Connecting the “soft” to the “hard”

Since the end of 2008 we have measured the culture, climate and engagement levels of the staff of a Western Cape construction company on a yearly basis using the Motto Survey. This has been an exciting journey for both the business and the ±120 staff. It has been fascinating to see how the staff responses change from year to year. In the first year the movement in responses were massive, as were the change in staff attitude and performance. Thereafter there has been a consistent and more gradual improvement on 90% of the measured items every year.

The reaction from all business owners and managers to this is always: “That’s great, but how did the business perform?” After all, we are here to make money. The successful business leaders understand that link – the connection between the “soft” measures vs. the “hard” ones.

The good news is that this company has been showing a consistent growth in profit in spite of the struggling construction industry.

Since the Motto Survey was first used in this business in 2008 we were able to design and implement Organisation Development (OD) strategies that could target the specific challenges and at the same time build capacity for future strategic business needs.

One of the many success stories over the years is of an Operations Manager that were able to make a complete turnaround in his management style, specifically the way he communicated with his staff. Staff responses on most of the leadership feedback items moved from 50-70% negativity to less than 30% on all related items from 2008 to 2013.

The success of this turnaround was achieved by a combination of intervention strategies, but if you ask the Operations Manager what made the staff responses change, he will talk about his staff communication lessons. Both the interactive workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions over time gave him insight on how to change the way he was managing the supervisors and staff. As a result the staff losses have been minimal over the years and very little disciplinary issues arise.

Being able to know exactly which area/department and which issue to tackle as part of the OD strategy enables business leaders to minimise staff loss, build capacity and create a performance driven workforce.

Compiled by Dr. Mariheca Otto. She writes a weekly blog: www.motto.za.net
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Geronimo!

When my husband and I travelled back from the UK after our working-holiday stint, we came via Nairobi on an overland truck. This was a very long time before kids, business and having to be responsible. At Vic Falls I decided to bungee jump, something I always wanted to do. I had the idea in my mind that it would feel like you are soaring, flight-like...

Not the case!

The thought that went through my mind was more like: ' #@*%! This is not right/normal/natural/human!' I was, let's just say, out of my comfort zone. Although you know that theoretically you are safe (there is a safety cord), when you are in the air your brain however is not comprehending this.

In my consulting work I am often suggesting to and encouraging individuals to move out of their comfort zone for various reasons. I recently was involved in facilitating a highly volatile work space. In preparation for the planned confrontational conversation I asked all the participants to think about their needs in the relationships - with the individuals, the group, the brand, the company. What this exercise does is help you realise what (and who) is/is not important to you. Stating your needs, or having confrontational conversations are not always easy or guaranteed fun. And the reality is that it completely puts you 'out there'. Mid air. Vulnerable.

My wise coach taught me that it is great to put yourself 'out there', to really jump into that difficult conversation. But you can manage your own levels of vulnerability. The key is to realise that some people have 'earned' your vulnerability, and some not. You know who those friends, family and colleagues are - you feel 'safe' with them, and when you express your needs or feelings they totally value it.

Confronting others, expressing our needs and being vulnerable happen when we are realising our life purpose or personal vision. Fortunately these are all skills - which means we can become better at it. http://goo.gl/UhC7V

Hanging on

When I was at school I had an intense (as intense as teenagers can be) conversation with a close friend. She subsequently wrote an amazing poem about the conversation that later in the year won some national language prize. That same conversation theme came up again today, this time with my two older boys.

I was much older when I relayed the picture of us (people) being like puppets. Hanging on strings, being controlled, not having much choice. I could share my kids' frustration and confusion in trying to make sense of life, and our part in it. Understanding, or rather knowing, how much of a choice we have in it.

I suppose I have always had a thing for the dramatic. Recently a client commented on how I tend to dramatise some consequence scenarios. The observation was absolutely accurate. I am so very aware of the possibility of us not taking full ownership of choices that we consciously or not so consciously make, whether this relates to the existential and life purpose options or less loaded choices.

This awareness, or consciousness of how we deal with our lives often comes up in the mentorship and performance related conversations I facilitate for my clients. I use the Individual Assessment tool (http://goo.gl/UhC7V) to help people unlock their awareness of choices they can make in their own lives, jobs and careers.

Just yesterday I was part of such a conversation again. I expressed (of course very dramatically) to a talented, mid-life(ish) male manager a possible scenario if he did not choose to consciously steer his life/career in a different direction. He completely got it. I know that, reflecting on it a year from now, he will be in a different place in both his work life and personal life - he has made a decision to own his choices/life.

Camping

In the past couple of weeks I became distinctly aware of the bodies we live in, and how we occupy them.

I have a client that is participating in the Ironman (is that still politically correct?) event over the weekend. I know quite a few people that recently ran the Two Oceans race - although I do think most of them used it as an excuse to come down to the Western Cape for a holiday...The not so long ago Argus cycle tour is another example of this.

None of these (for me extreme) sports really appeal to me, but each to his own, and I applaud anyone that has the discipline, energy, commitment, focus etc. to train and participate in these sports. My 2 eldest boys for some reason now also decided that they want to start running - I think it has something to do with receiving a medal. Personally I don't think that is much of a reward, but who am I to judge?

On another note, a very much liked client had a heart attack last week. He is now recovering at home. We had the whole health discussion at the end of last year, you know - what are you doing to cope with work stress? When are you going to take a holiday? Coincidentally he came back from a holiday break just before it happened. In the same week I heard of a friend diagnosed with breast cancer. This was a bit closer to home - female, small kids, same age, similar life style.

I know life is temporary. Or let me put it this way, my brain knows life is temporary. As a friend frames it: our bodies are the 'tents' we live in, just a shell. Temporary. Explaining this to my kids is another story, a rather challenging one. But it does help me to start making sense of where I am with this health, body awareness concept.

The bottom-line is this: you need your body to live your life purpose. The question then comes up: how are you treating/managing/occupying your 'tent'? This is an aspect we look at in the Motto Individual Assessment, you can have a look on the website: http://goo.gl/UhC7V