24-05-2010
SELF ACTULISATION AND FULFILLING YOUR POTENTIAL

The psychology of a successful organisation is seen in the motivation and direction of it's employees.

In psychological terms self actualisation refers to achieving the highest personal development. Expanded on by Abraham Maslow, self actualisation is seen as fulfilment of an individual’s potential, and the field focuses on studying people who are psychologically healthy. Applying this theory to an organisation can assist in achieving sustainable excellence. Applying humanist psychology to organisation is gaining in popularity because it makes sense. After all, a company is made up of individuals. The latest work by the renowned author, expert coach and global thinker on personal development, Dr. L. Michael Hall, has been focused on unleashing leadership and people to create self actualising companies. One of his latest models links meaning with performance. If someone has no meaning in their life, their actions will reflect this. They may be lazy, unfocused and lack direction. However, if a person has high levels of meaning, they will typically exhibit high levels of activity, passion and ambition. Applying this to an organisation yields the same results – a company with no meaning, vision or direction will founder. A self actualised company is one with self actualised leadership, management and staff. A strong leader sets the vision, values and direction for staff. In turn, staff members are aware of what is required and display high levels of meaning. Once this meaning is transformed into performance, the company is well on the road to self actualisation. Whereas leaders provide meaning, remove obstacles and assist staff in reaching goals, it is the self actualised managers that translate that meaning into performance. Managers are there to control the processes of the current system and set up a new system by establishing time lines, resources, infrastructure and monitoring performance. A company where the roles of the leader and the manager are kept separate and, where the leader focuses on meaning and the managers on performance, has employees who are engaged and passionate. These employees demonstrate initiative and proactiveness, and seek to better understand the company and improve their performance. A self actualised organisation is one in which people know the direction and goals of the business, and where they fit in. These employees are therefore eager to work, and are in turn trusted and listened to. They generally tend to be more results-orientated, embrace change, and value efficiency. The journey to self actualisation needs to be guided and evaluated at regular intervals. Jane Macgregor is head consultant at Maestro Performance (www.maestroperformance.co.za). 25/01/2010 www.hrfuture.net