Organizational Energy - Focused

Photo by Walker Fenton on Unsplash

We have energy available for growth, improvement and positive change only when we get rid of the ongoing, repetitive problems & conflicts that are constantly consuming that energy. 

Most of us could really use a "gas gauge" to monitor our organization's energy because we're hovering on "E" most of the time, with a long way to go before we reach our goals! If the energy we have available is finite - it is - and we spend it on the same issues or problems day-after-day, week-after-week, we run out that energy before we can attempt the work that could propel us forward!

Example: You are at work and it's a typical day - marketing is unhappy with sales, sales doesn't like production, production is at odds with accounting and accounting is fighting with everyone!  A client wants to discuss a new opportunity that could really "move the needle" but your response is, "Not today - I don't have the energy for a productive discussion".  You don't have that energy because it has been spent elsewhere...

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash

The solution to "not enough energy" is addressing the root cause of Entropy - which is a lack of mutual trust and respect.

Entropy is a lack of integration (disintegration) and it stems from a lack of mutual trust and respect.  Trust means "I believe that you will do what we've agreed upon - I don't have to spend time checking that you are doing what you said you would do".  It also means that we are committed to generating outcomes that, in the long run, will benefit everyone (although not necessarily in the short run). Respect means that we listen to each other and learn from each other, thereby avoiding costly missteps and mistakes.

It's easy to waste energy on Entropy; office politics, explaining (again), "motivating", convincing, (more) meetings, rumor control, etc. The cure? Doing the work required to develop a culture of mutual trust and respect! 

Contrary to popular belief, mutual trust and respect is not generated by a corporate offsite where the team does ropes courses and trust falls (as fun as those can be).  Why not?  Because those things are being done outside of our day-to-day environment and while I may learn to trust you at the retreat, the real question is if I can trust you at the Monday staff meeting?  Maybe you respect my skills on the ropes course, do you respect my opinion during the budget preparation process?

Here's the bottom line: If you want to have the energy required to grow your business (which happens when you can match your capabilities to the opportunities available), you need to ensure you are not spending it all getting the non-negotiable, day-to-day stuff done.  That requires learning how to develop a culture of mutual trust and respect.

Ask yourself this difficult question: "Do we have a high level of mutual trust and respect in our organization - at every level?".  If the answer isn't an immediate and unequivocal "YES", you need to fix that problem right now. The future success of your business depends on it!

Want to solve issues like these? Contact us via email at rickcramblet@brite.consulting or (231) 740-2513