One topic that has been on my mind for some days now is the people within an organization, their place, role, and impact on the effective running of the Organization.
So many organizations have rhetorically pushed this concept. They have not paid so much attention to it, and today the change that the COVID-19 brouhaha has occasioned has exposed the deep divide within organizations regarding personal goals versus Organizational goals.
Recently I had the privilege of sitting down with an individual who I consider a reservoir of knowledge when building a great organization on a sustainable business framework looking at all the ingredients needed to create such an organization.
I raised the question of how people are important to the survival of any business and should be treated as such. He responded by asking if people are so crucial to the survival of any business, why then are Organizations so quick in letting them go when the profits are not adding up as expected? If they are assets and not a liability as often portrayed?
He drew my attention to specific facts that will make the saying ‘People Matter to an Organization’ stick by inferring that the language Business Owners understand about people management is expressed in;
Ø – Earning more money
Ø – Savings/Profits
Ø – Increase in Market share
Ø – Brand Value
Ø – Shareholders Value
People matter to an organization directly proportional to the above-stated factors. If there is an increase in these factors in a positive sense, the people are valued, but when there is a downward slide, the people bear the brunt of it.
So people are as crucial to a business as its profit margins grow. There is no better way to say it.
So for visionary business leaders, their primary concern is to see how best to paint the picture of success with everyone fairly represented in it, where personal goals are crafted into the Organizational goals and Objectives for which individuals come to see themselves as the Organization, delicately fitting in and becoming that piece that completes the whole and not necessarily dissociated, seeing themselves like mere hirelings.
Just imagine for a minute that all your pieces of training (academically and otherwise) professional speaking, which is proof of your desire to pursue a dream and live purposefully, is to be part of an organization for a fee, for Salaries, and no commitments in the sustenance of the business. This sounds so cold, right? But honestly, this is what we have playing out in so many companies.
The relationships are contractual, where the ultimate goal is PROFIT, which often negates trust. Like a child, I ask myself, if all of these can be viewed differently, what will the outcome be?
There is a great battle ongoing today within the business environment, and in my opinion, it comes from the deep emotional struggles that bother on identity, purpose, and appreciation. The cloud has been building, and the droplets are coming off gradually; if it pours angrily, it will be a disaster for all.
So I think it is time to pay close attention to profitability factors with the people in mind.
No wonder great businesses invest in their people, building value that will translate to tangible results.
