The New Super Heroes
Of the seven investments available
to organizations, the five people-side
investments are the most interesting.
Three of these (Human, Relationship and
Spiritual investments) can be considered
the new super heroes powering success
in organizations—The Intangibles. These
three set up the other investments and the
organization for success. They clear the way,
set the stage and stay the course to provide
significant multipliers for high ROI.
When deployed as investments, The
Intangibles create energy and activate
others toward positive action. Each of the
three super heroes has unique powers in
what they initiate in others. Each one will
leverage existing opportunities to benefit
the organization and to increase ROI from
their efforts. The Intangibles interact with
each other and with other investment
combinations to create value and wealth for
organizations.
A Closer Look
Human capital investments:
Invest in the capabilities of people, their knowledge, skills and competencies.
Human investments possess a uniqueness in its direct action on people to energize,
encourage and support work. The actions may involve new education, advanced training
and psychological support. Through activities of human capital investments, people are
more able and prepared to take on new tasks and to be more creative and innovative.
From this, people are more satisfied with their work and look forward to new challenges.
Accordingly, the investment of human capital generates positive ROI.
When Human capital investments are teamed with Customer investments, it leads to
creativity and innovation and new products and services. When this investment is teamed
with Organizational investments, it leads to new intellectual property and corporate
memory. When Human capital investments are teamed with Relationship investments, it
creates high performance teams.
Relationship capital investments:
Link people together for interactions that leverage power and influence.
The strength of this investment is focused on people and in linking people together.
Relationship capital investments help build meaningful interactive groups, encourage the
bonding of personnel and foster can-do mindsets. Relationship investments effectively build
strength through numbers. High performing teams result from the activities of Relationship
capital investments. The results from Relationship investments include facilitated and
accelerated actions throughout the organization and with customers, as well as a boost in ROI.
When Relationship capital investments are teamed with Customer investments, this leads
to partnering with customers. When this investment is teamed with Spiritual capital
investments, it leads to satisfied people willing to work hard for the organization.
Spiritual capital investments:
Establish cultural norms that smooth work flow and facilitate people and customer
relationships.
This Super Hero is not demanding or pushy. Spiritual capital is subtle but significant when in
place. The efforts of Spiritual capital investments are to support the personal side of peoples’
efforts that engender peace of mind and a sense of accomplishment. The result of this is that
people feel valued, leading to higher personal motivation and willingness to contribute more.
When Spiritual investments are teamed with Organizational investments, the results lead to
refining cultural norms and ethical decision-making. When Spiritual capital investments are
paired with Relationship investments, it leads to an ethical workplace that fosters positive
group chemistries and greater resiliency within an organization. When Spiritual capital is
teamed with Human capital, it promotes caring and committed people who are willing to
go the extra mile. When Spiritual investments are teamed with Customer investments, the
result fosters value-based customer relations
Parting Thoughts
Character comes from the inside. Invest in people and their relationships to build strong
teams. Invest in team-focused spiritual capital to build loyalty and bonding, resulting
in strong character. When opportunities arise or challenges surface, the people will do
whatever it takes to help move the ball forward. Focusing on The Intangibles strengthens an
organization, giving it a solid core and foundation. J
Baldwin Tom is a management consultant, professional speaker and author of 1+ 1=7: How Smart Leaders Make
7 Investments to Maximize Value. Baldwin is a Certified Management Consultant and served as the National
Board Chair of the Institute of Management Consultants USA. For more information on Baldwin Tom, please visit
www.geoddgroup.com.
