The evidence is everywhere. If we don't treat clients with respect, we lose them. If we take non-renewable resources from the planet, they run out. It's time to look past our financial bottom-line to see how to create a truly sustainable business.
For me, it always hits me when I buy paper. Do I get the budget $4 ream or spend a couple of extra dollars on the eco-friendly, post-consumer-waste, recycled stuff? Sure, "What's one ream of paper ?" I say, but what if every business says that and leaves it up to someone else to make the difference?
The challenge is not just to run a profitable business but to run a sustainable business - a business that gives back the resources it uses. Assessing your business with a triple bottom line looks at its environmental (planet), social (people) and economic (profit) impact, and it's just as relevant to soloists as it is to large corporations.
Now you may not be ready to go solar, but here are seven simple things you can do to reduce your business' environmental impact and create a more sustainable business.
Consume less
1. Switch off the lights, the computers, the fax and the photocopier at the wall at the end of the working day. If you're not ready to harness the sunshine, then get supplied with green power. Put on a jumper rather than the heater. Open the window rather than cranking up the air-conditioning. In the heat of the day, have a siesta, take a long lunch or adopt a more European work day.
2. Get on the phone. Can that meeting be conducted by phone? Do you need to take the car or can you hop on the bus or carpool? What's the impact of your air travel? If air travel is essential, buy some carbon offsets for your business.
3. Embrace working from home. Reduce your travel and doubling up on equipment and resources. Or share an office space with other soloists. When sourcing equipment and services, consider buying local to reduce travel miles.
4. Use less materials. Do you really need to print that? Do you need the glossy promotional materials? Could you 'go digital' instead? Consider ways of standing out from the crowd without producing endless bin fodder.
Reduce waste
5. Recycle. It's now easy to use recycled paper, envelopes,pens, equipment, furniture and clothes. Keep the flow happening by recycling your own resources. Choose lunch on a ceramic plate or get your takeaway coffee in a ceramic mug.
6. Do no harm. Be aware of the potential harmful effects or by-products of the production processes you use. Are your raw materials contributing to rainforest loss or river pollution in the far off place they are produced?
7. Increase lifecycle. What about the lifecycle of your products? Are you buying equipment for life or something that will need to be replaced or upgraded in 12 months? Are you producing high-resource, short lifecycle products to make a fast buck? Or are you creating products that will last beyond the season, the fad or the warranty?
We have the opportunity as soloists to make immediate changes to create a sustainable business, so our business reflects our values and the world we wish to live in. We may be only one business but together we make up a vast chunk of the workforce and can make a difference.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
How to develop good teamwork - Neil Thompson
There are very many factors involved in the development of a good team. However, here we shall concentrate on three in particular, namely: communication, team balance and leadership.
Communication is clearly an important part of interpersonal interaction and, of course, teamwork is all about interpersonal interaction. Open communication is a fundamental part of good teamwork in so far as it allows team members to understand each other's point of view, to share ideas, to express feelings and to articulate plans. Poor communication can be a major barrier to effective teamwork. Wrestling with the complexities of communication is therefore part of the challenge of developing an effective team.
The balance of a team involves having people whose experience, skills, perspectives, interests and contributions complement one another, rather than duplicate or counteract each other. For example, it is no good having a team full of creative people who have lots of new ideas, but do not have the people who have the stamina and stick ability to see those ideas through to completion. Similarly, a team that is full of people who are steady, strong workers but have little spark or creativity, will also be impoverished by comparison with a balanced team. If it is not to become stale and sterile, a team needs people who are prepared to risk conflict by challenging existing norms and assumptions, but, by the same token, a team also needs it's peacemakers. Differences between team members can, in themselves, lead to conflict but the diversity of the team and the balance that this can achieve, will generally more than make up for any such conflicts.
