The higher you go (2)

So why don’t you begin to compress your thoughts, actions, ways and methods. The way you work and live; why don’t you compress and simplify them, chill your atmosphere and make life and work easier for you.

See how technology works. Any improvement in that field shortens time, space and volume; improves speed and efficiency, and increases productivity. The coming of the computer has achieved this. Tons of dates bases that were once stored in huge volumes of files, shelves and cabinet are now conveniently stored in flash drives and CD ROMs. What started as mainframe computer has been reduced to laptops. This is compression and simplicity.

So how simple is your lifestyle, your work and the way you live. How simple are your products and services for consumers to use, and your work processes, even production lines? Are they cumbersome or has everything been compressed, reduced in time and length and simplified.

How simple are your brands for your consumers to understand and use? What is your brand story? Do your brands tell their story to make your customers understand your products and services? Can brand tell stories? Yes they can. If you don’t know how to do it, then employ the services of professional storytellers. A subset of this group is known as brand storytellers.

What about the communication lines and chains of command and authority in your organisation, are they compressed, flat or circuitous, of many layers?

If you are a CEO, General Manager or Senior Manager, have you compressed your work processes and communication flow with subordinate staff? Do you tell corporate stories to communicate well? Or are you one of those bosses that believe so much in line management: “You must relate to me through your boss.” That is your story.

Every Monday morning, you hold endless management meetings to stem the dwindling fortunes of your organisation in the marketplace. The business temperature is rising, heating up the business atmosphere for you and your company.

The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. That is if you are a leader and not a boss. There is a difference. Leaders command respect and have disciples whom they groom, care for, and secure a future. When they do so, the corporate atmosphere is cool. Not so for bosses. They heat up the system with their rigidity. They forcefully demand loyalty and are grudgingly followed by unrepentant and complaining workers.

Nothing heats up a system like complaining followers. They poison the atmosphere. Even Almighty God does not tolerate complaining followers. That is why He chose Moses in the book of Genesis, a man with a large heart to lead the children of Israel through the desert to their promised land.

So dear professional, how large is your heart? What are the stories in your heart? Do you tell them to lead? How humble are you? Do you serve to lead (servant leader) or do you drive to lead (slave driver). The higher you go.

As a professional, leader, mentor, CEO, manager, supervisor, please do not heat up the system. You have a responsibility to make it cooler, not just for you, but for others following you. Be a compressor, humble yourself, develop a large heart, serve, tell motivating stories, and simplify the work process.

Do these and more, and you will harmonise your ways with geography which teaches that, the higher you, the cooler it becomes. Good luck.