Personal attitudes and workplace performance (3)

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings” (Salvadore Dali)

A top training company in the United Kingdom has in the past few years insisted that their would-be trainees now sign a tripartite commitment agreement, involving the training company, the trainees and the organisation that sends them for training. What appeared to inform this stance is the negative feedback that the training company was receiving from their clients. Specifically, there was the general complaint that most of the trainees were not effectively implementing what they seemed to have learnt or gained in the course of the training programme.

The response of the training company to this apparently disturbing trend was to make each trainee sign an agreement, which provides for guidelines on the process of implementing the knowledge gained from the training in the workplace. The agreement also stated the responsibilities of the trainee in this regard, with sanctions for non compliance. This approach may appear to be a bit too stringent and even rather too much of a school master system of training people that are professionals.

It nevertheless shows that head knowledge without the corresponding heart engagement is worthless. In other words, it will be a complete waste of time for an organisation to send their staff for training, without ensuring that the trainees are sufficiently inspired and personally engaged in their heart to understand the real purpose of their training. The real purpose of the training in this regard is obviously personal development and capacity building for personal transformation. Importantly, it is only a positively transformed mind that can bring about positive transformation in the workplace.

Herein lies the need for more attention to be placed by organisational leaders and managers on development of soft skills by their personnel alongside the technical skills. No one can really quantify the incredible loss that many organisations and businesses are suffering because they are populated by staff that are technically engaged, but not emotionally engaged in the workplace. Their staff may carry out their duties and assignments, but are they passionate and personally energised in carrying out their tasks? What is their attitude? Are they eager and joyful to work or are they just workers?

There is no doubt that our world has continued to experience the most outstanding developments in product improvement, as well as the greatest advances in technology. Yet, if personnel are unhappy, stressed, unengaged, bored and disinterested, there is no amount of technological advances that can make them to improve their performance. It is only when people are prepared and committed to work with good attitudes that they become most creative and highly inspired in the workplace. The results that they produce in that instance will reveal their personal innovation and creativity.

Are you wondering why your staff are not performing optimally, and especially at the level that you know that they can perform? Have you experienced the gradual dipping in the excitement, passion and energy of a previously enthusiastic staff member, with a corresponding drop in performance? Have you noticed an employee who was so personally motivated when he joined the organisation, but is now lethargic and just going through the motions in the workplace?

Some of the above mentioned conditions and situations arise when there is a failure and/weakness in optimally engaging the staff in the organisation, in the manner that would best harness their talents. It is such an engagement that increases their trust levels, enhance their passion, increase their personal energy, and challenge their personal creativity and innovation. Surely, where an organisation can create an environment that supports the unleashing of their peoples’ potentials, there will be improved performance and sustainable productivity.

The most usual change that coaching will be expected to facilitate in this regard is the change in the thinking patterns of the personnel. Their thinking in this regard must be changed from thinking merely as an employee to thinking as a stakeholder in the business. The difference in mindset is that an employee believes, thinks and acts in a way that shows that he is ready to do what he is told, and then must be paid his wages.

The stakeholder on the other hand believes, thinks and acts in a manner that suggests that he possesses just as much stake in the success or failure of the business as the founder/owner of the business.

This is called emotional stakeholding and it dramatically improves the creative ability and general performance of the personnel. Improving emotional stakeholding is one of the main targets of organisational or team coaching.

You can read more about the transformational power of coaching at www.ceedcoaching.com.

Emmanuel Imevbere

Emmanuel Imevbere, entrepreneur and management consultant