July 20, 2018
We all talk about the potential opportunities for innovation. We act by merging and acquiring, by switching and launching, yet we continue to languish at a paltry 4.3 %.
We are stuck in so many paradigms that we constrain ourselves at every opportunity.
Clearly we want to grow but we don’t know how! We ask our people for outstanding ideas and deep emotional insights and then we try to kill these almost as soon as we have them. We ask our people to get closer to the market, to consumers and to customers but then we chain them to their desks and make them fill out spreadsheets or force them into taking part in useless meetings.
We hire in the best of talents and then within months manage to beat out their passion and disengage most of them. A study by Gallup across the leading organisations in the world showed that only 20% of employees are really engaged, 60% don’t care and 20% are actively disengaged. That is a significant failing of leadership and as senior managers we have to hold ourselves responsible.
So, if we cannot change the Consumer Health industry from the top down, then I propose that we must try to inspire change from the inside out. Giving individuals and teams the skills, the knowledge, the motivation and so the behaviors, that will bring industry wide change from within.
Change from within is the only answer for sustainable growth. It’s only when we have organisations of individuals that are developed, inspired and adequately rewarded – and that’s not just about money – that we will have growth not just today but into the future. Inspired individuals will break boundaries, redefine paradigms and create unparalleled opportunities.
Don’t look for inspiration for growth outside of your organisations; the best opportunities are inside, if only we create the right environment to let them grow.
Steve Sowerby Founder and CEO of XPotential & Co-Founder of The Consumer Healthcare Training Academy
