But, despite so many technological advances, it’s a rare organisation indeed that can function without fairly large numbers of these bothersome, unpredictable creatures. At last month’s Vision in Print conference, Chris Keeble DSO spoke compellingly about the need for leaders to engage with people to get the best out of them. Keeble was an officer in the British army during the Falklands War and took control of the 2nd battalion of the Parachute Regiment at Goose Green after the death of Colonel ‘H’ Jones, who was post-humously awarded the Victoria Cross. As you can imagine, Keeble commands an audience’s attention. He spoke movingly about people first and human flourishing. He wasn’t a fan
of the trendy description of human capital within an organisation; he preferred to talk about the collective goodwill of individuals, and the fact that this was the most precious commodity that can emerge from the way a business is led.

Keeble’s unflinching verdict was that if goodwill is weak, it will perish. I think we can all look around us at examples in this industry both past and present where that has proved to be the case. And, equally, examples of the opposite – where the will and belief of the employees in a business has been the deciding factor when it comes to success. Keeble stated that often in a crisis the least among the brethren will do the most. Sometimes the people you least expect will be pivotal in moving the situation on.

At the conference, there was an interesting question from the floor, when someone asked Keeble’s advice on what to do about energy sappers in a business. My personal description for people like this is ‘joy suckers’. Those people with a can’t-do attitude, who moan about everyone and everything. Keeble’s response was straightforward. He said: In the Parachute Regiment we set high standards. We invited people to join us. If they were not prepared to live up to that… we got rid of them.

He’s right, of course. The tricky bit is pinpointing those who won’t make the cut. It helps if you can look at a person’s attitude before you even recruit them, which was one of the recommendations from another speaker. At the same event, there was also a compelling turnaround story from a business where one of the most militant workers prior to the firm’s transformation became one of the greatest assets.

Now is the perfect time to put some energy into ensuring goodwill is high among your employees. And be strident with the passengers and the slackers. Because it’s true that often the only difference you will have are your people.

Jo Francis is associate editor, Print Group Haymarket