Organizational Health
When I first heard the term Organizational Health, my immediate thoughts were on the usual corporate topics of wellness; diet, nutrition and exercise. After all, these were important things for our associates to be aware of. Their ability to better manage and improve their health could be a critical component in helping the company better manage the rising cost of medical coverage we were experiencing annually.
I soon discovered that the term actually referred to how we functioned as a business, team and organization. Engagement, trust and transparency among our leadership team were the terms used by author Pat Lencioni to describe Organizational Health. By some happenstance that I can only refer to as Divine Providence, I stumbled upon Pat’s 2002 best seller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. I was quite irritated that he had so brazenly written about the Company I was part of without ever interviewing any of our leadership team. Surely he had placed hidden microphones in our conference rooms without our knowledge!
After passing out twelve copies of the book to members of our leadership team, with the assignment to read it before the next staff meeting, I was anxious to see what their reaction would be. Turns out they too were astonished as to how closely we resembled the characters in the book. The reason for the similarity is because all companies everywhere wrestle with the same types of issues, personality conflicts, lack of trust, unnecessary complexities in process and poor communication.
The organizations that focus on establishing trust, clarity and simplification, along with regular and timely communication, are able to consistently achieve their goals and objectives while companies that don’t focus on those things operate in a constant state of frustration, finger pointing and excuses for lack of performance.
The Lyons Den Group can assist you with:
- Determining your organization’s current health status
- Implementing a plan to raise awareness on the importance of Organizational Health
- Prioritizing the steps needed to begin improving your organization’s health
- Establishing programs that will improve trust, clarity, simplification and communication
Having firsthand experience with how a focus on organizational health can improve engagement, purpose and results, I’m passionate about helping others understand it all starts with a commitment on the part of leadership to, as our friends at NIKE say, Just Do It! Scary? Perhaps. Benefits? Off the charts positive. Downside? Can’t think of any.
Isn’t it amazing how often we hear the definition of insanity as doing the same things while expecting different results? Yet, the truth of the matter is we are, to one degree or another, living the definition of insanity in our organizations every day. What are you going to do this year to start the process of improving your Organizational Health?
Hoping things get better is not a strategy. Implementing a proven program of intentionally focusing on organizational health, with the realistic hope and expectation that that effort will create a better work life for your associates while more effectively achieving your company’s financial goals, is a strategy.
The Lyons Den Group can help you intentionally improve your Organizational Health.