Thank you Nikita,
Spot on! this is one of my major grips.
If I get another management memo with "team" written 12 times, I think I am going to die.
Yes we do live in a bottom line kind of world. It is a real balancing act to reduce costs and maintain profitability.
I have always been of the school that you hire the best and brightest and reward those employees for their hard work and dedication. The word "team" nowadays just seems to be an over rot catch phrase for inept management.
You need to create a corporate culture of an inner sense of excellence, with a desire to serve. This of course is much easier said than done in today's what is in it for me work environment.
One of the most successful models for a company has been Southwest Airlines. Herb Kelleher had shown what can be done for an employee group with outstanding leadership skills. " NUTS! South West Airlines Recipe for Business and Personnel Success " should be mandatory reading for all those who wish to manage.
"If the employees come first, then they're happy, ... A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. It's not one of the enduring Green mysteries of all time, it is just the way it works"