Richard Barrett for BIZLife: Organizations don’t transform, people do

„What is important for the company is to have an over-arching purpose that is larger than just making profits – a purpose that employees embrace and inspires them to come to work each day“. These are the words of Richard Barrett, an author, speaker, consultant and coach. He is an internationally recognised thought leader on the evolution of human values in business and society. He is the President of the Barrett Academy for the Advancement of Human Values, the Founder of the Barrett Values Centre, a Fellow of the World Business Academy and Former Values Coordinator at the World Bank.

• Recently, a panel on the topic of conscious business was held on a new, global platform, Conscious R:evolution. What does conscious business represent for you? And what does this business model mean?

Conscious business leaders are aware of two things: 

The impact of their organization’s actions and behaviours on society and the planet.

The impact of their organization’s culture on their employee’s performance and their customer’s satisfaction.

And, most importantly, they must care about the impact that the organization’s actions and culture have on society and employees.

• How important is it for the further development of society, as well as for the improvement of business processes?
  

It is fundamentally important for the future of humanity that businesses take the lead in creating a sustainable for future for society and the planet. We cannot leave it to our politicians: there is too much at stake. Most politicians are focused on satisfying their ego’s needs rather than society’s needs.  

• The Academy, of which you are president, deals with the promotion of human values. From your experience, are we, as a society, ready to adapt to changes currently taking place in business? Especially now under circumstances of the pandemic?

I think people in general are welcoming the changes that are taking place in business. They want to work for more caring organizations – organizations that care for their personal growth and development, the living conditions of their families and the futures of their children.

• You are also the founder of the Barrett Values Center. Which company values generally dominate at your center?

The most important values that are necessary to run a successful organization are trust, openness and transparency.

• How important is their respect for the implementation of set goals and the functioning of the entire company organization?

What is important for the company is to have an over-arching purpose that is larger than just making profits – a purpose that employees embrace and inspires them to come to work each day. Team leaders must be allowed to set their own goals. They must be concerned with building a values-driven culture. Cultural capital is the new frontier of competitive advantage. The culture of an organization is a reflection of leadership consciousness. Organizations don’t transform, people do. If you want to change the culture then your leaders must change or you must change your leaders.

• You will be a lecturer at three free workshops that will be held in October and November in order to provide support to small and medium enterprises. What will participants have the opportunity to learn.

The Seven Stages of Organizational and Leadership Development is webinar designed to help leaders, entrepreneurs, human resource professionals, change agents, consultants and business students understand the developmental framework necessary for creating a successful organization. It will describe the seven stages of organizational development and the type of leadership that is required to create a full-spectrum organization-a resilient organization that can respond to all types of business challenges.

Building a Values-Driven Organization  is an essential primer for leaders, entrepreneurs, human resource professionals, change agents, consultants and business students who want to understand the fundamentals of building a values-driven organization and how to carry out a cultural transformation program. The webinars identifies the key indicators of cultural performance and shows how they can be measured using the Barrett Values Centre’s  Diagnostic Tools.

Evolutionary Coaching for Leaders is about the approach leaders need to take motivate their key employees. It provides essential information for leaders who want to create a high-performance team and coaches who want to support their clients in becoming successful in their work –  helping them participate in their own evolution, the evolution of their organizations, the evolution of our global society and the evolution of our species. 

• What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who are preparing to step into the world of business?

The most important advice I can give young entrepreneurs is to build a strong management team – a team that you can trust, and a team that trusts you. You must align your team around a central purpose – a purpose that serves the needs of the organization and the needs of society. You must choose self-actualized people. You must have a set of shared values and a shared vision for the organization.

Izvor: BIZLife

Foto: Privite archive