5P Method (Part 2) – People
When you look cross organizations and industries – we all claim people are the foundation of our business. We are proud to have the best people in industry and we are all glad and thankful to have them – till the moment something happens, and we have to change: This will be the moment when we plan layoffs, decide about securing synergies and work on shrinking.
There are quite some questions I have and could not get answered in the last decades:
- When we have the best people – why do we see so many inner-company conflicts? Should not the best people be able to form the best performing teams?
- When we have the best people -why do we fail to lead them properly and guide them through rough waters?
- When we have the best people – who gets promoted and why?
There would be much more questions, you may get the concept behind even through such first questions.
When we lay-off people, it is typically an expensive hobby and the cash leaving the organization with the leavers is missing for future growth. The former colleagues may be missed as well, and if poorly managed, the remaining organization will be frustrated. There should be better ways and there are better ways.
If you want to make people the asset of your organization, the CFO should only be one counterpart for discussion. There are other corners to look at and talking about change and innovation a must. We are prepared to support you.