Unclogging the arteries of business

Fear and failure

Vision and values

Which of the above statements is more compelling?

I'm guessing you didn't opt for fear and failure!

But, if companies are not clear about their vision and values, they run the risk of falling into fear and failure without even realising it.

Business has changed. Fact. What worked even a few decades ago is no longer viable in the 21st century business climate. Companies who stay wedded to the memory of the past are the companies who are blinded in the present and have no clear vision of the future. Come out of the 'fog' and into the clarity of reality and potential.

Do you know what your personal values are? Do you know what the values of the company you work for are? If you answered 'no' to those questions, welcome to the collective ignorance of the majority. However, if you answered 'yes' to those questions, welcome instead to the enlightened power of the minority. Which club would you prefer to be a member of?

I have spent many years working with organisations on the responsibility agendas. The, wrong, assumption of most organisations is that their responsibility begins and ends with philanthropy. Whilst philanthropy plays a very important part, it does not represent the whole.

An organization that is unaware of how it is viewed by its employees and perceived externally and has no clear values by which it operates, is an organisation setting itself up to be behind the competition, always running to catch up, never quite 'making it', true success in all its meanings always being 'just out of reach'.

Conversely, the organisation that has the moral courage to check how it is viewed and perceived, has very clear values that are measured and tested regularly, is the organisation that will be the benchmark for others to follow, the thought leaders in their industry, the aspiration of those less enlightened, the 'go to' in their sector, the organisation that attracts, and keeps, the most gifted employees.

Which one would you like to work for or run?

Most corporate arteries are blocked. Some slightly blocked, and some on the verge of a massive attack. We should all listen to our bodies when they are whispering, without waiting until they start shouting, so too, should organisations listen when the messages are being whispered and not being shouted out loud for all to hear.

What are you hearing right now? A whisper or a shout? If your body was telling you to make changes would you ignore it and continue to damage yourself or make the changes to regain full health?

If your company is telling you to make adjustments, have clearly defined values and positive vision, are you going to ignore the message and head at full speed to the corporate mortuary or are you going to stop the disease, make the necessary changes and become healthy, sustainable and flourishing?

Business has changed. Fact.

You have a choice. Stay wedded to the past and slide into the mire of complacency or embrace your moral courage, be the light to guide others and be the change other people want to see.

As Henry Ford said,

Which one are you?