Sustaining Results: Balancing People, Values and Business

December 15, 2007 by Jason Boltax.

In the last few years several books have addressed why some companies are more enduring than others. What distinguishes the great from the merely good? What contributes to sustaining success in today’s rapidly changing economic environment? Built to Last, Good to Great, Hidden Value, The Knowing-Doing Gap, and Peak Performance are just a few of the books that are providing answers.

Really great companies, even in bad times, place people and values first. An obsession with stock prices can obscure vision and cause companies to lose their way. The link between people and the bottom line is becoming more apparent. Organizations that succeed over time are those that have a strong values-driven culture. They are people-centered organizations who balance values and business.

The quality of the interaction with and among employees drives the quality of the products and services. A focus on treating employees with warmth, dignity and respect pays off in how customers are treated and consequently in how the business performs.

Many organizations forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. If you want to have great business results, you must have customers who love your products and services—customers who believe that they’re getting excellent treatment from the company. In order to do that, you have to have employees who are motivated, committed, and using their talents on behalf of the organization. Read the rest of this entry »

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