Each year, The Coffman Organization receives hundreds of messages from organizations who are embarking on yet another “Service Initiative”. Our dialogue typically begins with an exhausting diatribe about what they do not want within their unique culture. Though well-intentioned, these initiatives are, more often than not, based on preventing weakness within the organization and not leveraging its natural strengths. Unfortunately, this dialogue and approach is commonplace in organizations everywhere.
We are conditioned to be guided much more by what we do not want, than by what we do indeed want in a culture.
Why? The reason appears simple at first, fear always wins out over vision and hope. However, while some suggest this is human nature, the history of people’s commitment to building great things demonstrates something surprisingly different.
It was our pioneering ancestors who struggled through countless hardships, but persevered because of a vision of what could be. Their unwavering strength, stalwart capacity, and refusal to settle are directly attributable to their ambitious dreams for the future. While at times, this pioneering spirit may seem dormant, it still exists. You see, this spirit, the ability to see what could be and the motivation to build it, can only be produced through relationships with others.
What truly creates commitment and extraordinary achievement is a vision of what lies ahead in terms of opportunity and possibility. Conversely, fear and an unending focus on potential problems render people helpless and unwilling to move beyond the status quo. Great leaders, managers, coworkers, friends, and family members paint for us a vivid picture of what could be, thereby challenging us to go for what we want.
Face it, no one wakes up craving a struggle but here’s the irony: Through extraordinary vision, we can confidently face significant challenge, setbacks, and momentary times of hopelessness. Focus on what you want and let the power of that vision propel your course of action.
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
This maxim from Quantum Physics sums up the sole purpose of The Coffman Report. Our litmus test is not “do we” or “will they like it,” but, “will the article bring a fresh and relevant view to past and present thoughts around the human-side of enterprise and drive unprecedented growth and change in employees, managers, leaders, organizations, and most importantly, customers?”
Scrutinizing firmly held beliefs will not always be met with either cognitive or emotional agreement, but it will most certainly challenge our propensity to settle for the familiar and the security that accompanies it.
What to Expect From the Report
At The Coffman Organization, we strongly believe that true discovery and innovation comes to the humble and progressive mind.
Our promise is to consistently convey evidence-based challenges which beg further dissection, analysis, and most importantly, discussion.
Expect Things to Change
