Essential Skills for Thriving Organisations

This article was originally published in Portuguese in Líder Magazine, in the fall 2023 issue.

The online version was later published on the magazine’s website. The original article can be consulted here link.

Did you know that companies that moved from a purely individual view of “I” to a collective view of “we” show a higher return on investment than the average of companies that are part of the S&P 500?

Various authors, such as Jim Collins and Richard Barrett, point out that the sustainable performance of an organisation is only possible when its leaders put the interests of the organisation as a whole before their own interests and ego. This approach allows us to build a sustainable future for everyone and also constitutes the best business strategy for the success of the organisation.

In this article we address crucial competencies for organisations and how they can be developed through coaching. This contributes to increasing awareness and evolving mental models, and enhances leadership development, the transformation of organisations and the creation of a better future.

Barrett points out the need for an organisational purpose and a systemic vision of the business that includes the different stakeholders of the company and aligns the interests of the organisation with the long-term interests of society. The most resilient organisations have strong alignment of values, a high shared commitment to the organisation’s vision and mission, and a deep sense of personal responsibility, which enhances collaboration, commitment, and performance.

The work we develop with leaders and teams invites them to clearly understand their current reality, to discover their purpose and vision, as well as the value they contribute with and for all stakeholders. Through coaching we enhance the evolution towards new levels of consciousness, the basis for the transformation of leaders, teams and organisations.

Barrett identifies five essential characteristics that have driven the evolution of human beings since their origins and that continue to be fundamental in the current VUCA context: adaptability, continuous learning, the ability to connect, the ability to cooperate and the ability to cope with complexity.

With our clients we work on these competencies to develop more adaptable leaders and organisations, capable of managing complexity and uncertainty and establishing internal and external alliances. This is how we promote long-term sustainable organisations, with a positive impact on society and the world.

Our coaching process, systemic in nature and intrinsically creative and thought-provoking, unlocks hitherto unexplored sources of imagination, productivity and leadership. It is a simultaneous exercise of clarification and motivation for the sustainable and integrated transformation of leaders with their teams and organisations.

We invite you to explore and integrate coaching into your organisations.

Authors: Fátima Ribeiro and Susana Azevedo