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Posted by Sarah Brown on 28 Apr '20
Are you seizing the opportunity to get your organisation fitter?
Like many people I am using the Pandemic to get physically, mentally and emotionally fitter. I’m far from perfect but I am tracking my steps, walking round the village more, doing more stretches, trying to eat well, reading more (NB some inspirational some fun) and listening to Podcasts and the BBC World Service, and doing more pastels like the one of Tabby, our cat with attitude, above. I have also started painting some of the things I am grateful for each day as well as doing my goals for the next day and my journal of gratitude.
It takes some thought to keep all the elements going and, of course, there are days when it is harder but I know the balance is critical as just focusing on one element could lead to disaster in the others be it ill health or a sluggish brain. My concern is that organisations, be they charity or business, are just focusing on one element of health, i.e. money.
It can feel overwhelming at the moment and some organisations will not survive the “pause” most of us are having to put in place. But we also have been given an invaluable opportunity to stand back and look at what we are doing and whether we can or should change. Could we take elements of what we like about the current situation, for example the increased collaboration, the care for others, the improvements in the environment, the recognition of many people that have always played a vital role but have been ignored? Could we create a better organisation that will mean that the post Pandemic world is a better place?
Could we find new ways of working in our organisations so that we get a lasting benefit? So, during the lockdown, while you still have a chance, before we get too busy to think, consider these elements of organisational fitness:
- Why you exist
- What you do
- Your culture
Why you exist
Why do you and your organisation exist? What is your vision, your mission, your values? If you don’t have one you can get help creating a vision here. Your vision is linked to your values and you can assess if your values are working by considering the five questions raised here. You need to start with your why as this will give you the framework and the motivation to get you through the tough times. I am writing this blog, for example, because inspire2aspire exists to support organisations to be more successful and do more ‘good’ while they are doing it. If you want to find out more about being a responsible organisation look here
What you do
In the worry about financial survival, it is easy to only focus on how you can make money, but this could lead you down some dead ends as chasing money does not help you make good decisions. You need to be really clear about what you do to change the world to achieve your vision. You have the time to think now about how you could do it better and in a way that will work in this world of pandemics and do it in a way that is ‘good’. If you want to find out more about being really clear about how you change the world and how to develop your operating model you can find out more here.
Your culture
This involves how your vision and values translate into how you interact with the people involved with your organisation. Do people feel valued in their relationships with your organisation, be they staff, suppliers, customers or other stakeholders? Poor corporate culture is like an individual having a mental health problem, it can lead to unhappiness, underperformance and bad relationships. If you want to know more about translating values into behaviours and corporate culture look here.
After
When we get back to a more normal life I hope as a person I will be fitter, have done lots of pastels, read lots of books, and will know more people in our village. My ‘fitness’ plan for inspire2aspire involves encouraging people to use this time to think about who they could run their businesses to achieve more good and to support this as well as writing blogs finally publishing my book “Winning by Being Good” and starting my next book on corporate culture.
I want to promote great organisations that are changing the world so if that is you please let me know and let me know any changes you will be making to do it even better “after”. I am particularly keen to hear from you if your organisation has a great culture so that I could put you in my new book. Email sarah@inspire2aspire.co.uk or use our contact form