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Foreword

I first met Mickey Connolly around 1994 when I was a participant in a leadership class he was leading for managers at Hewlett-Packard Company. At that time, I knew I had connected with someone having genuine curiosity for who I was and what was important to me. By the way, this curiosity was not reserved for myself only– it was extended to each and every person in the room. I remember feeling engaged and more present to the conversation we were all about to have.

Reflecting on the experience now, I realize that seeing us all as valuable and fascinating individuals was the secret to capturing our willingness to be deeply open with the possibility of making even greater contributions as leaders. It was exciting, energizing, fun, and productive. It’s no surprise that my organization at the time invested so heavily in not just this training but also in the on-going practice of what was modeled in the class. In no small way, this way of working together contributed to the success and exponential growth of HP’s Inkjet business over a ten-year period.

Many others have explored in part and in different ways what Mickey and his co-authors, Jim and Richard, define as vitality. Often referred to in the corporate world as well-being, employee satisfaction, ownership, and high performance, most of these related concepts only nibble around the edges of what it really takes for people to connect and commit whole heartedly to each other on behalf of accomplishing great things. With this book, Mickey, Jim, and Richard succeed in giving us something larger and more practical—a useful and catalytic definition of vitality at work and what it takes to protect and expand it over time. Their definition encompasses what it means to be human beings at work, and will help you remove barriers to great and rewarding accomplishments in your organization.

It’s taken a while for people to be ready to hear about vitality. Partly, this is because of deeply-seated, erroneous, centuries-old cultural beliefs. These beliefs assert that as humans, we must make tradeoffs between opposing forces: rational individual self-interest vs. seeking the common and collective good. The premise underlying this belief is that the natural order is the individual and that only out of necessity for survival do we give up some of our personal desires in order to be protected. This is simply not true.

In fact, great thinkers, such as Adam Smith, Emile Durkheim, George Herbert Mead, and Humberto Maturana have challenged this underlying assumption with logic and evidence that suggest just the opposite. They reveal we are human only because we are socialized. And our nature and the very emergence of our intelligence and well-being are dependent upon our interactions, positive emotions, and solidarity with each other. In short, there is a fundamental human need to live and work together, and to care about one another. The choice between results and community, contribution, and choice is not an either/or. Rather it is a yes/and.

The autonomy to pursue a meaningful life only has traction in relationship to each other and a shared purpose. Researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan have named universal, co-existing human intrinsic needs: relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The Vitality Imperative interprets and expands these essential elements as: community, contribution, and choice. In doing so, it further shatters the damaging notion of either/or thinking. Here’s the good news of The Vitality Imperative: You can both increase organizational vitality and dramatically increase business results!

As you read, you will discover the power of making community, contribution, and choice available in any organization. This makes you and your team more innovative because you are having fun. It fosters health because you and your team genuinely care and support one another. And it allows you and your team to accomplish the extraordinary because you are smarter collectively. And because no one has to live in fear and isolation, the best ideas emerge and win in an organization committed to fostering vitality.

As this book reveals, fostering vitality requires keeping seven promises. These promises do not exist only in the cognitive domain. Those committed to keeping them must also develop social, emotional, and physical awareness on the path to becoming connected leaders. For those that do, the rewards are energizing: you and your team successfully achieve the organization’s purposes with confidence, joy, and even enthusiasm. Who wouldn’t want that every day?

Years ago, while working for a major organization, I was visiting with a colleague about the looming specter of a downsizing and how to best cope. He turned to me and soberly reported, “I know we have great corporate values about respect for the individual and the power of teams, but maybe we can’t afford those values right now.” This shocking statement still haunts me as a too-common example of our false choices and assumptions. My own research shows it is precisely the times when we are facing daunting problems and conundrums that we must double-down on our beliefs and commitment for what we are in together. This opens new portals to what is possible—and in the process, expands our humanity. As a close research colleague, Dennis Sandow, once said, “To understand performance, follow the joy.” As great results can be sensed even before they arrive, I invite the reader to let joy, interest, and positive energy guide your own path to greater organizational vitality.

I cannot overemphasize that what is outlined in the following pages addresses what all human beings want—and what all organizations need. It is deceptively simple, but not necessarily a template easy to practice. Peak performance, thriving, and achieving – all these are both reason for and benefit from The Vitality Imperative. No organization, if it wishes to succeed, flourish, and sustain over time, can afford to ignore this call to action. You can’t either.

Anne Murray Allen, DSocSci

September 2015

Anne Murray Allen is a Global Partner with Conversant, specializing in organization design, collaboration, and integration. She previously served in executive positions within Hewlett-Packard (HP), at Willamette University, and with her own consulting practice. She has worked with clients such as Babcock & Wilcox, CH2M Hill, Lockheed Martin, Port of Portland, and The Nature Conservancy. Anne has taught graduate level management classes and has presented at conferences around the world. She co-authored the 2005 Reflections Journal article, “The Nature of Social Collaboration: How Work Really Gets Done,” and is published in the July 2012 edition of OD Practitioner on culture integration when merging organizations. She is a past recipient of an American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) Torch Award. Anne is also a past trustee of the D.C.-based, non-profit Millennium Institute and is currently a member of The Academy for Systemic Change.