What if a Thriving Organization Isn't Enough to Save Us?

“In the mind of the marketplace, there are three types of organizations: Has-beens, Wannabes, and Heroes.”

 I wrote those words in Results Rule! They are still accurate, AND they are incomplete.

They are accurate because there have always been winners, losers, and strugglers.

Winners thrive as marketplace leaders. The losers cease to remain relevant long before they cease to exist. Strugglers scrape by and barely hang on.

They are incomplete because there there is a fourth type of organization.

It is one that I, honestly, did not consider when I wrote Results Rule! It consistently achieves amazing results while also making all of its stakeholders more successful.

It is a Catalyst Organization.

Sounds interesting. What does it mean?

The easiest analogy is from the world of community development. In that world, a catalyst project acts as a driving force that stimulates further development.

Catalyst Organizations generate positive outcomes for themselves that also extend to other stakeholders. They are the foundation for positive change. They are future seeking, and they rely on extreme collaboration to accomplish results. Most important, they place all stakeholders on a path to consistently flourish in the future.

Think of it as a marketplace hero that seeks to expand the success of others rather than simply achieving results for themselves.

Are there examples?

Many of my municipal government clients take a broader view of making communities successful rather than just delivering a service. A few also excel at intentionally developing their teams and growing talent.

They City of Coppell, Texas is a great example of an organization that extends it sense of purpose beyond simply thriving to helping all its stakeholders flourish. Its focus on strength through humility sets the tone for a culture that is intent on serving - not just providing a service.

In the private sector, company investment in communities is common. Very few take it beyond volunteering as a way of giving back. Likewise, every company talks about caring for its team and developing people. Employee surveys suggest that we are Wannabes at best.

Bridgeway Capital is one company that works very hard to act as a catalyst by investing 50 percent of its profits in charitable causes. Even they will tell you that they do not always meet their own aspirations.

Why is it important for me and my organization?

We are in the middle of a historic transition. Technology advances, generational shifts, geopolitical risks, and values realignment are stressing organizations to their breaking point.

• Forty-five percent of global CEOs believe their company will not be viable in 10 years if it stays on its current path and does not reinvent itself.
• Almost two-thirds of employees believe that the amount of change they experience has risen in the past 12 months. One-third have experienced at least four significant changes in the past 12 months.
• Seventy percent of employees would leave their jobs for more fulfillment.
• Over 40 percent of employees in the United States and United Kingdom say they are burned out.
• Employee engagement is at an 11-year low.
• Twenty-four percent of workers are worried that AI will soon make their job obsolete.
• In the United States, the societal divide and dysfunction has escalated to the point of damaging trust in all of its institutions.

Futurist Langdon Morris frames our challenges this way:

“During the next ten years, the world will go through numerous massive and highly unsettling shifts that will affect every aspect of society... The significance of this can hardly be overstated, because just about everything is changing."

We don't get through this by operating in the status quo. It is an "all hands on deck" moment that can best be captured by organizations in every sector stepping into the role of catalyst.

Your challenge for 2025.

What can you do right now to become a catalyst that helps every stakeholder flourish? It is okay to start small.

Perhaps you need to rethink your purpose in a way that captures the hearts and minds of your team. Maybe you make a concerted effort to turn those words on your website about employees being your most important resource into something that is more real for your associates? It could even be a subtle shift away from focusing less on the sale and more on helping customers succeed.

This is an evolutionary process that needs to occur with a sense of urgency. It begins with a shift in thinking: What if we expanded our focus from thriving to helping those around us flourish? What if we became a catalyst for positive change?

Randy Pennington is an award-winning author, speaker, and leading authority on helping organizations deliver positive results in a world of uncertainty, complexity, and change. He is a leading thinker and conversation generator on helping organizations flourish. To learn more or to engage Randy for your organization, visit www.penningtongroup.com, email info@penningtongroup.com, or call 972–980–9857 (U.S.).