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3 Companies Cracking the Performance Code
By Simon Marshall
revised on 20th April 2018
A staggering 87 percent of workers are not engaged at work, according to a gallup survey.
Many leaders know it’s an issue that hurts their business, yet they remain perplexed on how to fix this complicated issue. At WhyNot Partnering, we believe embracing these three critical areas by making performance why-based, removing interference and applying truly human leadership. This ensures increasing engagements are achievable.
There are a few companies we admire that have unlocked performance consistent with these three areas.
Here’s how they did it:
- Barry Wehmiller is one of the companies at the top of our list. They used the radical and highly successful approach advocated and presented in CEO Bob Chapman’s book, “Everybody Matters.” Truly Human Leadership is adopted from Barry Wehmiller’s highly acclaimed leadership development approach. Chapman’s commitment to creating a company that treats people like family. This put the philosophy to the test, prioritising people over profits in tough times and then returning to record profits over the long haul.
- Another example worthy of admiration is Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, one of the largest companies in the world. He took over from his predecessor in 2009, at the depth of the world financial crises. He told Unilever’s shareholders he would no longer be providing quarterly returns because the company “was now taking a longer view.” Polman’s Higher Purpose, was to create a company that could make a difference in the world’s sustainability challenges, including climate change. He knew short-term thinking driven by quarterly returns was forcing the wrong decisions when it came to their most valuable resource, people. He told investors, “if they didn’t like the strategy, they should find another company to invest in”.
- Finally, we are ever-inspired by one of our heroes, Virgin Brand creator Richard Branson. For decades, Branson has been willing and courageous, reinventing himself and his companies in service of higher goals. Virgin is the epitome of a purpose-based brand in our estimation and we are always on alert to see what he will do next. He leads a number of projects supporting businesses and entrepreneurs in creating a Higher Purpose beyond just making money.
These are just a few examples of companies and leaders who unlock performance by focusing on their people. They don’t focus exclusively on making money but they do make money while focusing on sustainable models for business.
As more and more companies embrace a people-first model and reap the benefits of higher engagement levels, history will look back on these companies as pioneers of a better way to do business.
