COMMITMENT OR COMPLIANCE?

DO YOU WANT COMMITMENT OR MERELY COMPLIANCE?

Imagine: if everyone one went to work excited, energised and highly motivated to bring their best, and went home at the end of the day fulfilled and happy that they’d done a worthwhile day’s work and been appreciated for that effort. How would that change the world of business?

Imagine every business solved a real problem in a sustainable, accessible way to the benefit of society and local community and it wasn’t just about money. How would that change society?

The future of business and the future of society depends on us reinventing the way we go about business and actively seeking to use business for good, in a way that has sustainability baked into the business model, in a way that actively inspires and connects people to a bigger cause.

The Runa company, for example, make drinks from the Guayusa leaf which is grown under the canopy of the rain forest, so their business model requires them to replant large areas of the rainforest. The unique “forest gardens” where the leaves grow are managed by people indigenous to the Amazon, the Kichwa, so the company is both helping to preserve the rainforest and supporting independent local farmers. Even the name Runa means ‘fully alive’ in the native language of the Kichwa people.

We need more companies like Runa that look to use business for good rather than just get rich. Companies like Gravity Payments, run by Dan Price. Six years ago, Price raised the minimum salary at the company to $70,000 the 120 staff that worked there. He even slashed his own $1 million salary to accommodate the change. He felt that for the company to grow and thrive he decided that the employees need to be able to look after themselves and their loved ones without having to worry about money. The response from the media was mainly scepticism, calling the move socialism and most reporting expecting (almost rooting for) the experiment to be a failure.

However, six years later Price believes it has been an incredible success, with 10 times as many people able to buy homes for the first time and nearly three-quarters of employees have been able to reduce or complete their outstanding debts. There has also been a baby boom with ten times the number of new-borns. Gravity is a community of people on a mission. It has gone far beyond merely paying people for their time. Gravity has drawn people into a relationship of collaboration and commitment to a cause. So much so the staff bought the CEO a Tesla to say thank you. We need more companies like Gravity Payments.

But building companies like Runa or Gravity is not easy. It takes energy and effort and patience. We need leaders who go against the grain. Leaders who are willing to stand up and do things differently. Leaders who are willing to take risks and try new things. We need leaders to look beyond the next quarterly results and choose to build for the long-term future.

For the 22nd Century, organisations need to move beyond the current employer/employee paradigm and stop thinking in terms of a simple exchange of time for money to generate profit. If we are to move to a new economy based on businesses with purpose, we need to inspire and draw people into the reason that a business exists. We need to gather people to a cause. We need to articulate the good that we do in a way that people can emotionally connect with it and not only choose to be part of the solution, but actively self-motivated to turn up and give their time and energy willingly and with joy. We need organisations who not only include employees in the mission, but also choose to share the spoils.

We need to move away from control and compliance where people come to work, do what they’re told (or at least what they can get away with) and go home having earnt enough from the hours they contributed to survive. Business should not be like that. Life should not be like that. People want to be part of something more. People want to belong to a business that is a collaboration of people who are committed to something more than just making money for the shareholders. A community of people all pulling in the same direction because they believe in what they are trying to achieve together.

People who are merely compliant wait to do what they’re told. Then they do precisely what (they think) they were told and no more. They need lots of managing and reams of procedures and policies to get the ‘best’ (or maybe most) out of them. And even then, their best is likely to be mediocre at best. Just enough to not get fired.

Committed people, on the other hand do what needs to be done. They don’t need telling, they don’t need regulating or controlling. They don’t need reams of policies dictating every thought and action. They need freedom, trust, and autonomy. They may need some guidance and input. They will probably need some help and support and sometimes they may need a little inspiration. Mostly you can leave them to get on with it. Committed people don’t need motivating to get best from them. They motivate themselves. They want to do the job and they want to do it well, because it matters to them, and they understand the impact it has in the world. They will often surprise you with what they can achieve and it’s usually better than you imagined. It’s also cheaper, less stressful, and more energising to work with committed people.

How do we create an organisation worthy of commitment? How do we build a business that people want to be committed to? If you’re a leader looking to transform your business into a 22nd Century business with loyal employees and legions of fans you need to be clear on three things: the cause, the players, the words and ways.

Firstly, you need to be really clear on what your business is for. Why does it exist? What is the point? Why are you in business in the first place? Why you do it? What is the heart behind what you are providing for clients? You also need to be clear on the way you want to go about business. What are the values and behaviours you want to live by in delivering this raison d’etre?

The additional bonus about being clear on your purpose and values, is this will actively differentiate you from the rest of your industry. Your competition may be able to steal your ideas, but they can’t duplicate your culture without it seeming inauthentic and fake. It’s your superpower, but most organisations never really define it and those that do are often afraid to truly express it in the way they operate. Get it right and you will really stand out.

The Players

Secondly, you need to decide who’s in and who’s out. Who are the people you need to partner with to help deliver? Who totally believes in the organisational values? As Jim Collins puts it in “Good to Great” - you need to get the right people on the bus. One of the first things Steve Jobs did when he returned to Apple was to change his management team and fill it with people who understood his vision and shared his obsession. The right people are crucial in creating a collaborative and committed organisation.

But it is not just people that fit the culture and share the values. If you really want to elevate your organisation to one that is truly future fit, you need to find people that contribute to the culture, people that bring life and add to the culture and the outworking of that culture in different contexts. Find people that more than just fit, but who actually actively elevate and bring the culture to life, helping you to raise your game.

The Words and Ways

Finally, you need to look at your voice and your systems. How do you talk about what you do both internally and externally, in your marketing, in your internal communications, in meetings? And what systems and processes do you have in place for your metrics and rewards, your procedures, your environment, and office space? All these areas need to line up. Your organisational voice needs to reflect your purpose and values. Your ways of working need to reinforce your commitment to the company values. When these things are congruent throughout your organisation and over time it demonstrates consistency and commitment to a cause that others want to be part of. It all adds weight to your trustworthiness and authenticity and creates a community that people want to be part of. A company that people will choose to work for and be motivated to bring their best and truly be committed to.

If you’ve got to the point of needing to enforce compliance rather than inspire commitment, then perhaps it’s time to take another look at what you’re building. Perhaps it’s time to move some people on, and it’s definitely time to be honest about why you’re doing what you’re doing.

You can contact Ben at:

Email: ben@thecultureguy.co.uk Telephone: 07980 567574 Website www.thecultureguy.co.uk