Broken organizations are the by-product of broken people and dysfunctional relationships.
From our marriages to our families—immediate and extended—to the many social clubs and associational groups to which we belong, our organizations are collective representations of the people within.
What my work has shown me is that working with passionate, committed, socially-oriented organizations requires sensitivity toward the psychology and the sociology of collective behavior.
Organizations are comprised of numerous social networks. The breadth and strength of these social networks can change on a dime, with the loss of a staff person or the addition of another.
What I do, and what my company does (Symphonic Strategies), is to help leaders and organizations transform the environment around them in ways that make spectacular outcomes possible.
What we end up facing are the limitations of the organizations themselves and their inability to transform themselves internally in ways that are necessary to truly change the external environment in ways they desire.
We have decided that we can’t afford to continue to ignore this challenge. Good people can’t truly produce great results if they continue to operate in organizations that are just “good.”
We all know the best-selling book published by Jim Collins, Good to Great.
Well, good to great is not a static endpoint. It is a process, and, as such, has its highs and lows. Whether you are good or great depends on the moment of measurement.
Life is about stringing together a series of great performances. Sustaining that ability over a prolonged period of time is what truly makes an individual, an organization, a community, or a nation great.
But this depends on a multitude of factors and those factors are rapidly in motion.
This post marks the start of a long journey to help people from all walks of life lead and transform their organizations, their communities, and ultimately their lives. I hope you will tune in.
