Business

Busyness has become a virtue for Americans. Even when there is not any activity, the busyness is still there. People love to live with this habit. They want to present them as virtuous and display the facade of busyness to others whether they are engaged in any productive work or not. This is so critical in businesses and organizations that employees feel that they would lose their job if they do not pretend to be busy. Likewise, managers in organizations create their own crisis even when their company is going well. It has become a dilemma.

Having passion in ones on-going work or any activity brings great benefits for the worker. But one should identify his passion, particularly about his work, by inquiring himself. There is much importance of dedicating some time on regular basis to analyze, so that he can ensure that he is truly pursuing his passion. If he doesnt adopt this strategy of self evaluation, he will get lost in his work and loose personal meaning despite being respectful and dedicated in his organization. It has been indicated that investments made to delight the employee act as an encouraging factor for them. Employees retain with the company they maintain their loyalty and company doesnt lack the talent.

Employees who do their jobs in an enjoyable environment care about their organization and contribute in selling more products. They work with passion and play a significant role in achieving organizations goals. Leaders can never succeed in building meaning for their organization as long as they dont evaluate their own passion and meaning in work. If both employers and employees adopt a habit of self-assessment, they will gain intellect and more centered approach in their jobs. This development will results in more production and creativity. Organization should know that if their employees are not getting financial incentives, they can be attracted by the incentives offered by their rivals. Workers want to work with meaning and purpose. They prefer working where they get regard and become the part of the group.

In todays modern educational systems, the value o f encouraging individual development has been understood. Though, students play with others in groups and teams, but soon they acknowledge that in practical life achievements and successes can be attained through individual character and effort.

Last century was the century of industrial revolution that gave birth to the industrial age, and also contributed in the development of modern strategic planning process.  Several companies are successful today by implementing this strategic planning process like Zachry Corporation. The company is a good model for other companies who want to implement a top-down strategy for the strategic planning process in their organizations that can help them surviving many years in future. The companys establishment created their long-range plan through the scenario-based model. They examined and explored a number of potentialities in their future business. They identified the most probable model for their future business that facilitated them in devising the long-range strategic objectives. Scenario planning helps in understanding and addressing the uncertainties around their organization. Scenario planning doesnt claim to make predictions about future environments and situations but it is helpful in conceiving what can be the situation.

Organizations should develop open environment for their employees, so that they can be encouraged to make healthy participation in the scenario process. Strategic planning should be made to comply with all future developments and changes, so that it cannot lose its effectiveness with on-going changes in the environment. Decisions about the strategic alignment should be made each day. If the problems are properly diagnosed, it not only eliminates the chances of unintended consequences but also provides a solution to them during strategic planning.

Buy-in to change deals with the responsibility of individuals and organizations to make change. The competition can be decreased through creating buy-in to change. It lessens the threat of uncertainties and encourages the passion to grow and learn. The first step in creating buy-in to change is identification of the reasons that create resistance to change. Buy-in to change prevents, decreases, and minimizes resistance to change. Organizations and managers should employ all possible means to develop the correct process of change.

The organization equipped with effective managerial tools can better deal with the resistance to change moreover, its ability also depends upon the complexity of the situation. It is the managers job to implement change in his organization through creating buy-in to change.

An organization should develop a culture that support implementation of innovations. Every member should realize and play his role in implementing new ideas. Their attitude should be encouraging in creating new ideas. Proper knowledge, training and support are also dispensable.

People often have very limited concept about the leader. They think responsibility of a leader in any organization is just being a manager, but they have much greater responsibility than anybody thinks today. A true leader should know the significance of certain factors afflicting their employees. A true leader values their employees. He is always willing to understand each employees importance that working in his organization.

There has always been discussion over the value of employees and shareholders of the company. Shareholders contribute in monetary form through investing their money whereas strive day and night turn their business into profiting. Workers actually invest their lives. We can get the answer to this question by looking at the example of Southwest Airlines. This company regards every individual associated with them. Holding dear the employees is the culture of the company, which they developed gradually. Now, one can easily understand why Southwest Airlines delivers best services than its competitors. Employees are delighted with the hefty salaries they get from their company and return to company with minimal turnover rate. Organizations are obliged to ensure a secure working environment for their employees. Without having a feel of security, the workers can never devote full attention towards increasing production. It is the style of the leadership that is a source of an inspiration to employees in creating and producing products. This builds corporate image and performance and contributes additively towards growth. When we look at the two successful establishments of Google and Southwest Airlines, we understand how leadership inspired the performance of all those associated with these companies.


This book is a cumulative research into Leadership and Sustainability in an organization. Different chapters cover several different important factors for organizational sustainability.
Leadership for Organization has always been curious topic for me and I use to study the values of this one of the most enlightening group of our society. This was the recent literature I enjoyed reading where I learnt new definitions, styles and strategies associated with the leadership. My personal vision about leadership styles and qualities always evolve from what I read. Style-wise, I have an image of participative, Opportunism, Situational, Transformational. Approach-wise, I conceive it to be a psycho-dynamic. Ethically, I view it as Utilitarian. It is very interesting for me to read about leadership styles and approaches and then see them practically in my own organization of Georgia Pacific (Paper Manufacturing Company).

I never ever assessed my own concept of leadership perspective and style as a part of my academic needs. As I read through the books on this topic during my academic years, I started more deeply examining the perspectives and styles. All of my perceptions are influenced by my own experiences and readings. I learnt many new ideas about leadership in organization and come to some conclusions that I will discuss now.

