In today’s corporate world we have all experienced the effect of slipping standards and seen how poor leadership behaviour significantly impacts on brands and reputation e.g., in the horsemeat scandal, News International and now Volkswagen.
Authentic excellence is no longer optional; it is crucial to the sustainability and success of all businesses today. It is the foundation to having the right culture that facilitates good decision-making and delivers sustainable results.
So, what is authentic excellence?
Authentic Excellence is where every person matters, every time; where the values and standards of your people are aligned with the values and standards of your organisation; where both your people and your organisation take pride in and honour their standards; live their values. It is then, true progress is made, true potential is achieved, and the desired results underpinning your business plan are fulfilling for all…. yes fulfilling…otherwise what it the point!
At my company Sareos, we work with different teams, of different sizes, in different organisations, across different sectors, in different parts of the world. We have found in organisations that achieve consistent outstanding results, authentic excellence is central to their success and one thing is common place across them all – they lead and live by their TRUTH.
Here’s what makes the difference.
Trust. Teams seek to build trust by sharing vulnerability
Responsible. Teams always seek to do the right thing
Understand. Teams seek to understand the needs of others
Talk openly. Teams enjoy a healthy debate
Hold. Teams hold themselves and each other accountable
But, what about profit…? I have seen time and time again, that when you lead and live by truth, teams have such a desire to serve – your customers, your organisation and each other - sustainable growth and increased profit are a natural by-product, rather than a forced outcome.
So let’s briefly explore each of the above areas in turn.
Trust – The more a team trusts each other the more they will do for each other. This creates a collaborative and aligned ‘we’ mindset. ‘True’ trust comes from sharing vulnerability of how you feel and what’s really going on inside. When this level of trust exists teams know they can share without judgement, being undermined or attacked. They feel safe! Such positive environments inspire, self-motivates strengthening your organisation. However, some organisations still rule by ‘fear’, creating a survival ‘I’ mindset. These negative environments cause frustration, demotivation, and low morale weakening your organisation.
Responsible - Business decisions are no longer black and white. They are often very complex and making the wrong decision can have huge negative impacts on brand and reputation, as with Volkswagen. Teams with an excellence mindset always seek to do what is right for the customer, the organisation and each other. When making decisions, I would recommend the RIGHT framework by Professor Roger Steare. Briefly, when making decisions seek to understand the legal RULES; make decisions from a place of INTEGRITY, ask yourself how your decision honours your personal and organisational values; consider who will it be GOOD for and who could you HARM; then finally will it build or break TRUST?
Understand - Seek to understand before being understood and operate from a place of service. Too many times, organisations think they know what the customer wants, without asking them. Too many times Managers think they know what is best for their team, without consulting them. Everyone is different, with different needs. Teams who operate from a place of authentic excellence know this and seek to understand and meet the specific needs of others.
Talk openly - Most people don’t like conflict and as a result shy away from debate. However, teams that have built trust do not fear debate. They know they can have a challenging conversation and then afterwards go to the pub together. The debate is left in the room. They don’t hold it against each other.
Hold - This is not just about holding each other accountable to agreed targets and goals. Teams with an excellence mindset are very aware that eyes are always on them, that what they don’t do and say is equally as important as what they do and say. They are mindful of their own actions and behaviours and how this impacts on the wider team and the organisation. They do not walk passed poor or inappropriate behaviours. They hold themselves and each other to a higher standard.
In conclusion, the immediate and long-term success of your company is directly linked to the happiness, quality and high performance of your people as individuals and collectively as a team, which is driven by their authenticity. So, if happy people, means happy returns, what is the one thing that you are going to do differently to cultivate a culture of authentic excellence? About the author Clayton Ainger and his wife run a successful training and consultancy business working with people all over the world, from different walks of life. Clayton likes to challenge the status quo and inspire the people and companies he works with to explore new ways of thinking, attitudes and behaviors transforming lives and results in the long-term.
By Clayton Ainger.
Clayton Ainger and his wife run a successful training and consultancy business working with people all over the world, from different walks of life. Clayton likes to challenge the status quo and inspire the people and companies he works with to explore new ways of thinking, attitudes and behaviors transforming lives and results in the long-term.
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