My name is David Hodes and I’m the CEO of Ensemble Consulting Group. I founded Ensemble almost 20 years ago with the belief that one way we can create a better world is if we develop better ways to do better work. I believe the greatest organisations create value for their shareholders by inspiring their people to consistently turn up as the best version of themselves. For me, this inspiration starts with the idea of ‘just work’ for everyone who works in, with and for the organisation.

‘Just work’ includes my belief that it is possible to be ‘just’ at work—to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Everyone has the right to be well managed.

What might such a radical proposition as ‘everyone has the right to be well managed’ mean? I figure it means helping the people you lead through your management hierarchy to properly understand the context of the work they’re doing. They feel connected to the overall purpose of the enterprise and are aligned to its vision and values. They ‘work to arrive’ rather than ‘arrive to work’. They are empowered with the requisite authority over the resources required to acquit all of that for which you hold them accountable.

You know what you have called for is both reasonable and possible, given the human and material resources you place at their disposal. They have a deep sense of the significance of what they are doing and experience the world as a better place for them being in it. They feel safe to make mistakes whilst exploring new ways of being and doing—they’re inspired by the prospect of continuous learning and growth.

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My book More Than Just Work distils my thinking about three decades of managing work into a single coherent framework.

You can buy the book here (with free shipping anywhere in Australia).

[Main image: Randy Fath on Unsplash]