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.
If there is one thing the pandemic has had a universal impact on in business, it is the demand for staffing. Yes, there are supply chain issues and raw materials issues and any number of challenges which have forced business to pivot and go in different directions. Underlying all of these are people.
In thinking about our culture, we can easily be distracted in many directions by the noise and various opinions which swirl around each of us every moment of the day. It is time to pause and look deeply at what makes up a positive, productive culture and then have the confidence to step forward and take action to move in our best contributing direction.
The last 24 months have taken their toll on everyone. As business leaders we have had to make various adjustments to our businesses, clients, employees, vendors and all the other regulatory factors which have impacted the day-to-day operations of the business. During this same time, I have witnessed the levels of stress go up multiple levels on these business owners. As they were and, in some cases, still are in save the ship mode, they have disregarded their own personal health for the sake of the business’s health.
Our society embraces the numerous holidays of every calendar year. Valentines’ day is no exception. Since before the Christmas/New Year’s festivities, Valentines cards, flowers, candies and well wishes have filled the stores and windows. As we recover from the activities of Valentine’s Day, let us take to heart the truest meaning of loving each other and all of humanity.
Last week we explored the area of reviewing financial reports to see the results and needed areas of focus to build and sustain a scalable company. Hopefully you took that to heart and as today is the 10th of the month you have reviewed your financial reports at least with yourself and or your leadership team.