Etiqueta: organizations

Can our soul vanish?

Publicado en leadership, organizational cultureEtiquetado como , , Deja un comentario

You fell in love with that brand, product, service, project, team.

You would not buy anything else even if it was cheaper, told it was better, ensured to have a shorter answering time, offered a more attractive one, promised to get a salary increase. You would not do it because of that je ne sais quoi, that intangible thing that kept you attached, let’s call it «soul».

Soul is the essence, the why, of a company, of its members, the who, the sum of each individual believe, effort, success and failure.

If we lose sight of what we want, why and how we act, our soul slowly, very slowly starts to vanish, until one day we do not recognize the person looking at us in the mirror.

When companies start looking for a different what, no understandable motives behind, without adapting/revisiting their why or adjusting teams to the new reality, their soul starts softly to disappear.

And one day, you do not know why, but «love» is no longer there. That brand used to be, that product was good, the service is not bad, the project is no longer thrilling and we could use some fresh air on a new team.

We are not the same we used to be years ago, neither do companies. Life is change and evolution. Awareness and consistency are two elements to keep the essence, our soul with us.

About exams and workplaces

Publicado en attitude, organizational culture, teamEtiquetado como , , Deja un comentario

In my life I have been through many exams and tests. I remember those crowded rooms, the tension, the relief once it was over, … And I found interesting making the comparision between exams and meetings/team’s behavior.

  1. In an exam: You cared more about the typo errors than you cared about your answers being right. Workplace: You care more about noticing others’ mistakes than completing the tasks you were assigned.
  2. Exam: you didn’t read the whole test so you made obvious questions to the professor. Workplace: You don’t process what is being explained and you are just waiting for the slot where to ask your «smart» question (which is not).
  3. Exam: You cheat in a test. Or you just made up a story that sounded like a brilliant answer to you. Workplace: You «enlight» the rest of the team on a subject on which you are no expert or that you just heard from someone else without checking if the information was right.
  4. Exam: It always made me nervous that after finishing an exam everyone would gather to compare answers. It happened after all the process: you had gone into the room (Almost always) focused, read the questions, structured your answers, hesitated and by applying what you learned, some common sense and maybe some magic, you wrote down on a piece of paper the solution to the problem. Workplace: for sure you have been in meetings where no one was paying much attention, or they did but each one got a different conclusion. If you compare answers, it’s possible that you will find yourself with a completely different conclusion than the rest of the team. It doesn’t mean you are wrong.

So, why don’t we stick to the exam’s basics principles while we are at work?: be focused on your role, what you have been asked to do, don’t pay too much attention to what other’s are doing  or to what they did wrong. And, finally, you can stay to compare the answers, but just make sure you are confortable with your understanding of the questions and the solution you gave (you had plenty of time during the meeting to double check). This last one, it’s even more valid in uncertains environments.

About Companies and fashion victims

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Outfit: Combination of clothes and accessories that we chose to wear (and there is no dress code needed). We will never see two people with exactly the same look. We have our own style (or we try to do our best). But if we love labeling we will get to similar ways of dressing,  different tribes. Let’s look at them.

The Classical style tribe, contemporary, loyal to a brand, color or style of dress. They never change, innovate or introduce a new color.

The fashionables tribe, always following the latest trend. No matter what. Regardless of it looks funny on you, or it does not fit well (you do not look comfortable wearing it).

And last, but not least, the practical-but-sometimes-dressing-out-of-the-box tribe, although having a conservative style from time to time, they try something new, taking advantage of that super cool piece that fits like a globe and makes you look gorgeous. Because, it’s different, practical and it looks reeeaally good.

If we look for them on facebook, Instagram or pinterest or whatever social network available there would be plenty of each tribe.

But, what if we said that Companies have exactly the same kind of relationship with fashion. You see it?

Once in a while (or every season) a new topic pops-up, and it seems that if you don’t use it a lot, your out of the loop, completely old-fashioned, not cool.

One of the previous Fall-Winter collections brought Agile, analytics, digital, robotics,… to our stores. The spring-summer collection include design thinking, lean, customer oriented… (if you look back you will find a bunch more from many years ago). See now who is wearing what.

Do we wear an «unflattering color» just because a fashion magazine told us to do so? Do all companies understand what applications might have the new season release? Have you ever heard someone asking for a specialized training, just because it’s a new skill? (required for what? no idea, but it’s a new skill)

Is there a style that defines us? What should be embedded in the company mission, in its vision? Shouldn’t be the customer (the one reason why we exist as companies) always in the center of what we do?

Or are we all just fashion victims that buy something just because «YY» THE influencer was using it or recommended? Do we only listen to the seller who tells us that everyone, I say everyone, is wearing this and we don’t think and we overpay?

Have a look around, to what’s new. Think. Do you want to keep your style or change it completely? Can this new element make me look amazing? Will I feel comfortable? Then, go for it.