Usually we talk about the heart in relation to our health or the health of someone else. The heart can be physically sick, such as a heart attack, angina, arrhythmia or heart failure. We also talk about a “broken heart” referring to emotional trauma of some kind. In the English language this means that someone or something has broken our heart and could be referring to the loss of a loved one, an accident or collapse of a relationship. But what about the heart of an organisation? Would you describe the heart of your organisation as emotionally and physically healthy?
Who or what is the heartbeat of your organisation? An interesting and perhaps even unusual question. As I see it, an organisation is a living entity, it breathes and has a strong or weak heartbeat. The health of this living breathing entity is based on morale within the team, employee engagement, leadership openness, interest and ability to inspire those who are working with them, clarity of direction, communication consistency, positivity and honesty, teamwork through sharing the wins and openly discussing situations that require change or improvement in order to strengthen strengths and learn how to build and change performance that is not as successful as the organisation leadership or team in question want it to be.
In answer to the question – the people are the heart and the heartbeat of any organisation and depending on how they are treated physically and emotionally will either result in a healthy or an unhealthy heart that misses a beat, struggles to function in some way or is clearly and obviously down-right sick!
Let’s take an example: The British government. Most people whether British or otherwise will be able to diagnose the current government as definitely sick because the heart health of this government and the government heartbeat is erratic, slow, possibly due to hypotension and is showing signs of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms). Are the arteries furring up due to poor flow of communication, lack of openness and trust? I’ll leave you to decide. This is not about whether you vote Conservative, Labour or otherwise, this is about the obvious lack of heartbeat from the head down within the government, which essentially is an organisation whose role it is to run a country.
To fix the government or your organisation is it a case of going to the doctor? Probably yes, if those in charge are 1. Unable to see the problems, 2. Have no interest in solving them either due to lethargy or ego. 3. Lack the necessary leadership skills to address the issues constructively and fairly to keep blood flowing through the veins and the heart healthy. Going to the doctor will likely result in being put on medication or several if symptoms are varied. Does this solve the issue and lead to a healthy heart and heartbeat? Unlikely, but it will seem like things are back to “normal” functioning for a short period or until such time as the system can no longer tolerate the medication or requires a larger dose. And we all know that famous quote by Henry Ford, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got.” What has to change?
To quote Forbes “No man can deliver the goods if his heart is heavier than the load.”
Fixing the heartbeat in an organisation requires clear goals that are shared openly and with everyone, leaders that are interested in achieving agreed goals while supporting and empowering individuals and teams to perform at their best through active coaching, nurturing and fairness. Finding individuals doing things right and encouraging more of the same. Openly addressing blockages and issues constructively to firstly understand and then work collaboratively to solve them, not just temporarily, but permanently. A short-term fix, if needed can hold issues satisfactorily while the long-term fix is put in place. Think of a short-term fix as a sticking plaster, it will at some point come off. Just as managers and leaders look at weekly and monthly reports on financial performance it is important to also check the organisation heartbeat in the same way. This can be done through some form of assessment tool or wellness report. When the relevant indicators are showing there is an issue, or might soon be an issue, be proactive in addressing this before the issue takes hold.
How do you know the heartbeat of your organisation is struggling? The answer is the same as when a doctor looks at a blood test, it shows markers that could be related to different undesirable heart conditions.
- Low morale – arrhythmia, furring up of the arteries, hypo or hypertension, a “broken” heart
- Negativity and toxicity – hypertension, angina, pericarditis, myocarditis, fatigue, anxiety
- Poor teamwork – furring up of the arteries, hyper or hypotension, anxiety
- Poor performance – the heart is not in it! The blood is pumping, perhaps not optimally, but it is still pumping, just enough to get by with nothing to spare – Hypoxemia (a low level of oxygen in the bloodstream), lack of recognition – a “broken” heart.
The health of your organisation is dependent on a healthy heart with a strong heartbeat and is as important as the health of your own heart and heartbeat. Zig Ziglar once said “Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” A simple message for any leader.
If you would like to ensure that your corporation is fit enough to tackle current and future challenges then contact me (Rachel Shackleton) for a free no-obligation chat.