It’s the PEOPLE!!

Regardless of their industry, geographical location, or specific mission, all organizations share a single fundamental commonality.

Any idea what it is? 

PEOPLE!!

People are the lifeblood of every entity, be it a thriving commercial enterprise or a non-profit organization. The essence of any organization lies in the individuals who collectively contribute to its purpose and goals.

And by definition, an organization is a structured assembly of individuals, organized into teams and groups. Leading these teams and groups are MANAGERS, who play a pivotal role in shaping the organizational culture and steering it towards success.

You probably see where I’m going with this…..

So, what sets apart truly remarkable organizations from those mired in chaos? 

It all boils down to effective LEADERSHIP. 

“But wait!”, you say. 

• Apple is successful because of its amazing products.

• Google is successful because of its incredible competitive advantage in search.

• Porsche is successful because it makes outstanding cars.

Yes, that’s all true. But if you go deeper and consider the first principles of any company or organization …..  it’s the people that do all of that! It’s not the factories or the funding. It’s not the amazing marketing strategies and it’s not the brilliantly designed products.  

It’s the people and it’s how those people are managed and led that make the difference.

When managers excel at their roles, organizations become hubs of energy, motivation, and inspiration. Employees are not just informed but deeply understand the decisions shaping their work environment. They comprehend their roles and goals, feeling empowered to think creatively and critically to achieve shared objectives.

On the flip side, organizations with ineffective management can quickly devolve into chaotic dumpster fires. In such environments, internal conflicts abound, and employees become disengaged, lacking a clear understanding of their goals and contributions to the bigger picture. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced such situations more often than the positive alternative.

So, why does this happen? 

Some answers can be found in my last blog post. It’s something about the fact that only 18% of managers are actually good or great at what they do.

Or, put differently, a staggering 82% of managers struggle with effective management, and a significant portion of them are downright terrible at it.

But, don’t despair! There’s hope, yet.  

It's important to recognize that the shortcomings of most managers are not entirely their fault. Many have never received proper guidance, coaching, or mentoring to develop effective leadership skills and manage their teams adeptly. They need to be trained and developed!!  (BTW - I might just know a company focused on providing some amazing leadership training. Feel free to ping me any time if you’re interested  ;-)

In future posts, I’ll dive more into the mindset and actions that managers need to take in order to be truly great leaders.  

Stay tuned!

DG