JBM Consulting
What is the "Character" of Your Business OR Organization?
Perceptions of "who" you are matter! March 2010
Greetings!  

We often focus on our past and our future, but how often do we focus on our day to day interactions and how well we are performing each day?  After all, those experiences are what make our past and future!
 
The other important focus for any business or organization to consider is that perceptions of others has direct impact on whether they will utilize your business or not.  More and more we know the common theme for those strong organizations are how they are viewed, how well they treat others, especially their staff.  I have seen many times where an organization with high quality isn't viewed as such due to the perception of the "character" of that organization!
 
If you stop and think about what makes you or your employees feel loyal, appreciated and focused on the tasks at hand, what is it that we know makes it all work?  I think if we stop and answer this, we would come to a similar conclusion and that is, how much an employee identifies with their employer.  Do they see role models that reflect the "character" that the employer "states" they are presenting?  It takes every employee to objectively assess their own approach to their work in order to truly determine how they contribute to the character of their place of business.
 
Character Matters....what do we as people value?
 There are some basic values that most of us share:
  • Need to trust and be trusted
  • Need to be respected
  • Need to feel good about contributions
  • Need to know that they are seen and treated as individuals
  • They need to know that no matter how bad one day is, the  next will be better
  • Need to have clear expecations
  • They need to know they have the ability to be "heard"
 
You are dealing with adults, a collaborative approach to work will make those day to day contributions set you up for the quality, quantity and defining your culture in a manner that is admirable.
 
Does your organization respond effectively to ensure the above items are in place?  Would your employees describe your place of work as one that is desirable? One that cares about others? One that is fair and ethical in decision making? 
 
So what do we need to do?
If we spend the time necessary to be sure we are set up to work effectively each day and assess how we are doing each day, the rest falls into place.  I am not saying you don't need planning but I am suggesting that you spend much of your time focused on what you can accomplish given the day you are in, rather than one that isn't here yet...
 
 I have learned through my experiences that living for the day is more and more meaningful to my personal and business success.  While I have my eye on the target, it doesn't consume me, rather I focus more on what I need to accomplish in any given day and do so in a manner that is of the highest quality. I find that avoiding clouding my mind of what needs to be handled the next day is useless to what I need to accomplish this day.   
 
Finally, we need to be sure the work that we are doing and the approach to the work follows the basics of what it means to be good people ultimately resulting in an admirable organization/business.
  • Kindness
  • Respect
  • Trust
  • Ethical
  • Dependability
 
Most of the problems in workplaces that come up and take much of our valuable time are related to strained or ineffective relationships as well as not taking the time to assess how we are doing..often enough.  This needs to be the focus that is required in order for the success you desire.  There is little room for .. "we don't have time" ...the purpose in any organization and the management is to produce quality and make a difference regardless of your business.  We cannot do this effectively without keeping our eyes on what's important in life to everyone.  Every business should desire to be known to have a "character that cares" , focusing on the needs of their employees and clients/customers. 
 
 When we can get rid of the "us" and "them" (referring to employees(us) and administration (them)in some organizations, this will make a huge difference.  Its all about relationship building, collaboration and utilizing the expertise and perspectives of everyone to consider changes and decisions to be made.
 
What I have found working with clients is that there are significant and often immediate positive results when they change their focus to meet what was described above.  Most of our inefficiencies or reduction in quality is lack of regular and clear communications including roles and performance.  
 
 
The higher up we are in the chain of command, the harder it is to fully understand the impact of our policies and the decisions we make related to the work our employees are asked to do.  Looking at the workplace from a different employee level and fully understanding their perspective is important to understand how your decisions impact the "product" that you desire.
Review your mission, your vision and how you know that the reputation/perception of your organization or business "character", effectively meets them.  We cannot be sure of this unless we are certain that day to day, we meet the needs of our employees, constituents, clients or customers. What systems do you have in place to ensure you live for the day so tomorrow meets your quality and quantity expectations?
 
If you find that you need to begin the process of motivating your staff and/or improving relationships, take the time to view the FREE Webinars at www.jbmconsultingonline.net to give you a good start at workplace improvements or just to know what really matters to people in the workplace.
Wishing you continued success always,
 

Jeannine Brown Miller, MA, SPHR Principal Consultant
JBM Consulting