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Section heading culture, vision & values
Business matters of the heart campaign
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a campaign for values-led organisations & better working lives by Natalie Cooper
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Business matters of the heart ‘How’s work going?’ This must be one of the questions our friends, family and peers ask us the most. Whether you’re flying high in your career or the daily grind is making your life a misery, much is determined by the culture and values of your employer. Natalie Cooper reports.
Feelings & emotions Regardless of your position within an organisation, it’s the quality of your daily interactions with people – whether these are your colleagues, customers, clients, stakeholders or shareholders – that will most likely determine how positively or negatively you view your work. When you walk through the door to the office, what do you look forward to? What’s on your mind and what are you dreading? How do you feel every morning? Are you fearful of your boss? Do you feel happy? Note the word ‘feel’. As human beings, we experience emotions. In the space of a day we could go through a whole spectrum of these depending on our environment, conversations and encounters with others, and any news or gossip we hear, as well as personal burdens of our own or even those of other people. So how much should employers and leaders pay attention to the way their employees feel on a daily basis? Why leaders should care The economic and banking crisis, as well as various corporate scandals in the news, have forced employees more than ever to question the ethics and values of their leaders and the businesses they work for. If we go back to basics, our world of work is inextricably linked to our personal life. Capitalism drives profit. The system requires us
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n today’s modern world of work, employees want to be inspired by their leaders. Individuals want to be empowered, have autonomy as well as have the space to grow
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It’s time for every business leader to start listening to the voices of their employees, with ‘values’ being the marker for long-term business sustainability, growth and success.
to go out and earn a living. For the vast majority of us, that means being employed by someone else. But there’s some confusion. What does being employed by someone else actually mean? That when we go to work for someone else we are beholden to the demands of our superiors? We are in their control, under their hold and power? We bow down to them because they pay our wages? What they say goes and we don’t have a voice, because our opinion doesn’t count?
Command & control What would be the worst-case scenario of being managed by a team of leaders who do not care about their staff? Let’s go with the theory that all employees under the leadership team are fed up, demotivated, and just keeping their seat warm doing the bare minimum. Or, they’re stressed out, feel bullied or are suffering from anxiety due to work overload. If leaders care only about massaging the figures in the boardroom to ensure shareholders are kept happy and believe that people are just a means to an end, just another part of the supply chain, think about the kind of culture this breeds. Toxic culture Does the word ‘toxic’ come to mind? If the leaders at the top enforce a command and control structure, this creates a set of acceptable behaviours for managers to follow. Employees will operate within a culture of fear, in which they feel suppressed, but those leaders might argue that at least staff ‘know their place’. But it’s important to think about what happens when the leadership within an organisation is toxic and the culture is bullying. After all, can those at the top afford to ignore the affect on morale and ultimately the bottom line?
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Section heading business matters of the heart
Enlightened leadership – growing acorns In today’s modern world of work, employees want to be inspired by their leaders. Individuals want to be empowered and have autonomy as well as have the space to grow. They also want to be encouraged and guided to discover their hidden talents or to build on their strengths, to have a voice and be heard. When leaders ‘care’ they are able to waken the spirit in their people every day and ignite their inner fires that release powerful energy and raw passion. These enlightened leaders allow their employees to take risks and make mistakes. The corporate environment is healthy. Leaders within these organisations enable employees to feed their business with innovation, ideas, and creativity where they feel a part of the company culture. They ‘feel’ nurtured, are developed and their welfare is cared for. Charles Handy, the management guru who I was fortunate enough to interview back in the summer, believes: “The greatest gift you can give anyone is to water a golden seed; help identify in someone what they are good at, plant that in them and cultivate their talents so the golden seed will grow and flourish, then go on to succeed.” So, the question begs, if you strip back your culture, what does your business stand for? What are your values, guiding principles or behaviours and why don’t all organisations have a code of conduct that they adhere to in the interests of all, including employees, customers, clients, shareholders and stakeholders? Sacred hearts = difference between success vs failure It seems values, behaviours, guiding principles and leadership are the key ingredients making up what we
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hen leaders ‘care’ they are able to waken the spirit in their people every day and ignite their fire that releases energy and raw passion. These enlightened leaders allow their employees to take risks and make mistakes
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call ‘company culture’. So what does it take to open up the hearts of your employees, allowing them to connect their emotions to serving the purpose of your organisation, perform at their best and truly care about the service they provide to your clients and customers? The journey to embed your values might be slower, with longer term rewards, but think on this: next time you step through the front door of your office, what kind of culture do you want your company to have and what can you do to influence and shape its values, behaviours and guiding principles? Perhaps it’s time to ask yourself how you will create a culture that both you and your employees ‘feel’ proud to be part of. Read on...
Natalie Cooper editor, Changeboard
A storyteller at heart, she has a passion for interviewing authentic, inspiring and maverick HR leaders as well as authoritative figures who are experts in their specialist field of HR, wellbeing or leadership. www.changeboard.com