Lighting the Fuse

"People are like dynamite ... the power's on the inside and nothing happens until you light the fuse." (Mac Anderson)

This profound statement gives an important insight to 21st Century management looking to transform organisational performance in an economy where people provide the competitive edge. It forms the theme for a paper, "Lighting the Fuse" which illumines the Zealise philosophy.

"Lighting the Fuse" starts with a number of case studies of leaders who built successful organisations simply by the way they inspired their people. Some, like John Lewis, are well known; others, like Mike Abrashoff, are less known. All had respect for people as a core value, but are differentiated by the sustained success after they moved on.

The scale of turnaround and enhanced performance in these examples is almost incomprehensible. Yet it all stemmed from releasing people’s latent power. Under-utilisation of people’s ability, or “Human Economic Waste”, is compounded by our traditional ‘hired-hand’ mentality. It creates an economic cost that is only now being recognised, with no less a luminary than Gary Hamel saying “it squanders prodigious quantities of human imagination and initiative.” One case study illustrates this, showing how in a single year the US Navy saved more than $20 million on one ship.

Centuries-old attitudes and behaviours sabotage all management initiatives to win greater employee engagement. Even hearing "Our people are our greatest asset" will exacerbate people's disillusionment unless properly followed through, because people need to feel like assets. These forces stop that happening.

Lack of employee engagement proves this. The Towers-Perrin 2007 Global Workforce Survey shows only 21% of employees are engaged. In the UK, despite the Investors In People (IIP) Standard, the figure is only 14%. No organisation can compete effectively in a globally competitive marketplace, or offer a good customer experience, if its people are not engaged. A new form of leadership is called for and the paper explains what is required and why. By addressing the root causes of employee disengagement, it builds on and moves beyond the benefits offered by IIP, showing what is needed to deliver a culture where people are valued - and felt to be so - and to help organisations build sustainable success.

Of course you need to read "Lighting the Fuse" to properly understand the Zealise solution, how it will deliver and why Zealise makes these claims for it. However, it is only twelve pages long; hardly a major investment of your time and, with the potential benefits it offers, certainly one that you cannot afford to miss.

Click the button on the left now to request your FREE copy of "Lighting the Fuse".