to create a thought-provoking working environment, where established practices may be brought into question without punishment, fear or shame, and a better way forward may be sought without individuals being side-lined or ousted because a superior’s feathers may have been ruffled, bringing their own long-term tenure of a given position into question.  

So, do progressively minded organisations really exist?

Do they have the courage to challenge the established business wisdom of the day, which is at best misleading, and more often than not wholly misguided in today’s world, particularly for organisations seeking sustainable growth.

This does mean that an organisation may be required to review its current business strategy:  embarking on a whole new adventure, bringing about change of a profound nature that may entail the creation of an entirely new culture. One where a common set of beliefs is shared and communicated throughout the organisation from top to bottom and bottom to top. Yes, that’s right, it should always be a two-way street!

CULTURE = SAME PURPOSE, CAUSE, BELIEF

It is proven by the top psychologists that we human beings need to feel that we belong, that we mean something and that we can achieve something together, collectively as an organisation, in order to fulfil our own potential. Otherwise, as a species we may not have survived, or evolved. Questionable as that may seem, we find greater degree of fulfilment if we are working for a shared purpose. Even a top-level athlete who wins gold medals performs at his/her best thanks to the team behind them, helping them attain that high level of performance. 

So then, why are organisations so afraid to change their culture?  

Surely, it is plain to see that we as human beings, need to share the same purpose, cause or set of beliefs, so that we feel empowered and believe that we CAN perform to the best of our ability – not because we get paid but because we WANT to!

Working through “sweat, blood and tears” feels a whole lot different than working for money.  Money itself may not always be sufficiently fulfilling.  It is but a means to an end, since we live in a society where goods and services are thus far traded through monetary exchange. 

Yes, you can buy a new car or a new house or new clothes with money. But, do more possessions ever bring happiness, or a greater degree of fulfilment, contentment or even a sense of wellbeing in one’s life for that matter?

It is exactly the same in an organisation. For an organisation is a collective made up of different people who may have different views, but who all need to feel united and in essence, KNOW that they are working for a common cause or purpose. 

This creates a dynamic energy where the so-called “discretionary effort” (as espoused by Simon Sinek and Peter Docker) comes to the fore and helps to drive an organisation forward, in such a way that no other force or energy can. 

Discretionary effort = MOTIVATION = unstoppable success!

It is the shared vision and imparting a strong sense of purpose to all employees, which makes an organisation thrive. This is the very essence of sustainable growth, whereby sustained motivation can lead to unbeatable synergies and success within an organisation and such dynamics can generate real Growth. 

Sustainable Growth can be achieved through Creative Leadership. 

The willingness to embrace uncertainty, to venture into the unknown requires strength, COURAGE and resilience. No matter how difficult the journey, creativity will engender enlightened leadership and ultimately foster exceptional results, which will benefit each and every employee, since they will enjoy their work and reap the rich rewards of FULFILMENT (thank you Simon Sinek for making us believe again in this fundamental HUMAN value), but also satisfy and deliver long-term shareholder value, irrespective of the time, place, or size of the organisation. 

In essence, a

HAPPY WORKFORCE = SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

(Increased Productivity + Increased Performance over the Long-Term).

Growth is as simple as that! 

Thank you so much for reading my article.  I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on the above.

Maria Santacaterina

Strategic Management Consulting

linkedin.com/in/mariasantacaterina    

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