How the role of the organizational leader plays a key part, as they are the one who conveys attitudes and energy to the entire organization.
When we face times of change, turbulence, and uncertainty, it becomes especially important to review and reflect on the philosophy of each organization: its mission, vision, beliefs and values, strengths and weaknesses, competitive advantages, what makes it unique, differentiates it, and enables it to do better than anyone else, what has made it successful in the past, how environmental changes have impacted results, and what we can do to turn threats into opportunities.
Corporate philosophy begins by questioning ourselves as leaders: who am I as a person, what is the meaning of my life, my beliefs, values, dreams, goals, and ideals, what constitutes a life well lived for me; and then who we are as an organization, what is our purpose, why do we exist, what is our mission, what makes a company successful, how satisfied are all our stakeholders, how much value are we generating for each of them, and how can we maximize that value.
If we start by understanding that everyone in the organization is a human being in the process of becoming, learning, doing, growing, developing, and achieving fulfillment, we will be able to lead and guide all team members in that direction, giving each person the opportunity to harness their full potential.
To do this, we must start with ourselves: as the leader of the organization, am I clear about who I am, what I want, where I want to go as a human being, as a spouse, as a parent, as an entrepreneur, as a leader, as a citizen? Am I clear about what motivates me? Why and for what purpose do I do everything I do? Am I achieving balanced development across my various dimensions (physical, intellectual, professional, family, spiritual, community, social, etc.)?
If everyone in the organization shares a corporate philosophy—mission, vision, beliefs, values, purposes, goals, strategies, and organizational culture—and is clear about their competitive advantages, developing and reinforcing them every day; and if at the same time each employee has their own philosophy of life and values, holds a vision of the universe, humanity, and life, and sees work as a source of learning, growth, and fulfillment, knowing that the way to coexist, develop, and progress is through effort, commitment, and balanced, continuous improvement, then the company will be competent and competitive, capable of seeking new opportunities even in the most complex environments.
In difficult times, it is necessary to be more innovative, more competent, and more competitive, to have a deeper understanding of the business and our competitive advantages, and thus be able to seek new opportunities and new ways of doing things.
If a culture of participation and pursuit of innovation opportunities is developed, if we recognize those who make outstanding contributions, if we have mechanisms, methods, and processes to know our consumers and customers better than anyone else, and if we have developed technologies and partnerships to access the best and most appropriate knowledge across all our activities and processes, we will have plans and projects that lead to outstanding results even when the environment is not the most favorable.
It is always the right time to ask ourselves: what do we do better than others? What else can we do with what we do well? What is the current reality of the environment? How does that affect our company, our consumers, and our customers? What are their difficulties and needs? What opportunities might there be for us?
Everything depends on the attitude with which the entire organization reacts to different circumstances. If everyone is negative and pessimistic about external difficulties, accepting poor results by attributing everything to external causes, reducing investments, new developments, and marketing efforts, this will severely impact the company. On the contrary, if we search with enthusiasm, optimism, effort, and commitment, we will find opportunities that no one had identified before, both to increase sales and to reduce costs and expenses.
This is an invitation to reflect on ourselves as human beings and as business leaders, to reinforce the thesis that the leader of an organization plays a key role, as they are the one who transmits attitudes and energy to the whole organization.
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