ENERGIZE TO OPTIMIZE
Energize To Optimize Gain Peak Performance
We can ’ t expect different behavior from others than what we ourselves offer as an example . “ We are the message ” in our companies today . Business leaders , no matter the sector , must
develop ways to thrive during times of constant change . I offer ten specific action ideas ( discussed below ) to all of my clients as these ideas are designed to gain peak performance from our most important resource — our employees .
Never before have we seen companies put so much pressure on their employees to work longer and harder . John Hinrichs , president of the consulting firm Management Decision Systems , observes that “ ten or fifteen years ago , we used to talk about job enrichment . Now we talk about job engorgement .” There are numerous reasons for this stress-inducing tendency : corporate
OUR CHALLENGE AS LEADERS AND MENTORS IS TWO-FOLD . FIRST , WE MUST ENERGIZE OUR ASSOCIATES SO THEY CAN OPTIMIZE THEIR PERFORMANCE NOW . SECOND , WE NEED TO MAINTAIN BALANCE AND PERSPECTIVE IN OUR OWN LIVES IN ORDER TO HAVE A PROPER WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR ASSOCIATES .
restructurings , which have wiped out layers of managers without reducing the amount of work to be done ; new technologies ( which eventually will lessen the need for supervision ) that are currently causing tough transitions for managers and employees ; and increased competition coming from large , efficient players and from niche opportunists .
Our challenge as leaders and mentors
is two-fold . First , we must energize our associates so they can optimize their performance now . Second , we need to maintain balance and perspective in our own lives in order to have a proper working relationship with our associates .
YOU ARE THE MESSAGE Here are the ten things to think about and then proactively implement in your organization . And if you think some of these ten “ energizers ” need to come from the top of your organization to be successful , I remind you that leaders start where they are . Do these on your own , and then see what happens around you .
1 . Energizers set direction for their units by writing quarterly mission statements . As part of this process , the team commits to established values . Enthusiasm is generated within departments as team members formulate their shared missions . Revising those statements quarterly rekindles that energy and commitment while also providing an opportunity for each person to develop appropriate short-term goals .
2 . Energizers truly listen and , thus , are plugged in to reality . They are
10 | SPRING 2017