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Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom

There is, however, a subtle erosion to ones natural productivity when work goes through a bad patch that can get you used to doing less and to resist when more is required of you again I once worked in a large bureaucratic organisation with poor control by management. It was easy to hide in and do very little work with no accountability. One afternoon, soon after I started, I went across to another department where I had some work to do.

I introduced myself to the senior manager on arrival and was told “eell you must be one of the skilled ones”.

I was puzzled. The manager continued, “Only the good ones bother working in the afternoon.”

Now my ability to show up at work is totally unrelated to my skill at that work.

The manager merely recognised the inherent laziness in the organisation and mistook doing a normal day’s work for competence.

To say the organisation had a dysfunctional culture was an understatement.

We can laugh at the example above, but it is time we had a long hard look at our own values and culture and really drew a line on where we stand.

We need to be aware of some of the pitfalls we may face in our businesses and of the enormity of the challenge that lies before us as we build companies and institutions.

Let’s hit laziness first. The bulk of our population is under the age of 35. We have had an extended period of economic turmoil.

The bulk of our population is unemployed.

There is probably a large percentage of the young adult population who have no idea what it means to do a full day’s work, every day, all day, for an extended period.

Any economic upswing that results in these people entering full time formal employment will have to deal with the paradigm shift that occurs from essentially being the master of your own time to being accountable to others for your work.

Let me clarify this a bit; I am not saying that the unemployed are lazy.

There is, however, a subtle erosion to ones natural productivity when work goes through a bad patch that can get you used to doing less and to resist when more is required of you again.

We have got used to quick turnover trading. When you can make money by inflating charges for goods in a time of relative scarcity you have no need to build.

Many entrepreneurs are looking at starting up, selling, and moving on to the next adventure.

Business plans are filled with exit strategies for the business founder after a short space of time.

I understand this fits many entrepreneurs’ desire for the new and the thrill that comes with start-up.

In today’s world where technology changes rapidly it makes sense to think of a short business cycle. We need more than this though.

We need people who are willing to build industry. We need people who are willing to build companies that last into the next generation and not just the next fashion fad.

Stewardship and diligence need to take the forefront in our value system. If you are trying to start out on your own it is not okay to use your office’s resources to run your own business on the side.

Likewise, you cannot steal someone else’s idea and expect to prosper in your work.

There is a piece of wisdom that goes a long way when building a solid company culture; “Do unto others ayou would have done unto you”.

This means no double standards. You cannot pay your workers a salary you would not take for the work you ask of them, but expect top dollar for your role in the company. You cannot cheat and cut corners on your deals and then expect absolute honesty from your staff.

You cannot ignore the concerns and questions from those under you and then expect innovation from them.

A solid work ethic, a value for life and the worth of labour, building solid relationships, trans-generation thinking; these are all attributes we could do with more of.

We are merely passing through this planet for a time, stewards of it for a season, and if we can simply strive to leave the world a better place than when we found it we will have done a great and marvellous thing.

For the true value lies in people; a changed life for the better has no price that anyone can put on it.