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Ray Jorgensen, Ph. D. "We are Part of the Problem and the Solution Simultaneously" 00:03:30 minutes |
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| Fundamental Human Qualities | ||
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| Written by Brian McElyea |
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Leadership: Living, Learning, and Longevity I have a hope that leadership development doesn’t turn into terms that people dread—terms that become insulting. Everywhere I go and begin to talk to someone about leadership, the most common statement to me is, “great, another leadership fad I have to learn.” I hesitate for a moment, and say, “I’m not going to revisit TQL, TQM, quality circles, six sigma, etc. I’m going to talk with you about FHQ—Fundamental Humanistic Qualities. Of course, I had to have an acronym for this approach.” You see, FHQ is not new…it is not earth shattering. It is what we all share. It is how we all relate. It is the basis for how we can create a foundation of trust, commitment, learning, respect, relationships, and effective communication. Looking at that list, I think it would be hard for any of us to say, “my organization doesn’t need any of those items to succeed.” So, how can we achieve those desirable qualities in an organization? I say, focus on the fundamental humanistic qualities and then the fundamental organizational success will follow. After all, organizations don’t adapt to change, their people do! Also, evidence strongly suggests that much of the mechanistic organizational model antagonizes people to not engage their FHQs for the betterment of the organization. As John Maxwell states so appropriately, “Who you are determines what you see and the way you see it.” Do I have your attention? Can it really be this fundamental? Consider this: Relationships- We grow up in a complex set of relationships that shape who we are as adults and shape how we relate within the organizations we work. The two are not inseparable but are inextricably linked. Our relations as we develop impact our human bond with those around us. Further, the relationships we develop in our organizations impact the human bond we share within the organizations. So, understanding the individual humanistic quality of the need for relationships coupled with understanding the manner in which we can build a healthy relationship in organizations, allows one to create an environment where we feel “attached” to the organizational team. Trust- Trust is a fundamental need for human security and many will state it is “hardwired” into us. We are born with a biological need to trust. Further research supports the fact that people become trustworthy when they are shown or feel trust around them. Therefore, the Fundamental Humanistic Quality of trust resides in all of us and within the organizational environment if trust is perpetuated, the people in the organization become more and more trustworthy—leading to open, honest and constructive “engagement” in improving organizational performance. Learning- I suspect few would argue that each of us learn differently or that learning is a FHQ. Each of us goes through a continuum from novice learner to expert and significant research supports the fact that environmental factors play a key role in our learning. Therefore, being aware of the individual and the environment play crucial roles in learning and transfer to practice. Adults learn in environments that supports their individual learning styles. Developing those environments propels the organization to collectively want to learn and if the other FHQs are paid attention to, competitive advantage is maximized. Respect- We know there is a complex entanglement between our self-image and organizational attachment. What that means for us is when an environment of respect is created, the individual wants to belong and contribute to the team. Organizational environment, extended to include the physical environment, encodes how the organization respects/values its employees. Respect is a FHQ that allows individuals to either become “enrolled” in the organization or simply work there. Communication- From our childhood, we have used communication to make meaning and context out of things. Although we have been communicating with people our whole life, the process (and desire) of transmitting information is dependent on FHQs that exist within our organizations. People in organizations typically spend 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation so if we don’t pay attention to this FHQ, it is almost certain that the root of their major organizational problems will be poor communication. Effective communication is a FHQ to ensure proper meaning and context and is also an essential element of organizational success. Commitment- Commitment is at the core of social life. We live in a social fabric entwined from promises and threats and we spend much of our time determining which commitments are credible. Commitments in an organization are tangible and intangible. Through understanding commitment as a FHQ, one can achieve social embodiment of employees to achieve heightened organizational objectives. These are not the only FHQs. They are representative to illustrate that as leaders paying attention to what some refer to as “soft” leadership skills may produce the greatest “hard” results within our organizations. Also, I do not want to make light of the fact that enhancing the FHQ in an organization is easy. Simply, that if we have a foundation in which we can begin—that common understanding—then our journey to enhance your organizational FHQ is well paved. Understanding that there are different leadership styles, methods and techniques is valuable. Understanding that Fundamental Humanistic Qualities create a bounded link to organizational success takes away the nebulousness of many of those techniques and allows one to make an immediate connection with how to lead the organization. That, to me, makes living, learning, and longevity of my leadership more concrete and measureable. |
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