Posted by Luke in At the core of the human beings lie a heart. Now I am not talking about the blobby looking red thing that pumps blood round your veins… I am talking about you. The real you. Did you know that every business has a heart to it? If you are more inclined to the intuitive you will notice there are certain places you go to that have more heart than others. The people have a smile on their face and are just happy to be there.
In my local bank there is a lady who works on a teller who consistently gives the best service of anyone in the whole bank. When I go in their she always has something positive to say and in my mind she creates value beyond measurable bank dollars. Why is that? It’s because she lifts the spirit of the workplace through her positive approach. Ever been to McDonalds and the person serving you gave off a certain level of heart? After you got your burger you felt like you weren’t even valued as a person? They are conveying a heart that says ‘I don’t like you and I don’t want to be here’. That underlying heart is what this article is about. What’s the heart condition of your business?
Knowing the heart of your business
What is it that you do that makes you better than your competitors? What makes them keep coming back? Recently a course I was teaching got a new convenor who is dedicated. When she lectures she believes every word and consequently students have taken to this person like a duck to water. Why? They recognise the heart in what she is doing? Do you know the heart pulse of your business or workplace? If so what’s it like? Ask yourself… how do I feel when colleagues talk to me? Do I feel good? What is the core feeling you have after you have spent one hour at work?
Does your business have heart trouble?
Here is a check list of things I have noticed that mean your business has a heart problem.
1. You have a lot of complaints
Customers just don’t seem to like you do they? No matter what you do you just keep hearing negative feedback. This could due to a defective product or service but the chances are you simply are putting a heart that’s sick out there and that leads to me next point
2. What do your people think and how do they act?
One of the key things you can do to test the heart of a business is to see how people in the business treat each other. What are the words like? What is the body language like? Chances are there might be slumped shoulders… people taking longer lunch breaks and a genuine lack of heart. One of the best ‘strategies’ Virgin has used is to only hire people who want to work in a close knit team environment. They find people who want to work for them because they want a place with heart. Being a business Virgin uses this to their advantage by creating an atmosphere to work. Subsequently people who work them usually work longer hours, put in more effort and make the business what it is today. The heart is the underlying conditions that cause us to speak, think, and act the way to do. This does not stop happening in business because we are professionals. The heart is central to all human affairs and you cannot separate it from what you do.
3. Where are the artery cloggers?
A scoffer is someone who resorts to negative criticisms instead of constructive activities. Unfortunately, if your business is filled with people like this it’s because that’s the atmosphere you have allowed to foster. The only way to deal with this is to systemically change it by removing people who act this way. If you are serious about creating a business with heart find out where the artery cloggers are and remove them. The last thing a business needs is to be filled with negative people who choke up the flow of your life blood.
4. Is your workplace overly competitive?
I do not believe it’s fruitful for a business to allow it’s employees to be overly competitive towards each other. This kind of problem allows the growth of personal ambition which in turn creates people who are willing to step over their colleagues to get ahead. It’s a good thing to have people that work well but it’s quite another to have people who work well with each other. A business is like a body. Each part of the body serves and works with the other parts in order to make it function as a whole. If the body turns on itself what will happen? Organisational suicide that’s what!
As I write this I am listening to song by James Taylor called ‘Copperline’ from Eric Clapton’s guitar festival. I am struck by the man’s passion as he sings about something that clearly means something to him. The heart is coming out in the music. Today why not do a ‘heart test’ on your business by carefully looking at the words and actions that are flowing in your business. It will help to discern what the heart of your business really is like. When you know that you can carefully build the right kind of heart over time and create the platform for lasting success.
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