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So, what’s it been like in your organisation over the past couple of weeks? Maybe people are working flat out preparing for January sales conferences, or meeting customer deadlines before the year end. Perhaps there’s the delicate issue of year end bonuses to deal with, or trying to find time to fit in annual performance reviews. In some organisations it might be the social activities that are dominating the agenda – all the various client / supplier / team lunches and company parties. How’s the pace and the energy? What are people feeling, what’s the mood? There might be a real buzz of activity, lots of anxious preparation and a sense of anticipation about a New Year initiative, perhaps – or the drive to finalise 2008 plans and targets. Or, maybe people are weary after the efforts of the past few months, and ready for a break, to recharge their batteries, refresh their energy and enthusiasm. In most organisations the Christmas and New Year period is a natural common ‘watershed’ that affects the whole pattern of work around that time, be it a drive to complete work ahead of the break or a signal for a general wind-down from the regular cycle of work. For every organisation has a rhythm, a pulse that it works to. And there are various ‘seasons’ that it goes through in the course of a year. In more established organisations, it could be the cycles of work that determine these – the annual planning cycle, the build up to major events, customer demand patterns, for example. Fast-developing organisations go through different phases – bids for investment, rapid recruitment, expansion into new premises, etc, each with its own pace, focus and style. Recognising the level and type of energy in the organisation is important, too – sensing the degree of drive, commitment and enthusiasm, of engagement and effort. I’m sure we’ve all experienced initiatives where early priority and enthusiasm eventually just fizzles away as people sense that perhaps it’s no longer so important, or it loses clarity of purpose and value. Sensing how people feel, the underlying mood in the organisation, the real level of motivation (as opposed to superficial busy-ness) is a valuable aspect of strategic leadership.I’ll write more about organisational energy in perspectives next year. But for now, I’d encourage you to think about your own experience and current organisation, its seasonal ebbs and flows, and what the organisational energy is like at the moment. Understanding why this is could lead to something different next year! |
