In this article: The ‘Ohana in Business (OIB) of Managing with Aloha will relentlessly pursue professionalism via their competence, and the sequential progression of competency toward expertise.
—You’ve decided to have an OIB: The ‘Ohana in Business Starts with “Why?”
—You’ve decided to be an Alaka‘i Benefactor: The Alaka‘i Benefactor: Sharing in the ‘Ohana in Business
—You are completely willing to work on your business model and business plan as necessary: ‘Ohana x2 and the 10 Tenets of an ‘Ohana in Business
You don’t have a ‘family-owned’ or ‘family-run’ business, yet you definitely want to have the OIB— an ‘Ohana in Business (or you may have, and want both).
You agree with my coaching, that ‘Ohana can successfully and prosperously reframe what a ‘business family’ is all about, and yet…
Despite how much human beings love family, and will even claim it to be one of their core values, history has saddled family-anything businesses with a certain negative connotation.
That connotation? That the “unconditional acceptance” of being part of a family, means you need not be qualified to work there, just related in some way.
Helping you shake off this connotation, is why I will normally coach OIBs to adopt a relentlessly dedicated respect for competency as one of their primary missions.
In quick definition, think of mission as the logical step-by-step accomplishment timeline with achieving your business vision. More at: The Mission-Driven Company.
When you deliver the results of competency, people perceive and acknowledge your professionalism.
Mad Respect for Competence
We all share a commonly held positive regard for competence.
We consider competency to mean our service providers are knowledgeable, and that they are unquestionably qualified. We look to them, to answer questions about an area of competency we ourselves may not have, or may not work with as frequently and as successfully as they do.
Details do not escape competent people; they intrigue them. We often see, and appreciate the passion and focus connected with what highly competent service providers will do.
We readily assume, that once a person achieves their core competency in a certain line of work, they will target expertise next in continuing their work. We are confident they consistently work on achieving that expertise, and we feel assured we are in good hands.
Digital Natives by Juan Cristóbal Cobo on Flickr
What is Core Competency?
Thus, if you’re an Alaka‘i Manager in an OIB, you will be sure your people have the core competency your guests and customers rightfully expect.
Turn those expectations above, into these 7 necessary deliverables— that’s how competency makes its impact and gets perceived as professionalism:
- Your people will be knowledgeable. (Think ‘Ike loa, and how we “Know well.”)
- They will be qualified. (Think Kuleana in skill-building, and strength-building.)
- They will be confident when answering questions about what they do, and they can readily teach others through their desire to share their Ho‘ohana. (Coaching People Who Do Good Work)
- They will have their own curiosity about the ins and outs of their work, leading them to learn even more in a spirit of seeking adjacent possibility.
- They will thrill to the details of the work itself—they will not tolerate mediocrity in themselves or in others.
- They will display focus and passion with what they do—no boredom, no apathy or complacency. (Talk about work ethic again. Bring it into your workplace conversations, and say what you want it to be about.)
- They will strive to be experts, feeling that competency was a beginning, but it isn’t enough. (Think Kūlia i ka nu‘u: “Excellence is never an accident: It is always intentional, and it always demands more than the norm.”)
Related Reading: Do not confuse competency with dysfunction.
Within the 10 tenets suggested for an ‘Ohana in Business, this was primary within the ‘Ohana of its structure;
1. Everyone involved with the company—not just those employed by it—is considered both stakeholder and business partner in the “human circle of Aloha” the business identifies with.
To achieve such a partnership, is so much easier when you are assured of the core competency and professionalism of everyone involved. Make that competency, professionalism, and quest for expertise what your OIB becomes known for.
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Preview the updates in Managing with Aloha, Second Edition, released July, 2016
Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawai‘i’s Universal Values to the Art of Business
Our value immersion study for the months of July and August 2017:
The 10 Tenets of an ‘Ohana in Business