12 Vital Signs of Organizational Health

In one of my speaking engagements this week, my host pointed me to a participant, and told me that over the last year this man had lost 250 pounds. 250 pounds! He described the difference this had made. More energy. Happier. It was almost like a rebirth; certainly a new beginning.

There is a simple truth here. Poor health really does have multiple, negative, ripple effects. Good health opens an array of better possible futures.

Just as people need to be in good health, so too do organizations need to be in good health. So, over the next few days, I am going to be writing posts about good organizational health. Consider these the “organizational vitals…”

I will elaborate on this list with each post, but let’s start with my list. This is not exhaustive — I suspect that you could add equally important elements. And, of course, there is a clear, non-negotiable starting point– a healthy organization has a product or service that is of value to its purchasers/customers, and the customers want to continue giving this organization their business.

So, here is my list:

#1 — A healthy organization is constantly adapting and innovating.
#2 — A healthy organization has a compelling “this is why we are in existence” understanding.
#3 — A healthy organization has a clear, challenging organizational strategy.
#4 — A healthy organization has an effective leader/leadership team.
#5 — A healthy organization is effective at building and nurturing successful teams.
#6 — A healthy organization is good at “alignment” — its people are on the same page, with genuine buy-in throughout the organization.
#7 — A healthy organization excels at finding, nurturing, and keeping its talent. (“The right people…”).
#8 — A healthy organization excels at communication — of all kinds — internally, and externally.
#9 — A healthy organization identifies and removes bottlenecks.
#10 — A healthy organization knows what to measure, and measures effectively.
#11 — A healthy organization excels at execution.
#12 — A healthy organization excels at serving its current customers, and finding its next customers.

This graphic shows the 12 vital signs:

Here’s a graphic with the 12 vital signs of organizational health – 
(Click on image for full view)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In coming days, I will elaborate on each of these. But, start here… Read over the list. Consider your own organization. What do you think? Healthy? Not-healthy?

———————

All of these posts have now been put into e-book form, available at Amazon:  12 Vital Signs of Organizational Health.