What is the Largest Contributor to the Success of an Organization?

The success of a company or organization really begins and ends with one thing: how the employees are treated. Some may think this is a bold statement, but the employers that are willing to invest in human capital are the ones that thrive. There have been times in one’s life where many have been working at a job that just does not seem to be the right fit. It is hard to put your finger on the exact reason as to why and some may even be scratching their heads trying to come up with an answer. The writer intends to help you figure this question out.

Most organizations have a mission or value statement that the employees are required to respect; these values are usually decided and/or implemented long before you get hired by the company- but what if your values are not on the list? This is an important concept that is very often over looked. Personally, having worked in many different environments over the years I came to realize one thing: I did not need to change my personality to fit the job; I needed to find a job that was conducive to my personality. Once that concept began to resonate, I have never looked back. Whether you are a new company or one that is well established- the employees are any company’s biggest asset, so one would be wise to keep them happy (And no it is not wages that does it).

What is diversity in the workplace? Diversity includes people with different ethnic backgrounds, different life an employment experiences, different languages and that is just the beginning. Over and above what it is exactly that makes the workplace diverse, is simply all of the attitudes, experiences and personalities of everyone involved. The productivity of a workplace is based on how others treat each other. Workplace values are what make the organization unique. It is very important on every level to embrace your uniqueness. Every employee will have unique values and beliefs based on their own experiences-this does not makes them right or wrong- it just is what it is. The key is to bring everybody under the same flag by adopting an environment where everyone can embrace their uniqueness while completing their work. This is done by creating a charter or constitution that everyone can live by. Everyone has their own talents and many of them are multi-faceted and unique, so in this context-one’s success in the workplace is based on their level of collaboration and flexibility. In the humble opinion of the writer- flexibility is the greatest life skill one can posses.

As much as you can try and find out the values that an employer adopts and try to ensure that they match up to your own -that way you will not have to change who you are to fit a job- in fact you will end up getting paid to be yourself- what a great concept! Furthermore, before embarking on your job search please ensure that you are in tune with your own values and beliefs and just how much they can affect you on a daily basis because chances are, if you are working somewhere that does not match your values then it will not be the right fit.

Having workplace values that promote inclusion over exclusion will allow people to feel confident, embrace their uniqueness and will promote productivity. Micro-management, dominant leadership and autocratic leadership is counterproductive in every way, shape or form and if you are ever unfortunately put in that type of environment- run as fast as you can because it will seriously affect your mental health and the mental health of the workplace. Make no mistakehaving good mental health in the workplace will contribute to your longevity as an employee and your mental health is just as if not more important than your physical health.

“The great law of culture is: Let each become all that he was created capable of being” -Thomas Carlyle, 1827