Yesterday was a “bucket-filling” day for me that started and ended with events affirming the importance of people (“Humans, not Resources”) for peak organizational performance.
First, I spent a long luncheon with the Austin eWomenNetwork chapter (#ewnAustinTX) where Melissa Love from Everybody Up! talked about the importance of relationships and offered networking tips for getting those relationships started. Then I spent the evening at a panel presentation and networking event co-hosted by General Assembly and 15Five on “Building and Scaling an Authentic Culture”
where folks from four local organizations shared their secrets for sustaining great cultures through periods of rapid growth. These folks get it – no matter how high-tech we get or how “human” robots become, human-to-human connections fuel innovation, productivity, loyalty, and, ultimately, business results.
It’s easy in these settings to begin thinking, “My work here is done! Everyone finally understands how to use mission, vision, values, diversity, and strengths to build inclusive, productive, self-sustaining teams and organizations. Time to move on to the next challenge!” Then we break for networking, and the attendees share their latest horror stories in quiet groups of 2’s and 3’s – “You won’t believe what this manager said to me yesterday!” – stories of cluelessness about running effective meetings, integrating diverse viewpoints, inviting participation in major change initiatives, resolving conflict, goal transparency…the list goes on.
So there’s still work to do, but I’m excited and encouraged to find so many people from a range of organizations interested in and committed to building inclusive, generative workplace cultures that address both the company’s need for results and the employees’ need to do satisfying work valued by their peers and managers. Every workplace won’t ever be perfect for every person – that’s the beauty of diversity! At the same time, if we continue to collectively value both corporate results and human dignity and use those as guides for organizational design and decision-making, we will continue to inch our way ever closer to the ideal.
Onward ho!