Leadership refers to the ability to create and sustain a positive working culture to motivate or even inspire staff to play their part in creating a work environment in which there are high standards of practice, a high level of commitment and a positive approach. A key part of leadership is 'vision'. This refers to the ability to keep a clear focus on what the team is trying to achieve, what its objectives are in terms of its overall strategy and aims. It is very easy for a team of people who are under pressure from various directions to lose their focus on what the team is all about and what purpose it is intended to fulfil. A good leader is somebody who not only keeps a clear focus him- or herself on the team's purpose and direction, but also ensures that that vision is shared by the team members and that they are not allowed to drift too far away from it. A good leader is somebody who promotes high morale by playing a key role in creating an atmosphere in which staff feel valued and supported. This helps to prevent such problems as gossip, rumour-mongering and backbiting, which can be so detrimental to a team's functioning.
Effective teamwork therefore depends on a good leader, the right balance of the right people and the channels of communication remaining open between them. If these three core ingredients can be brought together, then there is every chance of a very effective team developing.
Communication is clearly an important part of interpersonal interaction and, of course, teamwork is all about interpersonal interaction. Open communication is a fundamental part of good teamwork in so far as it allows team members to understand each other's point of view, to share ideas, to express feelings and to articulate plans. Poor communication can be a major barrier to effective teamwork. Wrestling with the complexities of communication is therefore part of the challenge of developing an effective team.
The balance of a team involves having people whose experience, skills, perspectives, interests and contributions complement one another, rather than duplicate or counteract each other. For example, it is no good having a team full of creative people who have lots of new ideas, but do not have the people who have the stamina and stick ability to see those ideas through to completion. Similarly, a team that is full of people who are steady, strong workers but have little spark or creativity, will also be impoverished by comparison with a balanced team. If it is not to become stale and sterile, a team needs people who are prepared to risk conflict by challenging existing norms and assumptions, but, by the same token, a team also needs it's peacemakers. Differences between team members can, in themselves, lead to conflict but the diversity of the team and the balance that this can achieve, will generally more than make up for any such conflicts.
Leadership refers to the ability to create and sustain a positive working culture to motivate or even inspire staff to play their part in creating a work environment in which there are high standards of practice, a high level of commitment and a positive approach. A key part of leadership is 'vision'. This refers to the ability to keep a clear focus on what the team is trying to achieve, what its objectives are in terms of its overall strategy and aims. It is very easy for a team of people who are under pressure from various directions to lose their focus on what the team is all about and what purpose it is intended to fulfil. A good leader is somebody who not only keeps a clear focus him- or herself on the team's purpose and direction, but also ensures that that vision is shared by the team members and that they are not allowed to drift too far away from it. A good leader is somebody who promotes high morale by playing a key role in creating an atmosphere in which staff feel valued and supported. This helps to prevent such problems as gossip, rumour-mongering and backbiting, which can be so detrimental to a team's functioning.
Effective teamwork therefore depends on a good leader, the right balance of the right people and the channels of communication remaining open between them. If these three core ingredients can be brought together, then there is every chance of a very effective team developing.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Value of Values: Why Values are important in organisations - Richard Barrett
Every individual and every organization on this planet is involved in making decisions on a daily
basis. The decisions individual's make reflect their personal beliefs about what they think is
important. The decisions organization's make reflects the cultural beliefs about what the
organization thinks is important. In other words, the decisions we make are a reflection of our
personal and organizational values. When the values of an individual are the same as the values
of their organization, then there is a values alignment. When the values of an individual are
different from the values of their organization, then there is a values misalignment.
Research shows that companies that seek to align the values of the organization with the values
of employees, and vice versa, are more fun to work in, are more successful and are more focused
on the needs of their employees and their customers. Organizations that don't have this
alignment tend to be more inward looking, bureaucratic, and stressful. They may be financially
successful, but find it difficult to hire and keep talented people. Companies that seek to create a
values alignment, on the other hand, have very few problems attracting and retaining talented
people. They know what their employees want and they know how to provide it.
