Character trumps smartest strategy

Progress is not inevitable but possible. For an organisation to move forward on the lane of high performance, it requires the imagination to create.

Knowledge, skills and experience will definitely not be enough.

Additional fundamentals are also needed. These include ideas, energy, discipline and character. A critical essential to improve performance results is what I will describe as high reliability or CHARACTER of individual team members. There must be total employees’ engagement. Employees must become strategic partners, through and through.

Do you know that in the workplace, we have four (4) categories of employees, namely: low capability and low commitment employees; high capability and high commitment employees. Low capability and low committed employees are existential obstacles to progress, if they refuse reciprocation after coaching and mentoring. To achieve high capability and high commitment, there must be wellness checks on the ‘employee personality’ regularly.

Character encompasses all values that guide moral judgements and decisions. A reliable employee will do the right thing even when it is not convenient. He is not guided by self-interest in his decisions and actions. He does what is best for the organisation, colleagues and customers. He has integrity, responsibility, forgiveness and compassion. He is also respectful in all aspects of work. To serve and thrive, the employee carries out his responsibilities with skills, character and integrity.

For an organisation to achieve its full potentials for great results, the accelerating process must pay the much-needed attention to individual commitment of leaders and employees or associates. Everybody in the workplace must be committed to delivering their best. They must be trustworthy and take responsibility for actions and decisions. They must be excellent in their engagement with colleagues and of course, customers.

Today, in some smart organizations, the HR function is being re-shaped as the centre of strategic process improvement methodologies. Impactful human performance now stands on ‘truthful’ and meaningful productive hours and value-adding deliverables. The ‘mental’ part of human performance is now being given the necessary attention in order to achieve high employee reliability that delivers high performance results.

Focus is on building strategic relationships between workforce planning and employees as strategic partners. Potential of workforce is also being maximized through strategic planning, talent management, performance management, organisational design and leadership development.

Character and values-imbued leaders and associates must enhance purpose by being fully committed to their value-adding responsibilities. They must with cohesion, contribute meaningfully to achieving organizational purpose. They must meaningfully ‘play’ well together.

Core values, the ‘heart’ of character, are deep and entrenched internal values that should guide the workplace. They also guide customers interaction with the business. They drive stability and contribute immensely to great bottom line. They are the internal psyche and the quintessential tool for great results and achievement of goals.

When the HR function with the support of others, ensures enviable shared norms, it greatly impacts the potential and expressed capacity of individual employees. With actionable determination to mutually collaborate, we build together. Colleagues encourage themselves (without supervision) to do things that are best for the organisation. They inspire themselves.

Internal psyche is built on excellent behaviours and norms that are actionable (we write them in verbs not nouns). They are the things we do. Things we commit ourselves to. Things that we always encourage ourselves to do. Things that challenge the status quo and drive excellent as well as meaningful success.

Corporate personality is defined not only by competence, but also values. Employees must live these values. Behaviours must drive high performance. What we do today is usually predictive of what we will do tomorrow. The workplace must translate values to observable regular behaviours and attitudes. Leaders and associates in the workplace must be reliable and inspiring culture leaders as well as sales champions on the platform of trust. We must grow reliable and loyal customers. These values must be real life experiences.

For smart organisations, culture is the totality of values and how we drive high performance with these values as platforms. They are the traits that drive high performance models. The reciprocal behaviours that competencies and accountability adapt to. The reward system that meaningfully propels high performance.

Corporate culture should differentiate organizations. It must be dramatically seen and appreciated. Daily activities in the workplace must be carried out in harmony and complete agreement with these strong and ethically resplendent core values.

Excellent leaders are a combination of excellent behaviours, great values, unique skills and knowledge. They create positive change and motivate colleagues. They focus on things that have high potential consequences, not the low or ordinary.

Leaders with character know and are acquainted with the fact that there is always a learning curve. They think about impactful and valuable work and responsibilities. They do not just visualize themselves achieving goals, they anticipate challenges, frictions and obstacles. They dutifully plan solutions. They are never carried away by the Law of Assumption. They are inspired by outcomes and deploy their imagination constructively.

They proceed from value sets to great behaviours. It is not one man’s capability that moves the organisation forward. There must be a role for everybody as co-participants.

Character drives performance. Great behaviours drive great performance. You only achieve high performance when you get the values and the culture right. Leaders must drive the values and the values must drive behaviours. Corporate culture as we all know is, the behaviours of the collective.

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