Bob Proctor says the personal development industry is worth US$ 11 bn annually and is growing at a rapid pace. But how often do you see the impact of this industry around you? How many times have you heard people ask "Can I be successful at this? How big of a mark do I want to make?, and What am I willing to do to make it happen?”And how come personal development doesn't link very well with being in a group? In short, despite the growth of the industry, why are our organisations and individuals struggling?
I came across three articles this week which got me thinking about this. Deloitte's report, Passion at Work, says "Up to 87.7 percent of America’s workforce is not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Less than 12.3 percent of America’s workforce possesses the attributes of worker passion. This “passion gap” is important because passionate workers are committed to continually achieving higher levels of performance."
Can passion be a topic in the personal development industry in a manner that benefits people and organisations? Can passion be taught?
The report goes on to say "Unfortunately, not only do many companies not recognize the value of worker passion, they view it with suspicion. Many work environments are actually hostile to it. The types of processes and policies designed to minimize risk taking and variances from standard procedures effectively discourage passion. Passionate workers in search of new challenges and learning opportunities are viewed as unpredictable, and thus risky."
Companies are having a hard time surviving in today's competitive landscape. I would think that passion, along with a great products and/or services would be differentiating factor in helping companies stand out and survive. Yet, you'll still find management that tends to suck the oxygen out of the atmosphere rather than help people understand their impact on the company and on society at large.
The report says that money is not the primary motivator. What is a motivator is how "companies need to explore other ways, beyond compensation, to deliver an enriching work environment—one where employees have sufficient autonomy to take risks, opportunities to improve their performance, and the chance to connect with others across and beyond the organization." How difficult (or costly) can this be if one has the growth mindset?
On the other, this article pretty much describes the world of work as you and I see it today. How much is your talent and ability being put to use by your organisation? How much of a contribution are you making? "Even if the percentage of workers who claim they are working at the pinnacle of their capacity all the time is slowly increasing, the majority still remains unaffected. In fact, the proportion of people who say they never work hard has long been far greater than those who say they always do." Trenchantly put, "For most people, work simply sucks."
Mediocrity trumps merit and ability and worse, is being actively rewarded.
Gary Hamel says "large organizations are emotionally sterile. Managers know how to command obedience and diligence, but most are clueless when it comes to galvanizing the sort of volunteerism that animates life on the social web. Initiative, imagination and passion can’t be commanded—they’re gifts. Every day, employees choose whether to bring those gifts to work or not, and the evidence suggests they usually leave them at home. In Gallup’s latest 142-country survey on the State of the Global Workplace, only 13% of employees were truly engaged in their work. Imagine, if you will, a car engine so woefully inefficient that only 13% of the gas it consumes actually combusts. That’s the sort of waste we’re talking about. Large organizations squander more human capability than they use."
We need to seriously reboot our thinking of how we are working and how we are being managed in our organisations. Are you a victim of a witch hunt just because you can do something and are perceived as a threat?
Red tape, rules that stifle, unnecessary delays, countless approvals...these things are far more common than ever despite the management information systems, the technology, and the software to alleviate this.
Hamel continues "The most profound challenge facing 21st-century leaders can be simply stated: How to reap the blessings of bureaucracy—control, consistency and predictability—while at the same time killing it. Bureaucracy, both architecturally and ideologically, is incompatible with the demands of the 21st century...Engagement is also negatively correlated with control. Shrink an individual’s scope of authority, and you shrink their incentive to dream, imagine and contribute. It’s absurd that an adult can make a decision to buy a $20,000 car, but at work can’t requisition a $200 office chair without the boss’s sign-off."
We need to address the abuse of bureacracy because though the occasional opportunity to do nothing is appealing, we want to do meaningful work and make a difference. We need to be able to use passion and work in the same sentence.
I came across three articles this week which got me thinking about this. Deloitte's report, Passion at Work, says "Up to 87.7 percent of America’s workforce is not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Less than 12.3 percent of America’s workforce possesses the attributes of worker passion. This “passion gap” is important because passionate workers are committed to continually achieving higher levels of performance."
Can passion be a topic in the personal development industry in a manner that benefits people and organisations? Can passion be taught?
The report goes on to say "Unfortunately, not only do many companies not recognize the value of worker passion, they view it with suspicion. Many work environments are actually hostile to it. The types of processes and policies designed to minimize risk taking and variances from standard procedures effectively discourage passion. Passionate workers in search of new challenges and learning opportunities are viewed as unpredictable, and thus risky."
Companies are having a hard time surviving in today's competitive landscape. I would think that passion, along with a great products and/or services would be differentiating factor in helping companies stand out and survive. Yet, you'll still find management that tends to suck the oxygen out of the atmosphere rather than help people understand their impact on the company and on society at large.
The report says that money is not the primary motivator. What is a motivator is how "companies need to explore other ways, beyond compensation, to deliver an enriching work environment—one where employees have sufficient autonomy to take risks, opportunities to improve their performance, and the chance to connect with others across and beyond the organization." How difficult (or costly) can this be if one has the growth mindset?
On the other, this article pretty much describes the world of work as you and I see it today. How much is your talent and ability being put to use by your organisation? How much of a contribution are you making? "Even if the percentage of workers who claim they are working at the pinnacle of their capacity all the time is slowly increasing, the majority still remains unaffected. In fact, the proportion of people who say they never work hard has long been far greater than those who say they always do." Trenchantly put, "For most people, work simply sucks."
Mediocrity trumps merit and ability and worse, is being actively rewarded.
Gary Hamel says "large organizations are emotionally sterile. Managers know how to command obedience and diligence, but most are clueless when it comes to galvanizing the sort of volunteerism that animates life on the social web. Initiative, imagination and passion can’t be commanded—they’re gifts. Every day, employees choose whether to bring those gifts to work or not, and the evidence suggests they usually leave them at home. In Gallup’s latest 142-country survey on the State of the Global Workplace, only 13% of employees were truly engaged in their work. Imagine, if you will, a car engine so woefully inefficient that only 13% of the gas it consumes actually combusts. That’s the sort of waste we’re talking about. Large organizations squander more human capability than they use."
We need to seriously reboot our thinking of how we are working and how we are being managed in our organisations. Are you a victim of a witch hunt just because you can do something and are perceived as a threat?
Red tape, rules that stifle, unnecessary delays, countless approvals...these things are far more common than ever despite the management information systems, the technology, and the software to alleviate this.
Hamel continues "The most profound challenge facing 21st-century leaders can be simply stated: How to reap the blessings of bureaucracy—control, consistency and predictability—while at the same time killing it. Bureaucracy, both architecturally and ideologically, is incompatible with the demands of the 21st century...Engagement is also negatively correlated with control. Shrink an individual’s scope of authority, and you shrink their incentive to dream, imagine and contribute. It’s absurd that an adult can make a decision to buy a $20,000 car, but at work can’t requisition a $200 office chair without the boss’s sign-off."
We need to address the abuse of bureacracy because though the occasional opportunity to do nothing is appealing, we want to do meaningful work and make a difference. We need to be able to use passion and work in the same sentence.
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