Day by day we are losing the qualities of self-assessment in our business lives. We feel delight in picturing ourselves by our busyness. I refer the habit of appearing oneself as a busy person as a frenetic short-sightedness. Due to this, managers adopt new behavioral strategies. This leads them to make serious mistakes that cost the organizations heavily.

In our organizations, there is a lack of individuals talent to refine his own sense of purpose and direction in his work. Owners are dominant over working procedures and employees are following the managers who determine their tasks.

When I look to major successful organizations they never struck me with their busyness. They work in group like a family. They start up any project with only aim to get it done. They all are equally involved. They progress, learn and enjoy their work.

Busyness has become a very common trait in the recent times. This can be attributed to the rapid progress and development of the information technology sector. This look busy, do nothing attitude has become a fashion, and people of all ages are now adopting this approach, which is now considered to be dangerous by eminent scientists.

Busyness is a virtue considered very important for business people and organizations aims and purpose. People like to look busy in all instances that will create value and respect for them as a productive individual of a society and organization. People pay so much value of being called a very busy person or looking very busy that even if someone is not busy and thinking about useless things  not important for his business or life, he would pretend to be busy by keeping fingers crossed or gazing at a newspaper or book or computer so that other people would think that hes busy doing an important. This is a common practice now, even at upper level of management to look busy at all times. In business environment, work more and for longer hours becomes an honor for a person that hes very hard-working and productive. Some people even if not doing any useful thing, still wants to, look busy so that they should be considered very important and vital for the business. Some employees would like to be show-off that they are very busy to put good impression on the employer and managers that they are hard working, in order to avoid loosing their job.

It is rather preferred that a more constructive attitude should be adopted, and this busyness should be transformed into doing things that are more practical and benefits the economy of the nation. It has been postulated that the internet age is harmful and facebook, myspace and like websites which have become the in things nowadays, makes one to become addicted and deeply involved in these sites. Youth tend to make virtual friends, ignoring the practical realities which are prevalent. Likewise, the introduction of cell phones and Blackberries, and similar devices are now making a person look busy, so much so, that the work of people is being severely affected. It is depicted that with the positive qualities technologies have, they also come with their drawbacks, and the youth of nowadays tend to be inclined to become deeply involved in virtual messages and feelings.

This has become a psychological disorder in most people, especially those in the upper age group, as they want to develop a sense of feeling important and being wanted, and thus adopt this look busy attitude. It has also been depicted by a many schools of thoughts, that this look busy attitude is adopted because people have been isolated, ignored and severely lack a feeling of being unwanted. Thus, in order to eliminate these negated feelings, and to develop a high self esteem, one tends to wander off into the internet world, or into activities, that passes his or her time, making absolute sure, they do that in front of others so that they could exhibit their busy attitudes explicitly, and thus themselves develop a sense of ecstasy and pleasure and feel good about themselves. Once again, it has been proposed that such people should be groomed and self trained, so that they could generate resources to support themselves, and in turn, contribute constructively for the progressive development of the society, and furthermore, develop a higher self esteem.

Georgia pacific should dig deeper in terms of developing its manpower and introduce vocational programs pertaining to developing its personal towards a proactive approach, focusing the aims and objectives of the company. This could serve a beneficial purpose, as manpower wants to become busy, and wants to become involved in constructive activities. If Georgia Pacific exploits this, and directs personnel in performing activities directly for the profit generation capacities of the industry, it will for sure become a leading paper manufacturing industry and compete with leading global producers.

Primary attention should be paid to SWOT Strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats by which manpower should be groomed. Georgia pacific should adopt a bottom up approach, and train its lower staff and laborers, as they exist in a larger population, and they are the ones who tend to be idle and need to educate themselves and groom themselves, so that they can become aware of the potentials they have within, and how they could use their energy towards the right proactive direction. However the administrative staff and higher ups should also be provided counseling and recreational activities should be introduced in the company. In this way, a more social approach will be adopted, and by intermingling with others, a healthier environment will be prevalent, and with a positive and targeted approach, they could serve the industry in an improved manner. Strategic planning is the essence of the industrys success and it should be organized in a manner so as to make the staff have high morals and want to work long hours with passion and zest.

Manpower should be accommodating to changes and introduction of new routines in their lives. As much as this sounds difficult, it will definitely serve to be a plus point for Georgia Pacific, as introduction of new schedules, improved ideas, new machines and newer methods will tend to generate increased incomes for the industry, and will groom the staff for the better, so that they are at par with new and improved technologies.

People are often submerged into an unconscious world, and tend to worry about things that are useless and do not serve any purpose, often leading towards a destructive attitude. Georgia Pacific could in turn inculcate a sense of security amongst its manpower, by offering retirement plans, and other incentives, so that they feel secure and confident that they will be rewarded and catered for upon super-nation.  In this way, they will not worry about what is not needed, and their energy is not diluted, and a more focused approach will definitely prove to be beneficial for the industry.
Thus, as the title depicts, common sense is very essential in these economic tough times, where uncommon approaches like being buried in a virtual world, have to be faced. Management has to be vigilant and psychological counseling should be provided at all strata of the company, so that the overall environment is conducive for manpower to serve constructively and effectively. Good leadership implementing good plans and ideas is important for the industry, and proper strategies should be developed for the proactive and positive approach of manpower across the entire organization of the industry.