Has your company become Stagnant? Does it feel like you’re just going through the motions? Then it’s time for you and your team to LEVEL UP!
“Anything less than perfection is the enemy of perfection.”
People say nothing is ever truly perfect, and they’re probably right. But I can’t help but believe that when we settle for the idea that because it can’t be perfect, we don’t need to strive for perfection, we are actually failing. The truth is, we become stagnant because we believe that being ‘good’ at what we do is good enough. Jim Collins, the Author of the book ‘Good to Great’, said, “Good is the enemy of Great.” he even made it the first chapter.
In life and at work, when we settle for things being ‘good enough’, we have told ourselves that we do not need to strive any harder or push to go any further. We convince our bodies and minds that progress is unnecessary. But life doesn’t teach that. The Law of Decay says “Any system without the addition of added energy, is decaying.” We are no different. Our Companies are no different. If there is not added energy on a regular basis, our companies will decline and decay until they ultimately die.
Leveling Up Begins with Leadership
Some Owners and Administrators like to pull away from the office and judge the office’s general health from afar. The problem with that is that a company’s growth and general health come DIRECTLY from its leadership. In the subsequent blogs that will follow each week through the end of May, we are going to explore this further. For now, just know that leadership can not escape the blame of a failing or stagnant work culture because you have allowed it to exist. A company cannot progress forward if the Leader of the Company is not present and actively revitalizing the Team. This is a fact.
As an owner or Administrator, if you say, well, I’m not able to be there or equipped to energize my team. Then, with all due respect, you need to step aside and let someone else do it. And after that, don’t go getting in there way. The only thing worse than an owner/administrator who isn’t a good leader? An owner/administrator who micromanages the one who is.
So Who is the Leader?
Again, we will touch on the Hierarchy of Leadership in the next blog, but for the purpose of this blog. How do you locate the ‘Leader’ of your company? Ask these questions about each employee:
- How well do they do their job?
- How often do they go over and beyond that job?
- How do their coworkers view them?
- How do their subordinates view them?
- How much energy do they offer?
- Do they want to be a Leader?
If you can say they are hard workers who go over and beyond, are viewed positively and have charisma. I believe they will make a great leader, granted the answer to question six is ‘Yes’.
Leveling Up Requires Desire
Question six is the one I use most often as an Administrator. A person’s desires create and form their attitude for the company and for their job. Too often, teachers get burned out and lose that light that makes them ‘want’ to teach. Police officers who stop caring. Lawyers who lose the drive towards justice. Administrators who get fed up with teaching and guiding. When we lose the desire to go further and to strive towards perfection, we lose the energy to grow. Time to level up and move forward!
That Leader can feel this change before it gets out of hand by keeping their finger on the pulse of the company’s health. And a good leader will do just that. When I saw that shift happen in someone, I went to them and asked, “How are you feeling?” After they told me they were feeling fine and life was good, I would follow up with, “Awesome, but are you happy here doing what you do?”
If the answer was anything but, “Ye, so happy,” I would dig deeper. “What is it that makes you not want to come in to work? Is there another position you would prefer to be in? Did something happen between you and another employee? Is it me?
The point of these questions is to gather information to process. For example:
What is it that makes you not want to come in to work?
“It’s just the same thing over and over.” This is so common and so easy to fix. This employee isn’t saying the job is boring. They are saying they aren’t being challenged, and a good leader would see that! So we find a way once or twice a week to give them a project that can challenge and grow them. This is good for the company! You need a Leader who will see it and be wise on how to fix it.
“Non-growth, or plateauing, is decaying…”
Is there another position you would prefer to be in?
This is another, generally, informative question. But remember, any time you deal with people, it’s not about what they say, but what they are trying to convey. If your employee mentions management and leadership, get them on your Company’s Leadership Curriculum or Training Program. If they mention ‘sales’, many times they want or need more human interaction. If they mention an office setting, perhaps less human interaction. Think about their schedule and ask questions to deduce the reason they might prefer this new position.
Time to Level Up Your Culture
Lastly, for this blog, I want to mention the importance of your company’s culture. Culture is the Values, Beliefs, Behaviors and Material Objects that together form a people’s way of life. In life and in the workplace, this is true.
The Leader who believes it is time to level up the company, needs to build an understanding of what the company feels about each of these things. (Values, Beliefs, Behaviors and Material Objects) By doing so, they can then live them.
Living this culture and then directing others to live this culture is how a company goes from decay to decadence. From failure to fruition. From ebb to excellence.
And that leader will know how to move your company forward, into a Brighter Tomorrow!
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