Back in March, I wrote about Donald Trump’s rise towards the Presidency.
His vision of making America great again resonated with an audience who were not only tired of costly foreign policy blunders, but the hardship it has placed on their own.
Despite what we think of Trump’s suitability for the role, America has voted for change. What that means for the rest of us however is yet to be seen; noting the point I was endeavouring to make was less about the (likely) outcome, but the impact leaders with a vision can have on others.
As it becomes harder for people to make ends meet, the promise of change becomes ever more appealing. The problem however is too many of those we look up to for answers are failing to take their organisations forward and instead, placing the burden on their staff.
As a consequence, people the world over are losing faith in those at the helm; hence we are seeing ever greater tensions playing out as the leadership required to take our organisations (and nations) forward becomes noticeably more absent.
Despite the fact that in general there has never been greater opportunity, organisations globally are seeing the future as risky rather than a chance to deliver something greater to their stakeholders.
As market pressures come on, the natural tendency is for people to bunker down rather than working out how they can add value to those they support. If businesses are to survive, they need their leaders to change the conversation they have with their people so they understand what they need to do to help the organisation advance, not keep their head down in the hope no one notices. In other words, ducking for cover, because we don’t know what else to offer, is never the answer.
At the end of the day, business performance is a consequence of human performance. For those who treat it as such, winning is easy however for those who see it as different, they will become a liability to those who employ them.
So what does it mean for us?
Answer: Recognising the opportunity to add value. That is, we need to ask ourselves how much value are we adding to the organisation/s we work for?
Sadly, an ever-greater portion of society have lost sight of the value of capitalism. To them it means a system for the rich to exploit the misfortune of others rather than a means to capitalise on our respective skills for the benefit of each other.
Make no mistake, as cost pressures come on, businesses will need people who have the capacity to not only solve problems, but provide meaningful long-term solutions.
If we each chose to think about the value of our contribution as opposed to the extent of our effort, we will become ever more relevant to those who employ us. However, the moment we lose sight of it, we cannot help but become a cost.
For this reason, taking time over the Christmas period to assess your performance is a worthy activity; especially if you come to the realisation that you could offer more if you set your mind to it rather than hoping things work out if you are lucky.
As a final point for the year, in addition to a sincere apology for the gap in blogs this quarter, it is helpful to remember that if we change the way we think, we will not only change our experience, we will change the life we lead. If however we think exactly as we have been, we will remain entrapped in our current cycle, problems and all.
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