flockofcats Thriving andy james

In October last year I rebranded my business as flockofcats, with the mission is to help organisations to create communities in which people thrive together.

The focus for flockofcats is 3 areas that I believe are vital for health and success in modern organisations:

After the initial launch of flockofcats, I have concentrated my writing on the field of adaptability, based on my ongoing work with AQai - Adaptability Assessments & Coaching. Having reflected last week, I realised that I have been neglecting the other 2 areas.  So my intention is to rectify that… without forgetting about adaptability of course!

Last week, I was coaching a Director at an IT company local to me. We were exploring some of the leadership challenges for the company as a whole, and for him personally. As we were talking, he said:

“This makes me realise that good leadership is about creating an environment in which people can thrive.”

This delighted me, as this is how I have been talking about leadership for some time now, and absolutely ties in with what I am trying to help people to develop through flockofcats.

I then came across this excellent HBR article by Marcus Buckingham, about designing work that people love.  Designing work that people love - Marcus Buckingham

A major problem with the world of work, as the author explains, is that so many jobs are stressful, meaningless, and unlovable.

Buckingham’s data on what keeps employees engaged suggests that companies should change their approach to performance management to take advantage of each employee’s unique skills and passions.  This necessitates three mindset shifts:

1.     Viewing employees as the key stakeholders in the organisation
2.     Moving away from standardisation in performance management tools
3.     Trusting employees to accomplish their performance goals the way they see fit

The article highlights some powerful research and approaches that help people to love their work, and thus have an impact on their ability to thrive.

Buckingham concludes that:

"The smartest organizations will recognize that if they can redesign work with love at its core, they will be able to make new and more genuine commitments to their workers and over time will become magnets for talent.  They will truly deserve the best people."

What are you doing to help to create an environment in which people can thrive?