Our workplaces are increasing places where people who work do not flourish.[1] By flourish I mean people will contribute all that they can be and do on behalf of the company. Why because they care about the company and the company cares about them! Additionally, the inside outgrowth  of flourishing people leads to engaged, aligned people, families, and communities. [2]A better workplace! The company payoff  is a competitive advantage, a flourishing company. A competitive  advantage not copied easily unless you have experienced a flourishing organization (FO).

At work people have many opportunities to channel their discretionary behaviors [3][4]aligned to a shared organizational , vision, mission and true north  values. However, since my cancer diagnosis and retirement I have had time to reflect that flourishing organizations are a rare find. My early work experiences were high command and control organizations, excessive rules to control, decision making pushed up and away from the point where a decision needed to be made, silly control rules and rules never used until used for punishment. It led to me to becoming a union member, a business agent and chief principal officer of a local union. I believed there was a better way for employees to flourish and companies succeed.  [5]

  Here are 14 Perspectives from living ,leading,  and learning from-organizations who flourished. In my judgement flourishing organizations have and will provide better work for those who spend 70% of their time at work. I believe it is time that all workplaces flourish for our country, communities,  and well-being. This is a clarion call to be different because I have seen flourishing organization flourish for all stakeholders. I challenge you as leaders to flourish. All of our well-being depends on doing something different because what we do now does not work.

First, flourishing organizations build shared meaning through talking to each other. They achieve alignment  at all levels  of the organization. Alignment brings people in on things, they have a say in what matters at work. They craft principles that are not negotiable. Violations of principles, core values will be challenged through coaching.  Decision making is expected to enforce principles and core value [6]for maximum flexibility to achieve the mission. Personal responsibility in daily efforts- doing your best is a core value. 

Second,  the evidence of Vision, Mission and values are openly communicated throughout the organization.[7][8]Each of these components has been distilled to a box top statement. A Bank - Cash in a flash, A distribution center- AS3K- accuracy,  safety, sanitation, speed & caring.   Care about your yourself, your team, your customer. Given my experience in distribution these are core vital behaviors when executed lead to extraordinary success.  Please note profit is a result not the mission. Additionally, you will  see a  communications  alley where the vision, mission, values , vital behaviors are posted as a daily reminder of the goals of a flourishing organization. 

Third, flourishing organizations set a standard named Big K? [9]Decisions on behalf of people is measured by how much Big K can the company  offer? Flourishing organizations have a greater ability to care about its employees because they flourish, a competing advantage.   How much do they care about each other, how much do they care about themselves, how much do they care about the company and how much do they care about their customers?  Four  bottom lines mean -me, us, family, and  customers. 

Fourth,  flourishing organizations systems are aligned to reinforce principles and core values. Wages contain a gain share plan which profits the employees as the company profits. FO’s treat health insurance increases without cost shifting the burden onto the employees.  In my experience flourishing organizations spend approximately 10% of the total hours for communication, safety, leadership education/training and  individual development. Promotions come from within the organization due to an active lead program. You will find two types of leads those who work 85% of the time and senior lead that work 15% and lead 85% of the time. Moreover, you find subject matter experts who are hourly associates. They are called star-points. You might see HR, productivity, quality and safety, team star-points. Coaching is the foundation for interaction between star-points and employees. The goal for star point is to help the employee flourish in a flourishing organization. 

Fifth,  a flourishing organization values participation and involvement[10] as a principle for making better decisions. This leads to greater ownership when decisions get implemented. When you look at  training programs you find situational leadership, conflict management, team building, listening, business mission, vision, core values, safety committee,  leadership training, group process, conflict , and coaching as foundation training. 

Sixth, flourishing organizations have an active welcoming to work program. It includes safety orientation, mission, vision, expectations, promises, personal character values. The orientation is the first work assignment before work.

Seventh, flourishing organization are preferred employers so hiring is rigorous. The reputation on the outside of work is hard to get hired but worth it because the company cares about you- you flourish!

Flourishing organizations (FO’s) turnover, FMLA, sick time are below their competitors. Additionally, administrative support is minimal because absenteeism, legal leave absence, workers compensation is at least 75% less than competitors. FO’s p&l cost for workers compensation is not a significant cost. In one organization I worked the number of recordable injuries was less than 3 per year. Saving in cost was at least 500,000 a year. 

