The end of my 26th semester of teaching (I thought it was 24, whoa) has arrived. I just finished grades on Christmas Eve because well, that’s what happens sometimes. I had a great line up of courses: sustainable supply chain management, quality management, and organizational leadership. The projects, work, reflection, and everything done by my students was some of the most growth-filled learning I’ve seen in a while. The final exam is my favorite, and once again, they knocked it out of the park. A few tears of joy were in the mix while I was grading. “What three things did you learn this semester, and how will you apply them to your personal or professional life?” The reflection was so incredible from every single student (usually there is one who just regurgitates what’s in the book, ha). There was one theme that emerged the most from all three courses: how much the human aspect is so important to the organization. Oh. Em. Gee!
I was moved at how much they reflected on the balance of task and relationship in the organization. Of course it is important – hell it’s vital – that the job get done, with the right tools, at the right time, in the right manner, etc. They were excited to have new tools to create success in their current and future organizations. It was fun to read about how they would apply their new tools, professionally and personally. It was also extremely heartwarming to read their reflections of the importance of leadership, workforce focus, and motivation. The relationship side of the organization is just as important, and so many of my students were able to connect how task and relationship, when working together, create even more success. One of the other pieces of the human aspect theme was a focus on the customer. It was incredible to see the reflection of how they see customers now versus when they started the course. Customers aren’t just the person who gives you money for a product or service, they are human. We should be creating relationships with them as well. One student said in their reflection, “I didn’t realize how much the human aspect was so important.” You may laugh a little. I thought it was genius.
I’ve been doing my own reflection of learning from the last year, especially as I have perused through the blogs I’ve written this year. There was so much going on with my clients and with myself. So much of what happened was seen in the relationship side of the organization. I am more excited now about my research and development because we need to find that balance personally and organizationally between task and relationship. We need to remember the humans who work for us. We need to bring trust back to our organizations so that we build strong cultures. Those strong cultures will push for growth, innovation, creativity, even fun. Those strong cultures will help create engagement and loyalty. These are the organizations that will sustain growth and greater success. I hope you’ll join me on this balance-seeking, growth-filled path. It’s going to be a fun ride for sure!
How has the human aspect of your organization been for you? I’d love to hear your story.
Wishing you an incredible new year. May 2020 be our best yet. I look forward to sharing more research and development with you.