Who, if not you, is 'the organisation'?

Author, speaker, and inspiration to me, Caroline Myss says "words have power".

Caroline doesn't mean sentences, she means each and every word. 

Each word has real power and meaning, and if we take time to explore those words we will be very surprised with what we discover.

The above tweet is a great example of what we do all the time, and the words used are a clue to why we're not solving the problem. 

First let me say I not going to query the % stated, nor ask for the evidence, because that's not the point I'm wanting to make. Instead I want to focus on the words - because the words used are heard every day, perhaps even every minute of every day, across and around the globe in organisations.

"Their organisation" "they" "them"

That is, not the person speaking but some other group of individuals, unnamed and unspecified, are doing or requesting the unacceptable behaviour. 

In this instance 'their organisation' wants a tactical supply chain. But who is 'their organisation' if not the person saying the words. After all we're constantly told the cSuite wants a strategic and collaborative supply chain, so too the CPOs - so who is this 'organisation' that wants something different? 

The following question therefore arises:

What needs to happen to make the supply chain more strategic and collaborative, and what steps will you personally take to make it a reality? 

I've written many blogs on us needing to take personal responsibility for the life we say we want (work or personal) - whether that's:

• Being happy at work (rather than blaming others for our unhappiness), 
• Taking responsibility for our own toxic behaviours (rather than pointing our finger at everyone else), 
• Realising our behaviour might be impacting how others are behaving (rather than blaming the other person) 
• Speaking up about unacceptable behaviour (rather than burying our head in the sand and hoping it will go away). 

In these examples the words being used in business suggest the solution lies somewhere else. The challenege is, it always lies within us, and never elsewhere. We have to change, in order for the world to change - Gandhi was right ...

What responsibility do you need to accept and embrace today, and what action will you take, and when? 

The post last month about Procurement as Mr Wolf came about from listening to a group of suppliers talking about procurement. My challenge to them was what came first - their belief or the behaviour? 

If you'd like to discover the power behind the words your using personally, as a team, or as an organisation do get in touch alison@alisonsmith.eu +44 (0)7770 538159.

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach, and Landscaping Your Life too

Inspiring change inside and out 

Other posts exploring the words used, in a variety of different ways, have included:

• Innovation doesn't grow on trees
• Supplier relationship management or relationship management 
• Chocolate 
• Bring it in out of the cold
• Making mountains out of molehills
• Can't see the wood for the trees 
• Comfort universe 
• Or words that give a clue to the organisational metaphor operating such as work as war, a race, a marathon, a garden and so on