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(aka: Ode to a Cliché)
by Sean Clancy
It is time for American companies and organizations (and their leaders) to put their money where their mouths are. “People are our most important assets”, if this is true, then it is time to buck-up or change your tune. If any of us had a nickel for every time we’ve heard this battle cry, well you know the rest of this cliché. The tragedy of this statement is that many companies never move beyond the words. And at the end of the day, actions do speak louder than words.
What actions have you taken to put your money where your mouth is? What I am writing about today is …credibility. In these times when we find economic uncertainty, psychological insecurity, and a lack of corporate integrity spilling out into the streets, leaders have an opportunity to pull their organizations and their people up by the bootstraps one by one if needed.
Technology, reengineered processes, and even JIT supply chains can all be replicated. The ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm within your employees cannot. When you add the flames of passion and commitment to the mix…anything is possible. Allow me to stop your thought process right here: I am not advocating another flash-in-the-pan, pump-you-up, one-time, latest fad pep rally.
As much as I love a good motivational speech, I am talking about a tangible long-lasting investment in people. I am talking about creating a culture of coaching, a culture of growth, and a culture of development to benefit the people side of your business. This enlightened state is only possible with a commitment from the very top of today’s companies, corporations, and organizations.
I have watched people literally blossom while opening their hearts and minds for the benefit of their employer. They “felt” that their employer was interested in them and committed to their growth and well being. The net effect of having employees “feel” this way, is increased productivity, increased customer satisfaction, and increased profitability. Does this make sense?
We’ve all seen the old message forms that read….”Don’t say it, Write it”. I submit to you that even writing it will not get you the desired result without the hardest step of doing what you say or write. Like many people, I’m partial to Nike’s breakthrough marketing slogan “ Just Do It”. When an organization moves from talking about things to just doing them, credibility is restored and amazingly employees pull together and focus on goals and objectives. There are at least 101 sports or team analogies that I could throw out at this point. Help me out and insert your favorite:________________________________________________.
As we enter the second half of 2002, the companies and leaders that prosper will do so not because they wrote about it or even spoke about it. The winners will “Just Do It” and their competitors won’t know what happened. They will put their money where their mouth is and collect the corporate and personal rewards of success, satisfaction, and profitability.
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