What happens when organization cannot live out its values and beliefs? More than likely employees begin to lose faith. Obviously, decay and death could also occur. What causes organizations to fall into the trap of mixed messages? Why does a CEO get it, but those closest to customer don’t? If you look to those “middle” influencers you’ll find the answer.
The middle is where insecurities and inexperience coexist. Since most organizations value conformity, these influencers don’t know anything about original thought. Let’s face it; our job is the “holy grail.” We don’t want to lose, fail or look bad. Sounds to me like a recipe for no risk taking. The only hope is to catch these individuals early (before they enter the organization) or when they realize that life is a limited time offer.
A great deal of responsibility for our situation lies at the feet of senior management. As well intentioned as they can be, corporate honchos don’t create environments for people to grow. They’re so burdened by this quarter’s numbers, or some Wall Street analyst’s opinion. Life is full of ironies, this is one of them.
Look around you, no innovative people equals no long term profit.