Oh, the Amazing Companies We Work For…or Not

Amazing.  That word is used very often in our American culture.  Has it lost its meaning through overuse?  Does it cause a reader or hearer of the word to stop in his/her tracks as it was intended?

The dictionary defines the adjective “amazing” as causing great surprise or sudden wonder (www.dictionary.com).  When the word is used today, does that ring true to the noun it is describing?  I have had an amazing vacation and my children are amazing, but does the meaning in those contexts lose its force when I have also said that my shoes are amazing or that the chocolate water ice I just ate was amazing?

If everything is amazing, then nothing really is.

So, when it comes to businesses, does the word amazing enter your mind?  Do you only have pictures of Google and Apple when you think of the word connected to companies?  Is the reason those companies are amazing due to their technology, their dress code or their in-house dry cleaning service (ok, I really do like the last one).  In a world where many things are amazing, why is it a rarity to hear it used of a company?

In the US today, there is a lack of “amazingness” due in large part to the overall health of the companies we work for and own.  A natural pulse of the organization is missing, mostly due to the desperate view of production.  Those quotas are often the primary “what I care about” for management and shareholders.  While I would never say that those numbers don’t matter, what I would say is that those numbers may be a percentage of what they could be if there was a commitment to organizational health and true organizational development.

This is a worthy concept and one that needs much more unpacking.  For now, ask yourself a few questions:

•          What do I think of my organization?  Is it amazing?
•          What do I understand of the stated values of the company versus the real values of the company?  Is there a difference?
•          Is the health of my organization something I have even considered?  If so, in what context?

It is quite possible that you are a key person in the health check of your company.  Take some time to consider.  And have an AMAZING day!