WHY?

Have you asked yourself WHY? WHY this job? WHY this company?

As a leader, WHY do people show up to work? WHY do they do what they do? The basic and superficial reason would obviously be “FOR THE MONEY”. However, when the money has been made and handed over, what else is going on?

What about PURPOSE/WHY?

People generally show up at work day after day, leaving their souls at home, because the environment to which they owe their existence is not interested in how they feel as human beings. That box gets checked through the innumerable staff surveys measuring satisfaction, engagement, blah, blah…with little ever being done about the results. If anything is done, it usually takes the form of some INTERVENTION over a day or so; after which everyone is supposed to show up enthusiastically, productively and sustainably until the next one…like cars having their regular tune up, clean oil, spark plugs and we’re good for another 15 000kms/1 year – whichever comes first.

How many organisations in business today are succeeding in spite of themselves? Staff moral and engagement are at all time lows as leadership focusses on the short-term results which secure the annual bonuses, with little focus on the quality of experience within the system which has generally degenerated into one devoid of humanity. Human Resources, implies that the people are merely there to be used until they have nothing to left to give, after the very reason they were hired has been systematically beaten out of them over time in order to fit into the “way things are done around here”.

I would posit, that leadership should be focussing on how to serve their people, in order to create maximum positive impact for the organisation through the team of individuals they lead. Encouraging these individuals to understand themselves fully (good, bad and ugly); and therefore their respective impact on others and the system at large. When individuals and teams are enabled to make their highest contribution, the results will follow. Leadership should constantly be asking WHY and recruiting and aligning people to this anchor. When we answer WHY, we are able to align ourselves with a greater degree of consciousness to the people and organisations we choose to serve.

It’s time to stand for something, both as individuals and as organisations. Given that organisations are merely a collection of individuals, I’d say it’s time for organisation to clarify their WHY, so that like-minded individuals can align and find purpose in delivering their piece of the puzzle.

Coaching for Potential’s WHY = empowering people towards their highest contribution.