Management... Where You Find Unity, You’ll Find Prosperity Roger Daviston Prosperity and success flow from unity and it is good and indeed necessary for a company to work together in unity if it wants to achieve. If a group of people can become as one, speaking the same language, and if they begin to do something, then nothing that they plan or imagine to do will be impossible for the group. As the story goes, a nation who spoke one language got together in unity and decided that they would build a tower to heaven. It was called the Tower of Babel. It is where God decided that he would confuse their language so they could no longer understand each other and work in unity. The nation was building this tower to make a name for itself. However, because of their pride, God ended their project by attacking unity. Recently, I was intrigued by this headline I saw on Facebook: “80 Amish Guys Move a House”. (http:// www.nydailynews.com/news/national/80-amishmen pick-move-house-article-1.1742835). It’s an amazing video to watch how these men were able to work together in unity to do something that you would think would be impossible. You can see all their feet moving in unison to accomplish something that no person can accomplish alone. At one point, they got stuck and I noticed a few leaders looked at what needed to be done; after communicating the need, they worked again in unison and moved the house. The impossible task was completed. I think this is worth repeating. If a company become as one, speaking the same language, begin to plan, imagine and do something in unity together, then nothing that they plan or imagine and do will be impossible for them. How do you build unity? Humility fosters unity. Humility says I consider others more important than myself. It says I consider my own interest but I also look to the interest of others. Humility says I’m not self-focused and I’m not interested in looking President The Daviston Group good but I’m interested in doing the right thing. Humility is not interested in finding acceptance, but respect. Hire for attitude and train for skills. This reminds me of the technician who asked the service manager if he could be excused from a training class. He said, “I’m an oil guy and I’m not a salesman and I’m not going to change nothing. I only want to do my job for a few more years, retire and I’m out of here.” The service manager agreed and allowed him to skip out of class. Others followed the same attitude in a passive aggressive manner and not much changed for the group because there was no unity of purpose and everybody was serving themselves. This group was not one in anything. Humility respects authority and submits to it. Humility says if the boss wants me to do something a certain way, then I do it. By serving the authority in your life it shows respect, and by showing respect you will earn respect. Humility brings honor and prosperity. Humility is not low self-esteem or weakness; it’s just a quality of having a modest opinion of your own rank or importance. Humility quietly goes about his work not bringing attention to himself. Humility minds his own business and does the work that he is given. Humility wins the respect of others by doing his work daily, in a dependable and consistent manner. I noticed in the Amish video that when the team got stuck, the team patiently waited for instructions and then followed them. I’m not saying that debate is bad. Yes, we should have healthy debate about processes, but not when we know what works. It’s not about the “how”, it’s about the “what”. Outcome always trumps process as long as the process does not violate shared values. Humility embraces correction from others. An ancient script says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but the person who hates correction is stupid”. Wow, that’s blunt. If you hate correction 18 ICM/March/April 2016
ICM March-April 2016
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