A power greater than the Sun's

A number of years ago, news rippled around the world that researchers had achieved fusion. Think of it, the commentary went as it outran proof; the ability to create clean, safe, unlimited energy was a dream made real. Too bad it wasn’t true.

The immediate and hopeful reaction to the ruse (rhymes with “news”) was the product of concerns about the price of oil that have only grown in the years since. As the world becomes more developed – and more dependent on fuel of every stripe – there is more anxiety about the source and price of the next barrel, gallon or kilowatt.

More than miles-per-gallon, the value of available energy plays out in a lot of arenas. Think of the sixth man on a basketball team who gets credit for coming off the bench to give his team a boost or the cup of coffee in the morning that helps jump-start the day.

Nowhere is energy more an essential element of success than in the normal course of business. Any business.

In increasingly competitive market places, where more and more companies with more and newer products and services are seeking to gain notice, energy can be the difference between success and the same-old or worse.

Not the kind of energy, of course, that powers the lights and the heat or the energy that drives anxiety over whether a deal will close or a deadline be met or even the energy drawn from the right combination of policies, practices and procedures that give any business form. It is, instead, the kind of energy that can only be tapped at the intersection of business goals and personal ambition.

Too little is admitted and less said about the role of personal ambition in the success of even the most egalitarian or collaborative company. For any enterprise to achieve – even surpass – its goals, it needs to hang its shingle at those four corners.

It is easier said (written, too) than done. The legacy of the industrial company over weights the business model and undervalues employees. Even the rise of the entrepreneur has done little to change the angle of perspective. Only a persistent shortage of right-skilled workers is likely to gain support for the notion that without the commitment of those people, the only business model that can succeed is one without employees. That is as likely as one without customers.

But saying “employees are our most important asset” is merely to repeat what “Fast Company” magazine once labeled one of the great corporate lies; a harsh assessment, helpful, though, as a caution against the routine.

The real work begins when people are hired. Ask them less about the job to be filled than their take on the job to be done. Give them the tools to do the job – both the hardware and the soft skills training. Integrate what they say into the business of the day. Reward those who contribute to the success of the firm. And replace those who do not. The last is a unit of measure by which employees today judge a manager's ken and a company's commitment.

That may be why too many people leave their jobs, too many jobs lead nowhere and too many companies fall short of delivering on their promises to customers. They lack the energy that can be found by the barrel at the intersection of business mission and personal ambition.