Making Work Environment Work

One of the issues that have always been on my mind have been about inspiring staff – getting them really going and doing well. Many years ago, a friend of mine from a large IT company shared that the policy of the company with respect to people has been that “everybody wants to do well and that if the person is not doing well, then there is an unmet need.”
I have always found that a good starting point when relating to colleagues; that each and everyone I am interacting with wants to do their best. And if they are not – then there is something management needs to do – there is something that management is not doing right.

A little less naive now that I am, I still believe the philosophy to be true – under some assumptions.

I have been reading a couple of books, though unintended to for the same theme, tended to discuss about this issue of inspiring and invigorating staff. The books are ‘Future of Management’ by Hamel and ‘The Starbucks Experience’ by Michelli. I even picked up this book out of curiosity at the library – the CEO and the Monk by… the CEO and the Monk (can’t remember their names – I have returned it to the library after a few chapters). All these three books have got components tied to inspiring and invigorating staff.

So what are the assumptions? I think it would seem first and foremost – there must be purpose, a compelling vision for colleagues to identify with and believe about. From the FOM and TSE – this was clearly one of the things discussed at length. Makes sense – people need to be in businesses they believe in – beyond the economic gains, people need to know that they are contributing to a cause.

The second thing that struck me was not so much a book – but a speech I heard (and a short one at that) at my wife’s company dinner. The big kahuna of the company asked all present to reflect about their life goals and what they are and then asked them to see how this company could be leveraged by them to fulfil those life goals. How cool that is! The starting point is the individual – what his or her goals are – what excites them – what makes them feel alive and what will get them to their life’s objectives and then consider how the organisation for which they work for can support that.

So now that you have got staff/ colleagues who

Share your organisations sense of purpose and are deeply compeled by its purpose; and
Can see that their life goals can be fulfilled through their career goals – both are tightly intertwined
then what next?

(Ok… the baby is crying and I gotta go)