The silent epidemic

There is a silent epidemic in Australian workplaces that is both contagious and insidious. We work under duress. I am not talking about resilience in the face of hardship ... I am talking about people being unfulfilled in their work.

Ever sat through a two day strategic planning program and looked back at your efforts and thought ‘That's awesome! We can't fail.' Then a few months on you wondered what the heck went wrong ...

Put simply, business and strategic planning never have, and never will, ensure successful achievement of goals alone. Sure, it is vitally important to be clear about which direction you are heading, but the most important element is rarely considered within this process: the human element.

Individual goals and values will trump your organisational goals and values every single time. That's a fact. To achieve the holy grail of employee engagement you need both business strategy and personal fulfillment. Corporate Anthropologist and International Expert on workplace culture Michael Henderson says that Australians are a hardy lot when it comes to putting up with a poor workplace culture.

‘Aussies have an inherently high work ethic which means they will often achieve targets even though their heart might not be fully in it. The survival mindset in Australian workers is phenomenal.' Whilst this sounds good on the surface, eventually this good employee cohort will leave, and the huge problem is they will take intellectual property, experience, and even customers with them.

So ask yourself, are we achieving our targets? But more importantly, are we achieving them the right way? There is too much at stake to ignore the epidemic.

Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison


ADDITIONAL RESOURCE

Seven Common Mistakes Managers Make

Are you a Manager, Leader, Supervisor or aspiring to be in one of these positions? Then you need to read this brilliant, thought-provoking e-book that looks at seven common mistakes Managers make and how you can avoid them.

Download the free e-book 'Seven Common Mistakes Managers Make' here

Relationship Economy

Economic exchanges are not always purely to do with money. A cursory investigation of the Greek origins of the word economy shows us a foundation of ‘to distribute and manage'.

When you think about it, the ‘human economies' that exist in our lives are about distribution and management also. Reputation, resilience, love, respect, character ... they are all ‘economies' we need to distribute and manage to see us happy, healthy and motivated in work or life.

In a previous blog I have explored the concept of reputation economy, and in this edition, I put forward the idea of a relationship economy that drives our lives.

Like reputation, the relationships we build, foster, and yearn to be in drive so many other economies in our lives, whether it is in business, family, love or our hobbies. So how do we build a strong relationship economy?

• Build a shared value set between both parties. Relationships that are formed on metrics (money, time, etc) are often not lasting, nor can they stand the rigours of robust disagreement. When relationships are built on value, the content is far less important than the context.
• Learn from each other. The moment the exchange becomes a one-way proposition, the relationship economy is bankrupt. It is vital for both parties to continue to learn and grow from each other.
• Achieve lasting change. The changes we receive through the relationships encountered in our lives rarely becomes useful if we regress or divert to old behaviours. Change must be lasting for our relationship economies to prosper.

So just a few more thoughts to get you thinking about the human economies that are present everyday around us...

Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison

Get it, Say it, Do it

In last week's post we talked about the importance of aligning organisational values with the personal values of your employees.

But how do you find out what your own personal values are as well as those of your employees?

And then...how do you step into a living a life of meaning and motivation by being aligned to your values?

The following simple three-step model is useful to consider in terms of stepping through this process:

1. GET IT - Build on your KNOWLEDGE-base

Explore what your personal values actually are. Drill down and get specific. Often when we ask people what is important to them they respond with general terms such as family, health, career etc. But what is it about family that is most important to you? What aspects of your career do you love and are passionate about? Having the knowledge about these specifics is critical to living a life of meaning and motivation.

Attending Michael Hendersons 'Personal Values Alignment' half-day Workshop on 22nd April in Darwin is a great first step to identifying specifically what your unique values are.

2. SAY IT - Embrace the power of WORDS

What we say, the words and language we use, and the meaning and intent that sit behind those words are critical to success. Use words purposefully with both yourself and when communicating with others.

3. DO IT - Be congruent and transparent in your ACTIONS

Being authentic, genuine and congruent in your actions is a skill that can be harnessed and developed. Achieve mastery in this skill and your capacity and ability to 'breathe' through set-backs or a crisis will become easier. Aligning your actions with your values is the secret to living a meaningful life.

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

Values At Work

How aligned are you to the values of your organisation?

It is a question many individuals may ponder as they stare at the vision statement on the wall that proudly states the values they are expected to uphold. But do these values really work?

Maybe so... and it is likely if they do that they reflect and match a core set of personal values held by the individuals who work there.

Values and vision statements are often written behind the closed doors of a board room, brought out like the ten commandments and put then on a plague with comments akin to "Thou shall follow these at all times!".

And yet do these values actually mean anything to the people who work in these organisations?

Whilst well intentioned, the reality is that personal values will override organisational values at times of greatest need. History tells us after the Columbia disaster that a ‘self-protective culture' formed within NASA and this personal value of safety overrode the organisational value of safety. Simply, engineers identified problems but failed to speak up for fear of ridicule or demotion. Their need for personal safety meant they considered keeping their job more important than doing their job.

Achieving excellence cannot be just a statement on a brass plaque on the wall; there needs to be a careful and planned cultural alignment of personal and professional values to achieve the lofty ambitions of a success driven place of work.

Michael Henderson is an expert on Organisational Culture. Find out below how you can build lasting values and culture by registering to attend Michael's workshops in Darwin on 21st & 22nd April.

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

Finding financial success through your soul's purpose

The title of this week's blog is a strange one, isn't it?

It seems a little funny for a couple of reasons. Let me explain.

Firstly, isn't financial success is supposed to be achieved through hard work, long hours and too much time away from loved ones? Certainly that's what people would have us believe.

The second part of the title of this e-letter is about your soul's purpose. Once again a phrase surrounded by beliefs. Aren't we supposed to head off to the foothills of Tibet, sell our worldly possessions and live a frugal and simple life to achieve this?

I believe we can have both and I would like to explain this in some more depth to you this Friday night (5th March) at a free 2 hour information session:

DATE: Friday 5th March, 2010
TIME: 5:30 - 7:30pm
VENUE: Engineers Australia building, Shepherd St, Darwin CBD (for our interstate or international blog readers Darwin's only a flight away!)

We can make more than just a living from doing the things you love: in fact I know you can find something you truly love (and are good at) and make as much money from it as you wish. What you need to know is how to discover your market and deliver your expertise to the world so it is of value. This is a "yes and" conversation I am having with you right now (and continuing on Friday night) rather than an "either/or" conversation.

But to achieve the holy grail of finding your passion and making it commercially successful, you need to do a few things:

• discover your unique thought leadership; you then need to
• identify how you position yourself in the market; and finally
• you need to know which are the key channels for you to deliver your value proposition.

It is remarkably simple, but the complexity exists entirely within YOU. Perhaps it is your self-limiting beliefs and a tendency for safety and conformity that might just see you on the treadmill of sameness. Well here is your chance to step off the treadmill, and take a brave new step.
I am running a Thought Leaders Million Dollar Expert Immersion Program in Darwin on the 12th and 13th March, and this Friday's session is an information session to explain the processes of the Immersion program.

To reserve your spot at this free, no obligation information session this Friday 5th March please call Catherine or Alison on 08 8945 3199 or email info@changeworksnt.com.

I would love to see you there, and help you achieve this awesome goal.

Warm wishes,
Darren