The first step in creating values alignment is to find out what the values of employees are. The
second step is to find out how employees perceive the values of their organization. This analysis
provides a clear indication of a) the values gap that needs to be filled to create alignment, and b)
the values that employees consider are important for the running the business. Based on this
information, organizations are able to choose core values that are meaningful to all employees.
This is important not only because happy employees create happy customers, but because the
core values that an organization chooses provide employees with guidance in making decisions
even when their supervisor is not present. A strong set of organizational core values allows
organizations to remove layers of hierarchy, because the employer can trust the employee to
always make the right decision - a decision that reflects the values of the organization.
For an organization to reap the benefits of a strong set of core values, the values must be lived by
the senior people in the organization. They must become part of the organizational culture. For
this to happen the values have to resonate with everyone and they must be measured on a regular
basis. If core values are to be effective, they have to be integrated into every facet of the
organization's culture, particularly in the organization's relations with employees, customers and
society at large.
What every employee wants, no matter where they are in the hierarchy, is to find as much
personal fulfillment as they can through their work. Everyone in an organization is seeking to
satisfy his or her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. Our physical needs are met
when we receive payment for our work that allows us a certain degree of comfort and security,
and when we have the right tools and equipment to do our work. Our emotional needs are met
when there is friendship and open communication in our immediate working environment. Our
mental needs are met when we are invited by our superiors and peers to share our ideas and we
are able to see that our opinions count. Our spiritual needs are met when we find meaning in our
work, when we have the opportunity to make a difference and we feel we can be of service.
Creating such a culture is the challenge that organizations face if they are to survive and prosper
in the 21st century.
basis. The decisions individual's make reflect their personal beliefs about what they think is
important. The decisions organization's make reflects the cultural beliefs about what the
organization thinks is important. In other words, the decisions we make are a reflection of our
personal and organizational values. When the values of an individual are the same as the values
of their organization, then there is a values alignment. When the values of an individual are
different from the values of their organization, then there is a values misalignment.
Research shows that companies that seek to align the values of the organization with the values
of employees, and vice versa, are more fun to work in, are more successful and are more focused
on the needs of their employees and their customers. Organizations that don't have this
alignment tend to be more inward looking, bureaucratic, and stressful. They may be financially
successful, but find it difficult to hire and keep talented people. Companies that seek to create a
values alignment, on the other hand, have very few problems attracting and retaining talented
people. They know what their employees want and they know how to provide it.
The first step in creating values alignment is to find out what the values of employees are. The
second step is to find out how employees perceive the values of their organization. This analysis
provides a clear indication of a) the values gap that needs to be filled to create alignment, and b)
the values that employees consider are important for the running the business. Based on this
information, organizations are able to choose core values that are meaningful to all employees.
This is important not only because happy employees create happy customers, but because the
core values that an organization chooses provide employees with guidance in making decisions
even when their supervisor is not present. A strong set of organizational core values allows
organizations to remove layers of hierarchy, because the employer can trust the employee to
always make the right decision - a decision that reflects the values of the organization.
For an organization to reap the benefits of a strong set of core values, the values must be lived by
the senior people in the organization. They must become part of the organizational culture. For
this to happen the values have to resonate with everyone and they must be measured on a regular
basis. If core values are to be effective, they have to be integrated into every facet of the
organization's culture, particularly in the organization's relations with employees, customers and
society at large.
What every employee wants, no matter where they are in the hierarchy, is to find as much
personal fulfillment as they can through their work. Everyone in an organization is seeking to
satisfy his or her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. Our physical needs are met
when we receive payment for our work that allows us a certain degree of comfort and security,
and when we have the right tools and equipment to do our work. Our emotional needs are met
when there is friendship and open communication in our immediate working environment. Our
mental needs are met when we are invited by our superiors and peers to share our ideas and we
are able to see that our opinions count. Our spiritual needs are met when we find meaning in our
work, when we have the opportunity to make a difference and we feel we can be of service.
Creating such a culture is the challenge that organizations face if they are to survive and prosper
in the 21st century.
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