Eighth, FO’s conduct a state of the company meeting where core business measures are shared with the employees. [11]You might call this  a report card but more likely a celebration of achievements. Before the state of the company meeting goals are jointly developed at all departments. [12]Goals are cascaded down to individual members of departments. What do members of a department  contribute in order to achieve the goals of the vision, mission, and values. Goals are expanded to include department goals, personal development, learning, and personal values. Character building through values is a core value.

Ninth, leadership is not High command and control. The mindset  is help others flourish at work. You will find leadership amongst the people 85% of their workday. Leaders are not tied to a desk answering email. They have means through technology to be on the floor but answer email with a phone. You find the leaders with smart phones at their sides. The ultimate measurement how did those you lead flourish?

Tenth, FO’s conduct one on ones with employees to communicate what Is happening and finding out why an employee is not flourishing.  You will find an active stay interview process which is confidential but used to improve conditions of Big K. (Care)

Eleven, silly rules, control rules do not exist. Rules are tied to vital behaviors, to mission, vision, core values. In FO’s the mission is a noble endeavor for it creates the container for employees to flourish.  Who you be in the FO matters as much as what you do! Character values development are part of individual development experience.  Each persons core values, personal mission are knitted within the vision, mission and core values of the FO. All for one and one for all!

Twelfth, FO leadership core values are honesty, integrity, support, caring, forward looking, business competence, and coaching.  FO measure and reward leadership for flourishing goal achievements. 

Thirteen, FO’s  are learning organizations. I am not talking about a   formal training program but a informal learning group structure which facilitates self-learning amongst peer groups. The self-learning groups sets its own goals to measure success. Self-determination, learning is paramount to a flourishing organization.  Learning is treated as an investment not a cost. 

Fourteen, Leadership is uncomfortable unless your core values are aligned with a flourishing organization. When alignment reaches a critical mass of over 50% people who are mist-hires self-select out of the organization.  You hear people say the company wants my mind, heart, and my physical activity. The expectations are greater in a FO.

[1] Flourishing organizations is a term I adopted after working with the concepts from Flourish,Martin P Seligman. A flourishing individual likes learning new things, time at work has personal meaning, you feel positive about work and yourself, people at work care about me, and my character strengths are used for work. 

[2] Truth about Leadership, Kouzes ,Posner, Truly inspirational leadership is not about selling a vision; it’s about showing people how the vision can directly benefit them and how their specific needs can be satisfied. Leaders must be able to sense the purpose in others. What people really want to hear is not the leader’s vision. They want to hear about how their own aspirations will be met. They want to hear how their dreams will come true and their hopes will be realized. They want to see themselves in the picture of the future that the leader is painting. The very best leaders understand that it’s about inspiring a shared vision, not about selling their own idiosyncratic views of the world.

[3] Bringing Out The Best In People, Aubrey Daniels, 

Public Agenda Report on Restoring America’s Competitive Vitality,” Yankelovich and Immerwahr (1983) reported that fewer than one out of four employees, 23 percent, said they that were performing to their full potential and capacity.

Discretionary effort is defined as that level of effort people could give if they wanted to but is beyond what is required. In other words, because discretionary effort is above and beyond what is expected, demanded, paid for, and planned for, there would be no punishment to the performers if they didn’t do it. Discretionary effort is what is possible.

[4] Why Motivating People does not Work or And What Does, Susan Fowler. People are always motivated. The question is not if a person is motivated but why. The motivation dilemma is that leaders are being held accountable to do something they cannot do—motivate others.

The motivation dilemma is that leaders are being held accountable to do something they cannot do—motivate others. The workplace either facilitates, fosters, and enables our flourishing or it disrupts, thwarts, and impedes it. Motivation is internally generated from the inside out when a employee feels they have choices, the source of actions proceeds from ( inside out), people care, and people are contributing to something greater than themselves. A noble mission. Peak performers are not goal driven. Peak performers are values based and inspired by a noble purpose.

