Use it or lose it.

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a pound of cure.

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After the Layoffs: Using NetTPS and Coaching as an Organizational Fitness Program

Partly because of the events of September 11 and partly because of the impending recession, companies have been forced to cut back, lay off and find ways to trim their organizational waistlines. We all saw it coming--the dotcom bust over preceding months was a clear enough indicator.

What we've seen is a classic kneejerk response--across the board 10%, even 20% cuts (witness the airlines). If an organization's response wasn't quite that drastic, we still saw deep, injuring cuts. I know of one man who had to lay off his best friend and another forced to cut his own job! Such trimming is devastating to organizations and their people, both among those who leave but especially among those left to run the organization. These "leftovers" face anxiety about the organization's future, about their own future and about how they can possibly manage all the tasks and responsibilities with considerably fewer people. Leave them to flounder for too long, and they'll jump ship. When it comes to an organization's muscle--it's people--the old adage holds true: Use it or lose it.

Drastic organizational trimming is like an extreme weight loss program or liposuction: you rapidly drop the weight, but that doesn't make you healthy. I once worked with a woman who called herself a "fat skinny person." She described herself as soft and lacking muscle tone, which made her weak and vulnerable. Organizations are the same--the effects of poor health eventually become evident through attrition and an inability to compete.

Getting to health requires more than cutting fat--it requires a fitness program designed to build strength in all your muscles, especially the heart. It requires a commitment to becoming healthy through regular exercise and a balanced diet. Building strength in only one muscle group, like in isotonics, will not create health--it must be wholistic.

Potentiate helps organizations heal the wounds of layoffs and address organization-wide health problems by creating a customized fitness program. We start with NetTPS™ diagnostics to determine where the potential lies, focusing on strengths and setting realistic expectations with measurable outcomes. Through coaching we foster organizational healing by putting back the trust and confidence people once had in themselves and their organizational community.

If your organization is feeling a bit anorexic right now, take the initiative to rebuild and strengthen it's muscles. You have the opportunity to consciously consider the people who remain with you and help them collectively improve the health of your organization. Like any health program, the sooner you begin a fitness regimen, the sooner you begin to feel the effects of good health: improved self-image, greater confidence, more energy, a stronger immune system and compliments on your appearance (customer satisfaction).

For more information on getting your organization into a fitness program and building people muscles, please call 602-625-4036.

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