Which one do you prioritize–people or productivity? Rather than debating which business issue to tackle first, recognize that these two important business management topics are strongly related. You can’t have productivity without great people (unless you can automate every facet of your business!).
I spent the day with a Vistage group in Michigan. It was a tremendous group–bright, successful, and high energy. They all run growing businesses. Their number one concern? People!
In today’s highly competitive business environment finding an edge is more important than ever. Companies can’t rest on their laurels. Chances are that edge is most likely to emerge if you have a talented group of engaged employees. The days of autocratic companies with paternalistic CEO’s is over. The bandwidth of any one leader, no matter how talented, is just too limited. For companies to be successful it takes the collective brain trust of smart, passionate and empowered employees.
As a result, when we talked about the four areas a CEO cannot afford to delegate in the Vistage meeting today –defining the relevant market, establishing a purposeful culture, developing a strategy and balancing the work of the organization between today and tomorrow–the discussion on purposeful culture resonated most strongly. These leaders wanted to better understand how to transform the culture of their respective organizations from an eclectic collection of mostly good people to a strong, integrated team that drives business innovation and growth. That transformation doesn’t happen on its own. If your company has not yet created a purposeful culture which allows the people to drive productivity, than you are missing out on one of the most important profit drivers available to you.
For more information on this important topic, see our newsletters series on Strategic Leadership, read our CEO interviews of highly effective leaders or join our membership site to view other resources on how to cultivate the people in your organization to drive productivity.