Originally published in hrlook.com

What Lies Within Us?

By Lorraine Weygman

In the business world, what’s amazing about human resources is how it’s misunderstood, underutilized, unappreciated and abused – by employer and employee alike.

I’m often astounded when I consider the many businesses, whether large, medium or small, who avoid making the best use of its most precious resource – human capital.

The bottom line for a business is to make a profit and it’s greatest resource for that profit is it’s own enthusiastic employees. These are the people who create and design products, initiate and follow processes, observe rules and procedures, generate business and meet the consumer.

It doesn’t matter whether the business is manufacturing, sales, health care or service; whether it’s for profit, government or a charitable institution. It’s the staff, the company’s internal client, who creates the productivity, efficiency and effectiveness that results in success.

No single person can do this alone. It is the responsibility of the leadership of the organization to manage human resources so that its teams function as well as a finely tuned, popular orchestra.

Those companies who know how to recruit and retain the best know how to build loyalty and trust through all levels of the organization. They understand the true meaning of excellence

In order to build a healthy workplace culture, they know how to draw the best from each individual by appreciating, understanding and continually developing their competencies. Initially, it’s the job of the executive team. Then it cascades throughout the organization so that there is a shared understanding and knowledge continually expanding throughout a healthy workplace culture.

The foundation of all relationships is based on how people communicate with each other and themselves. That’s the secret of successful teams. The roots of this come from the individual’s values, beliefs, priorities, experience and self-esteem. A basic respect for self and others is a key factor. That’s not negotiable.

What does an individual, a committee and a team need to know, beyond any doubt, in order to appreciate, attract, develop and retain excellence? Believe me, it’s not the flavour of the month that works, nor the one-hour presentation or half day workshop. They do serve as an introduction to create interest and/or stimulate greater inquiry; alone, they do not even begin to create change, nor answer it.

Company culture develops from the top down. The first step is to look at the leadership and management style of the CEO and executive team. It is their style, attitude and how they link the business’ vision, mission statement, values and priorities with those they hire that makes an incredible difference to the success of any workplace.

In future articles, we will look at all this in great depth. I plan to describe HR issues as I see them, sometimes creating controversy. Even though I direct them to the HR community, they are written so that they can be shared with non-HR staff, in order to help educate and create a finer model for the workplace.

Please send me your ideas, questions, what works and what doesn’t work for you and your colleagues. Together we will build strength. Together we will create changes. Together we will develop quality and excellence. Together we will make a difference!

Lorraine has over 25 years of international experience as an accomplished motivational speaker, consultant, writer, facilitator and radio host. She has been featured on radio and television and in numerous magazines and newspapers in North and South America, Britain and Russia. For more information about Lorraine, visit http://www.weygman.com

This article may be copied as long as it's kept whole and Lorraine's bio is kept with the article, including the live link to her website.


"It was a pleasure and delight working with Lorraine using the “Simplex” system to be able to efficiently zero in on the challenge, immediately identify problems and focus on the solutions so efficiently was a key benefit.

"Lorraine’s top notch facilitation skills supported the process though a high level of enquiry, a rapid grasp of business realities and a guidance and directive style that was most welcomed.

"Since our sessions were completed we are well on our way to solving three major challenges at the company through having developed another perspective on problem solving."

Terry Szwec, Managing Director, Korn/Ferry International


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