 

[5] Flourishing itself might be understood as a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good. We might also refer to such a state as complete human well-being, which is again arguably a broader concept than psychological well-being. Conceptions of what constitutes flourishing will Ncbi.Nim.nih.gov: On The Promotion Of Human flourishing,Tyler J VanderWeele However, I would argue that, regardless of the particulars of different understandings, most would concur that flourishing, however conceived, would, at the very least, require doing or being well in the following five broad domains of human life: (i) happiness and life satisfaction; (ii) health, both mental and physical; (iii) meaning and purpose; (iv) character and virtue; and (v) close social relationships. All are arguably at least a part of what we mean by flourishing. Each of these domains arguably also satisfies the following two criteria: (i) Each domain is generally viewed as an end in itself, and (ii) each domain is nearly universally desired. I would suggest that these two criteria—of being ends and being universally desired—may be useful guides in decisions concerning the domains that should be included in national surveys and polls to assess flourishing. I adapted this at work as happiness and work satisfaction, work well being based on Maslow Hierarchy Of Needs, - shared work meaning and purpose, character values are measured and expected, and close social work relationships. 

[6] Core values of admired leaders- Truth about Leadership, Kouzes ,Posner,  When followers admire their leaders the leaders values as described by followers are honest, forward looking, inspiring, competent, supportive, dependable, fair minded, and strath forward. 

[8] Truth about Leadership, Kouzes ,Posner,One of the most powerful internal motivators on the planet is a sense of meaning and purpose.7 Throughout human history people have risked life, security, and wealth for something that is greater than themselves. People want a chance to take part in something meaningful and important. There is a deep human yearning to make a difference. People want to know that there is a purpose to their existence. They want to know that their lives mean something. A significant part of the leader’s job is uncovering and reflecting back the meaning that others seek. Kenneth W. Thomas, Motivation: What Really Drives Engagement, Second EditionSan Francisco Barrett-Koehler,2009

[9] The metaphor Big K versus Little K (care) came form a conversation with my Human Resource Manager James Langston. How much did we, could we care about the employees who worked for the company? 

[10] The Bass Handbook of Leadership, Theory, Research …. Bass,Bass “Participative leadership” suggests that the leader makes group members feel free to participate actively in discussions, problem solving, and decision making. It implies increased autonomy for followers, power sharing, information sharing, and due process (Lawler, 1986). Participation implies that followers have a “voice” and influence in deliberations (Wright, Philo, & Pritchard, 2003). But freedom and safety to participate do not mean license. In participative decision making, the leader summarize, acknowledge, and use followers’ ideas. Participative leaders use group processes to promote follower inclusion, ownership, involvement, consensus, mutual help, cooperative orientation, and free and informed choice. These leaders try to avoid unilateral control, hidden agendas, and inhibition of expression of feelings and relevant information. Additionally, according to West (1990), the leaders provide safety for followers by creating a nonthreatening environment in which the participants can be involved in decisions that affect them.

[11] The Great Game Of Business, Jack Stack, In the early 1980s, Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation (SRC) in Springfield, Missouri, was a near bankrupt division of International Harvester. That's when a young green manager, Jack Stack, took over and turned it around. He didn't know how to "manage" a company, but he did know about the principal, of athletic competition and democracy: keeping score, having fun, playing fair, providing choice, and having a voice. 

With these principles he created his own style of management - open-book management. The key is to let everyone in on financial decisions. At SRC, everyone learns how to read a P&L - even those without a high school education know how much the toilet paper they use cuts into profits. SRC people have a piece of the action and a vote in company matters. Imagine having a vote on your bonus and on what businesses the company should be in. SRC restored the dignity of economic freedom to its people. Stack's "open-book management" is the key - a system which, as he describes it here, is literally a game, and one so simple anyone can use it. 

The Great Game of Business started a business revolution by introducing the world to open-book management, a new way of running a business that created unprecedented profit and employee engagement.

[12] Adapted from concepts, Creating Your Best Life Adams,,Miller,Papp,Frisch. Goal success components- Set stretch goals they lead to higher performance, self set high commitment goals lead to higher performance and a greater likelihood of achievement, participation, praise, ,money only matter when set to self made high commitment individual goals, internal satisfaction derives form goal attainment that matters to the individual. Goals for flourishing organizations have a personal individual payoff plus an organizational payoff.