Q: How do you leave a job you love?
A: For a job you believe you will love even more.
I recently faced such a decision.
By the third hour on the first day of my new job at Productivity Associates, I knew I had made the right choice.
I had heard about (and just recently read) the Great Game of Business and generally understood the principals of Open Book Management, but when I saw it in action on Day One…something changed me.
When you see the numbers that drive your business and how people directly impact the balance sheet and income statement – it’s like seeing your special someone naked for the first time. It changes you.
Of course! In that moment, a light clicked. I knew that not only will I do my job better because I have a clear understanding of where the money is coming from and where it’s going to, but also I will better help all parts of the organization beyond what I previously thought was “my arena”.
Opening the books shows real trust in employees, builds unity in purpose and improves employee engagement. And I’m sure that’s just the beginning of benefits we can expect to see moving forward.
There have been numerous books, conferences, blogs, forums and the like on this subject. There are many resources available to find out much more, here are a few:
- Gathering of Games Annual Conference on Open Book Management
- All-Stars Awards
- New York Times Small Business article
- National Center for Employee Ownership article
I believe my second reaction to seeing the numbers was, “Why aren’t more companies doing this?” Sharing the numbers that drive the business, educating employees on their meaning and giving appropriate incentives is the only sure way of aligning the company on a common goal.
I feel rejuvenated, thank you Productivity Associates and all Great Game of Business / Open Book Management advocates every where. I’m already a fan.