“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
– Albert Einstein
The past: Employees serve the company.
The future: Employees are a new category of customers.
Your new customers have needs. Here’s a list:
- To be heard and have their opinions respected, taken seriously, studied and when appropriate, acted upon. When not acted upon, told why.
- Have a stake and a voice in defining the culture – a kind of “cultural equity.”
- Share in the profits – based on their measurable contributions. To satisfy this need, you will have to redefine the balance and resolve the conflict of interest between your employee/customer and your shareholders. This is a tall order.
- Have a say in determining whether and to what extent they can construct their work schedules, i.e. remote, hybrid or in the office; plant; warehouse; laboratory, etc.
- Be responsible for achieving the results that contribute to their compensation Yes, most people wantto have a stake in outcomes. It makes them feel relevant. Relevance is an important part of cultural inclusion. Inclusion begets commitment and ownership.
- To know that they matter and that what they do helps make a difference.
You’ve most likely heard or read about all of these. But what we’ve experienced is that most leaders are picking just the one or two that they’re willing to address, i.e., being locked in the level of consciousness that created the problem.
In upcoming blogs we’ll start to unpack these elements and explore ways to address them.
To explore more about transformation in upcoming posts, follow us at Axies Group on LinkedIn.