Inspiration, Not Control is the Key to Realizing Potential

This is a brief discussion on how and why some of of the most popular quests (phrases) related to individual success often runs into a wall....  and more specifically in organizational contexts.   We hear of catchy phrases  like "Give wings to dreams",   "Realize Your Potential",  "You Can, If You Will",  "Discover your hidden power"    and so on. 

The common belief among line managers and HR fraternity is that achieving this objective is a self driven phenomenon. One has to reflect, understand what he or she can do / cannot do and work deliberately and can achieve much much more than what was possibly thought he / she could achieve.   Maybe put them in front of some achievers who have "been there, done that" kinds and there will be some kind of osmosis of inspiration to the listeners.  

Reality is that in order to enable employees achieve beyond what they think they can,  for them to realize their potential we need a whole lot of inspiration coming from the managers in organizations.   Control freaks who are there to stifle creativity and show their teams how to align with them (the manager) are doing very little to create that environment.   

Instead of showing the team how to align with the mission of the company and drive excellence in the delivery of the services or of the product,  instead of  helping overcome obstacles that impede the successful execution of  organizations goals,  instead of  working along side with them to solve problems,  they are expecting the employees to align with their stifling ways.   Align with me and you'll be successful.   Does this statement ring a bell? Familiar ??  Most often it is not explicitly stated but rather an implicit coming forth as clear message to the team led by such managers.

So the need for managers is to inspire the teams to align with the organization, to inspire them to see how their job is contributing to success,  to inspire them to understand how their job / work is relevant to customers needs,  to inspire them to go beyond and connect the dots and to enable them to work without fear.....only then we can really set an environment where everyone can realize his or her potential.   

Differentiate or Depart !!! Matter of Choice

It is not the form that your HR systems and processes take that makes the difference and lets them stand apart rather it is the substance behind the form that does so". 

If the above statement were untrue then every organization would metamorphosize into a similar kind of entity.  Within industries there is so much movement across organizations that people can take with them the knowledge of processes and systems and implement them elsewhere.   

However reality is that there can be only one Amazon.Com or one Apple or one Unilever.   Trying to clone your organizations by merely copying you can succeed only as far as lawns, buildings and security systems installed. 

Beyond that when it comes to your product, service, offerings and other capabilities it is context specific, it is a cultural thing.  Someone just can't photo copy it.  Take all my assets except the employees and you still can't replicate my success.  

So remember you can tell your competitor everything about what your latest Performance Management system has but they still can't really implement what you could.  If that was the case then our human capital systems would be like paint on the wall that you can chose from dozens of  brands and finishes available in the market.

You need to find your own differentiators and build on them.  If your product or service is new you have the first mover advantage however over time you need to have unique differentiators and a configuration of people approaches and attitudes combined with the differentiated services that makes your winning proposition stay unmatched. 

The question then is why so many organizations fail after a while and slip away into oblivion.  It has all got to do with someone else creating additional differentiation.  This can come only when you have innovative ideas and a thrust on adopting new ways and means to differentiate your product or service offering.   That's why they say innovation is the silent weapon you have to succeed in the global battlefield.