Are You Healthy?

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Are You Healthy?

‘Picture this scene, a man is lying on the floor, he’s obviously over weight, a doctor is stooped over him. The doctor is pushing on the mans chest. He stops momentarily to open the eyelids and have a look at the size of the pupils. He continues to press, gets a stethoscope out, puts it to the man’s chest, hoping to hear for a heartbeat’.

Hi, my name is Paul Bridle and this month’s ‘Thoughts on Leadership is, ‘Are you healthy’? Do you realize that over 80% of fatal heart attacks could have been avoided with just a little bit of knowledge in advance. Just knowing a little bit more about what’s going on with your own body and being able to avert the risks in advance.

You see, we look at risk and risk analysis, and compliance and go ‘oh no!’ it’s just holding us back, it’s the worst thing possible. When in reality risk analysis and compliance is like exercise and good eating. It’s there to contribute to the life, not take from the life. And that is a mental attitude.

• What’s the mental attitude in your organization?
• What’s the attitude towards health in your business?

And that’s this months question for you.

Think about your own organization. You see the health of your organization starts from the head. What’s in the mind? What is the mindset of senior management, and management at every level of the organization? If they see it as something that’s holding back the organization, if they see it as something negative, then they are constantly looking at ways of finding; ‘How can we get around it?’ ‘How can we avoid it?’ And so on. This whole economic crisis that we’ve had in recent times is an example of people just throwing risk to the wind, don’t worry about all the analysis and everything else. Lets just go for it, then finding that ‘hey, its not really the way it should be’.

So this month I’m asking you to consider these questions.

• What is the intent within your organization?
• Is the intent to achieve success despite the risk?
• Are the senior managers at every level prepared to take the necessary analysis and be an example to their people of the importance of good analysis?
• Are they an example of the behaviors you want?

You see I use the word intent, because what is the overall intent of your organization here? If it is success at all cost and to hell with the rest, well you know something it may or it may not fail and you live with the consequences. Like the man that we were talking about, overweight on the floor, dying of a heart attack. But if you really want a robust long-term organization that can achieve things then it requires the balance to be taking place. It’s this constant keeping the balance on both sides.

• So what’s it like in your organization?
• More importantly, are you an example of what it should be?
• Do you take it seriously?
• Do you keep that balance in mind?

So it’s innovation? Yes. But its also risk analysis to balance it. It’s driving enthusiasm? Yes. But its also making sure we’ve got the systems and processes in place to keep us on the right course, and don’t take yourself in the wrong direction.

It’s been a great pleasure being with you for another month. Think about your own organization this month, and ask yourself as we come out of this economic downturn and into the future, what is the mindset and the intent of your organization? Because the behaviors will come based on the intent and the mindset within your organization.

Have a great month

Paul