I just got off the phone with an executive who wants to energize his unmotivated, low performance workforce. He recognizes that they would benefit from a StrengthBank® presentation because the heart of a workforce is ultimately the first offer an organization provides from its product or service long term. We appeared to be “singing from the same page.” Before we discussed particulars of the event, he apologized that his budget was very limited and in fact could not provide an honorarium but would I help anyway?
Over the past 2 decades, I have learn that the money is always there for the essential, ongoing training and development. What is missing is the alignment of motives of the heart with the funds available. Functional workforce versus dysfunctional workforce – a choice similar to food and a roof over our head versus big screen television. Motives weigh in dollars and show up in a steady, healthy bottom line or an erratic one.
I had done my homework. This same company spends thousands of dollars a year on incentives like sports tickets, raffles for a new car, executive bonuses… You get the drift. But, to improve the core, the heart of the company so that everyone benefits from coming to work everyday and customers come back and refer others…. No funds?
Disregard people and the human need for continual personal and professional growth and the company struggles as shown by turnover, poor product/service sales, strained workplace relations (maybe workplace violence, addictive behaviors, rampant gossip and hidden agendas, attendance problems, etc.), that is, all the “people issues” that can make life tough in the workplace are magnified. When the dollar is the reason we cannot take time to truly build a vibrant workforce of committed employees, there is no heart to the organization: translation – a poor place to work, create business partnership, buy products/services, that is, a place to avoid if at all possible.

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