The customary non holiday of April Fool’s Day is tomorrow. This is the day that over time people have used as an opportunity to prank a fellow colleague with a harmless gag in order to bring some fun and enjoyment to the relationship. Our society and business world has fallen away from having fun. With all the dynamics of the past 24 months dealing with pivots, changes and fears we lost sight of having fun.
Leaders from all walks of life have the unique responsibility and accountability for the environments in which their people participate and potentially thrive in. By defining the expectations of the environment to be mutually supportive for the purpose and the people, a leader through actions crafts an environment in which their teams excel.
A couple weeks back the Guidepost reflected on the talent challenges in the marketplace. The focus of that post was on not dismissing or hiding behind the issue and get out and be creative to attract and retain best talent. With the ever-changing marketplace of people, places and opportunities, leaders must be able to flex to get the talent they need to be productive.
With the first day of spring having arrived in the northern hemisphere our world starts its journey into the phase of life renewal. Grass, trees, flowers, and all kinds of vegetation begin to bloom forth from their wintery dormancy. We too as people begin to venture outdoors and re-energize ourselves. It is this time of the year when our minds begin the renewal of opportunity put aside during the colder months of the year and think about the approaching warmth.
Recently there was a broadcast of an interview with a successful pro athlete which touched on various aspects of their life. Like many successful people, they had moments of great accolades and achievement and other times of abysmal failures. Like many other people who have realized some level of success, the person acknowledged that they did learn from both the successes and failures. The one statement which they talked a bit about was the focus, motivation and what would keep them on track so they could fight the fight even in losses to grow to the next level. That element was the juxtaposition of having discipline be the driving force rather than having to deal with the regret of not having executed to the highest level they possibly can perform at.
With St. Patrick’s Day approaching we may all consider ourselves to be Irish and call upon the luck the 4-leaf clover brings. The reality is that a quality life and culture does not come to be through the luck of any sort. It is by design that we craft the environments of our living and make choices to support the best outcomes which deliver a Quality of Living.
It is the big topic of owners of businesses of all size – where have all the people gone? Looking for, finding, hiring and having staff be part of the organization’s success is a daily objective in most organizations. Businesses have the need but there is an absence of talent/people to participate in the work. That being a given in the present marketplace, it should not be a green light to use it as an excuse for performing the commitments of the organization to its customers, clients, employees, and vendors.
The divisiveness of individuals does nothing to build a culture where the best outcomes are possible. If we are seeking to have a world where all can respect and trust one another then we must each start with ourselves and removing our own elements of divisiveness from our daily behaviors.
Over the past 24 months businesses have pivoted and caused lots of changes in the way they needed to do business. Lots of changes in a short period of time conducted under stressful dynamics can cause things to work for a short time but could be detrimental over the long haul. When the process changes are done in the middle of chaos the little things don’t seem to make a big difference. People are just happy they moved from one way of working to the next. The products went out the door and customers were taken care of. The process worked!
Our society is caught up in the fallacy that all is for self and not for the community of humankind. As this attitude prevails it smothers the aspects of respect of one another. Everyone is out for themselves rather than what is best for the benefit of the whole. This can lead to a very slippery slope where even self-gratification ends up feeling empty as there is no one to share it with in the long run.