Your workplace is like a pair of shoes

Even if you’re just in the office a couple of times a week, your workplace plays a major role in shaping your organisation’s journey. I like to think of it as a great pair of shoes…

Is it suited to the terrain that you’re going to be stomping: Are you hiking the Otter Trail, or just cruising the streets?

Ask yourself: Is your office set up to support the work to be done there, and the challenges your workers will face?

Is your workplace the right fit? Good shoes mean a snug fit, with enough room for circulation and movement. You may not notice when your shoes fit well, but when they don’t, you’ll know all about it. Blisters are just the start; injuries as a result of a system out of alignment are the long term price to pay. Ask any runner.

Similarly, a well fitting workplace means a system that can function without hindrance. And financially, the right fit means well-aligned budgets spent in line with what is actually needed: not too tight, not too loose.

Shoes need to be worn in before they can function well. They respond to the particular set of feet.

Similarly, your office won’t feel like home straight away. It will need a little tuning, and some humans in it, and a little bit of their humanity to shape it for performance. When I walk into your office I want to have a sense of who works there and what they’re about. (If you remove the people, does it still feel like your culture?)

Shoes that aren’t worn in are just display items.

As a business leader, can you describe the terrain your office needs to traverse? Do you have the right size and financial fit? And does your office hold your people in a way that feels comfortable and human?

I help organisations set up their workplaces to be more like their favourite shoes and less like those cool but uncomfortable boots gathering dust in the corner.