While many things in life appear to be constantly changing, one pressure point for leaders seems to remain ever-present.
We are all required to do more with less!
Across many industries, margins are tight and expenses continue to increase. The requirement for leaders to produce targeted bottom lines no doubt contributes to much of the stress that exists within Corporate America. This push for elevated profitability remains true within for-profit and non-profit organizations alike.
Techniques such as LEAN are clearly helpful in seeking greater efficiencies within the workplace. Broad-based strategies to cut costs are often implemented and can sometimes result in lay-offs with corresponding declines in overall employee morale.
Although not reflected as a line item within financial statements, a disengaged workforce carries a very high price tag. A recent Gallup survey reported the cost of employee disengagement associated with lost productivity alone is $7 trillion.
The imperative to do more with less is likely here to stay. Yet in lieu of focusing solely upon cost reduction strategies, I have always believed you cannot cut your way to sustainable prosperity.
What is it that leaders can do to achieve maximum utility from their most expensive organizational resource… their employees?
Within Gracious Leadership: Lead Like You’ve Never Led Before, I share practical suggestions for unleashing the potential of your workforce by taking a few simple steps.
Within the chapter regarding the Head-Heart Connection, you can read about the difference between what employees are required to do based upon their job descriptions and what they are inspired to do from within their hearts.
While I was working within the Finance Industry, hospital employees who were complete strangers transformed my life. They did so much more than meet my clinical needs. They treated me like I was the only patient in their world. I can guarantee their job descriptions did not require their seemingly small acts of kindness that far transcended my clinical needs. It was from within their hearts that they were inspired to “love” me through what was the deepest valley of my life. Four months after this experience, I left the Finance Industry and entered the field of healthcare. These employees were role models of the Head-Heart Connection, and they changed my life forever!
Not only is it a leader’s opportunity to unlock the potential of the Head-Heart Connection, but it is also our responsibility to optimize our organizations’ most expensive and most precious asset… our people!
It is the leader’s responsibility to help employees see the connection between what they do every day and the organization’s mission and goals.
When employees realize the value of the work they do and, more specifically, how “what” they do really does make a difference, their hearts can take over and release the untapped potential that has been dormant for years.
What will you do differently as a leader to achieve more with less by unleashing the potential of your employees? It’s not hard. You just have to be purposeful and sincere as you help your team discover the Head-Heart Connection and understand how each and every one of them is making a difference.
Gracious Leadership: Lead
