(I009) Awareness: The Heart of Ecosystems and Organizational Alignment
By Anette Lan, written on November 17, 2024
My 5-year-old son has been fascinated by watching YouTubers craft intricate ecosystems in terrariums, and I’m equally impressed by the knowledge and craftsmanship they display. They create living, breathing worlds within a glass container by carefully selecting the right plants and creatures. As I watched, I thought—what if we applied the same concept to a workplace ecosystem? In organizations, every role is a living element, contributing to the company’s overall health. Just like plants rely on sunlight and water, every role depends on others to maintain balance. Misalignment in any part of the ecosystem can disrupt the whole system, and the impact of that misalignment is significant.
Awareness of emotions is at the heart of understanding personal and work ecosystems in cause and effect. This alignment between personal well-being and organizational goals drives productivity and long-term success.
Understanding Ecosystems and Alignment
In nature, ecosystems thrive when each element—sunlight, water, plants, and animals—works in harmony. Similarly, organizations function as ecosystems, where personal ecosystems must align with the company’s broader goals. When personal and organizational goals align, both individuals and the organization flourish together.
However, awareness is a two-way street. Just as each organism plays a role in maintaining balance, every individual in an organization must also reflect on whether the environment they’re in is the right fit for them. Unlike animals in captivity, people have the freedom to assess if the organization’s culture, mission, and values align with their own. It's unreasonable to leave all the responsibility for alignment solely to the organization. Each person must take responsibility for their own well-being and reflect on whether they’re in the right environment. This personal reflection is essential for growth and organizational health.
Dr. Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist, has extensively researched self-awareness, check out her TedTalk. Her studies reveal a significant gap between self-perception and reality: while 95% of people believe they are self-aware, only 10-15% actually are. This discrepancy underscores the importance of individuals actively engaging in self-reflection to ensure their personal ecosystems align with their organizational environment.
Leaders must understand personal ecosystems within their teams and ensure individual goals and well-being align with the company’s mission. This balance is challenging, especially when balancing daily operations with strategic initiatives while connecting with employees. Effective alignment drives productivity and satisfaction, but misalignment causes stress, burnout, and disengagement.
Emotional intelligence is key to understanding and aligning personal ecosystems with organizational goals. Self-awareness allows individuals and leaders to recognize when their ecosystems are out of balance and adjust accordingly. Leaders can also create an environment where individuals feel empowered to assess their own alignment and ensure they are in the right environment for their growth.
Jim Collins' Good to Great (2001) emphasizes the importance of getting the right people in the right roles, which mirrors the alignment of personal and organizational ecosystems. When individual values align with the company’s mission, people thrive, which drives organizational success.
Creating the Right Environment for Success
Think of it like a terrarium—each plant in the terrarium, like a role in a company, needs the right environment to thrive. Misalignment between plants and water can cause a terrarium to fail, just as misalignment between personal goals and organizational culture can lead to dissatisfaction and disengagement.
As a coach, I’ve seen how aligning personal ecosystems with organizational goals not only supports individual growth but directly impacts team success. It’s not just about people "fitting in"—it’s about helping them understand how their personal values and aspirations contribute to the organization’s broader ecosystem.
Understanding personal and organizational ecosystems and how they are connected through emotional intelligence and self-awareness is crucial for long-term success. Much like a terrarium creator who is keenly observant of even the smallest behavior changes in her ecosystem—knowing that a slight shift might indicate a need for adjustment—leaders must also be aware of the emotional landscape within their organizations. By noticing these shifts and responding with empathy and care, leaders can better align personal and organizational values, creating a thriving and balanced ecosystem.
As leaders, we must understand that our people are the heartbeat of our organization. Without their well-being, the organizational ecosystem suffers. When we connect, care, and observe, we ensure that both individuals and the organization flourish. The key to success lies in fostering an environment where each member’s personal ecosystem is valued and aligned with the greater mission—because when your team thrives, so does your company.
As leaders, the health of your organizational ecosystem starts with you. Reflect on your own ecosystem—are your personal values, needs, and well-being in alignment with the organization’s mission? In coaching, I use tools like the Possibilities Wheel to help individuals uncover their inner needs and assess alignment with the company’s culture. I invite you to create your own Personal and Organizational Ecosystem Wheel, a powerful tool to visualize balance, growth, and areas for improvement.
Ask yourself: Are your ecosystems in harmony? Are you fostering an environment where both individuals and the organization can thrive together? The answer to these questions could unlock greater success, satisfaction, and connection for everyone in your team. When awareness of both personal and organizational ecosystems is at the heart of your leadership, you pave the way for mutual growth and long-term success.
#Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #EcosystemAlignment #PersonalGrowth #OrganizationalSuccess #HeartCenteredLeadership #HumanCentered
References:
Brené Brown (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. Random House.
Daniel Goleman (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. Doubleday.
Collins, J,. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap... and others don’t. HarperBusiness.
Tasha Eurich (2017). Insight: Why we're not as self-aware as we think, and how seeing ourselves clearly can make us better leaders. Crown Business.
