People, People

The most important resource in any organisation is its people. Everywhere we find people we find social and professional politics. Achieving the appropriate balance is a great challenge.

Recognise that high achievers may choose to participate in these interactions or ignore them. The rest of the staff may be a victim of these machinations but almost certainly they will not be able to control it.

William Edwards Deming, best known for his association with post-war quality management and improvement in Japan, says that the worker is not the problem, rather it is management that is the problem. It is up to management to enable and empower his staff.

Ricardo Semler says something similar in Maverick insofar as managers should build processes that make their own jobs redundant while empowering staff within their circles of responsibility.

Remember that the most important resource in your organisation is your people. Nurture your staff and prosper. Ignore staff or treat them with less than the respect they deserve and expect underperformance or organisation failure.

Sustainability of your organisation depends on retaining existing staff, encouraging and supporting their professional development, and attracting high-calibre people.