One of the key questions about your business as a life form stems from the idea of the energy, or life force that powers it, or enables it to run. It is tempting to think of money as the "lifeblood" of the organization, the carrier of nutrients that provide the energy source for the business. We cover money and other value carriers and storage elsewhere. But here, let's spend a little time on the subject of energy, or the equivalent of nutrition in a living social system like your business.
We know it's dangerous to use metaphors, but it's not at all metaphoric to say that the energy source for your business is provided by the energy spent by people in the fulfillment of its purposes. Money itself can't possibly fill that function. Money, by itself, really accomplishes nothing. A bank account does not invent things. An EFT does not fulfill a customer's requirement. What does accomplish those things? People do, and the artifacts created by people.
Your business runs, and remains on a healthy path, completely due to people in interaction with other people. It is people interacting inside the business, or across the boundary of the business, with customers in particular, and with suppliers and others, that allows your business to thrive. If customers do not spend their time thinking about, and interacting with your products and services, your business will die, in splendid isolation. If people do not assure that the procurement process runs effectively, the same result will occur.
The key point here is that it's not just energy expended by people, but enthusiastic energy, that keeps your business at the peak of health. People who come to work fired up to make a difference. People who get off on going the extra mile to make a customer happy. People whose minds are working overtime to make their work more effective, and to keep making improvements in how their part of the business runs. People who see their work as more than just a job, but as a way to be involved in something bigger than themselves.
So where does that enthusiasm come from? Part of it, to be sure, is a result of having a great cultural alignment. Part of it is compensation that people see as fair. But a big part of this necessary enthusiasm comes straight from you, as a business leader. And this, in turn comes from the vision, passion, persistence in the face of adversity that you display every day. The thing is, it's hard for you to maintain this vision, passion, and persistence in the face of business conditions that are clearly unhealthy. So that a cycle is set up, which can be either a virtuous cycle of increasing enthusiasm all around, or a vicious cycle of deteriorating health and energy levels. That cycle is what we aim to address, in every part of this work.
To get back to the hub list of healthy business factors, click here.
We know it's dangerous to use metaphors, but it's not at all metaphoric to say that the energy source for your business is provided by the energy spent by people in the fulfillment of its purposes. Money itself can't possibly fill that function. Money, by itself, really accomplishes nothing. A bank account does not invent things. An EFT does not fulfill a customer's requirement. What does accomplish those things? People do, and the artifacts created by people.
Your business runs, and remains on a healthy path, completely due to people in interaction with other people. It is people interacting inside the business, or across the boundary of the business, with customers in particular, and with suppliers and others, that allows your business to thrive. If customers do not spend their time thinking about, and interacting with your products and services, your business will die, in splendid isolation. If people do not assure that the procurement process runs effectively, the same result will occur.
The key point here is that it's not just energy expended by people, but enthusiastic energy, that keeps your business at the peak of health. People who come to work fired up to make a difference. People who get off on going the extra mile to make a customer happy. People whose minds are working overtime to make their work more effective, and to keep making improvements in how their part of the business runs. People who see their work as more than just a job, but as a way to be involved in something bigger than themselves.
So where does that enthusiasm come from? Part of it, to be sure, is a result of having a great cultural alignment. Part of it is compensation that people see as fair. But a big part of this necessary enthusiasm comes straight from you, as a business leader. And this, in turn comes from the vision, passion, persistence in the face of adversity that you display every day. The thing is, it's hard for you to maintain this vision, passion, and persistence in the face of business conditions that are clearly unhealthy. So that a cycle is set up, which can be either a virtuous cycle of increasing enthusiasm all around, or a vicious cycle of deteriorating health and energy levels. That cycle is what we aim to address, in every part of this work.
To get back to the hub list of healthy business factors, click here.
To get back to the discussion of businesses as living systems, here.
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