Community Vision

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon as a guest of the South Adelaide Football Club [SAFC] for its SANFL clash with cellar dweller West Adelaide at “Panther Park”, Noarlunga. It was a great afternoon for a number of reasons. Firstly, my old team, the mighty Blood’s won only their second match for the season. Secondly, it was welcome respite from watching too much of the Olympics on TV. Thirdly, I got out of cutting the lawns….again! Fourthly, it wasn’t a Crows match, which meant the football was “old skool” and the traffic, to and from the ground, was tolerable.

However, the most enjoyable aspect of the day was the sense of community that permeated the proceedings. Lunch was held in the recently extended function centre, directly upstairs from the brand new bar, bistro and gaming area, and was very well attended by local business people, politicians, church leaders and supporters of the SAFC. An unusual mix for a local football match, you’d have to agree, but then there was a special reason for bringing all of these people together. The guest speaker at lunch was Tim Costello, brother of Peter [Australia’s most recent ex treasurer], and one of Australia’s leading voices on issues such as urban poverty, homelessness, problem gambling, reconciliation and substance abuse.

Mr Costello was ordained a Baptist Minister in 1986 and was elected as mayor of St Kilda, Victoria, in 1993. He was National President of the Baptist Union of Australia between 1999 and 2002. From 1995 to 2003 he was executive director of Urban Seed, a Christian not-for-profit organisation that provides outreach services and hospitality to the city’s street people. In 2004, Mr Costello was appointed CEO of World Vision Australia. His media profile there adds weight to World Vision appeals such as that resulting from the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, which raised more than $100 million. In 2004, Mr Costello was named Victorian of the Year; in June 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia [AO]; and in 2006 was named Victorian Australian of the Year.

Given his profile and the obvious demands on his time, it was even more curious that Mr Costello would be in South Australia as guest speaker at the SAFC match day luncheon last Saturday. However, his special purpose for attending was to announce a partnership between World Vision, the SAFC and local southern churches to assist with the development of communities in South Africa.

Nothing special about this you may say but the SAFC has embraced this opportunity holistically, replacing the much maligned end of season footy trip with the stated aim of improving leadership and performance on and off the field through its partnership with World Vision. Instead of the playing group going on a two week “bender” at the end of the season, players, officials and local church members will travel to South Africa in January 2009, to work on projects to bring fresh water and education to an impoverished community.

The visionary Board of the SAFC is confident that this will be a life changing experience for all those who commit to the partnership and, it is reaching out to engage the rest of the community in this project. Clearly, the Board's strategy is to connect with the broader community and make the SAFC a business, social and recreational hub for all people living, working and playing in the Southern suburbs and not just for those interested in supporting a local football team. It is hoped that a carols by candlelight spectacular later on in the year will raise $10,000 for the SAFC/World Vision project and this is but one example of the practical benefits of this partnership in action and demonstrates that, what is good for the community is generally great for business.

The Board, staff and leadership group, players and supporters of the SAFC are to be commended for their fore-sight and commitment to the Club’s partnership with World Vision and to their broader objective of becoming a recognised, respected and highly valued supporter of the community in which they operate.

On Saturday, Mr Costello spoke passionately about the “lottery of life” and how we, as Australian’s, won first prize, and although the SAFC couldn’t also be winners last Saturday, [bad luck boy’s], I am sure they are onto a winner with their partnership with World Vision and we wish them every success, on and off the field, for the future.

In our featured article this week we look briefly at Happiness At Work. We also introduce two new “Employee Hot Prospects”, which can be accessed from the “hot chilli” link at right and, announce the winner of our Round 20 Footy Tipping Competition.

Ps. In the coming week we will be contacting our e news subscribers, who haven’t submitted responses to our Business Economic Survey, in anticipation that some may agree to participate in a telephone method of survey. We appreciate your support and thankyou in advance for your time and assistance.

The pursuit of true happiness has become a burning issue for politicians, economists and psychologists, and far from assuming that happiness is a personal matter, employers, too, should be doing far more to put smiles on the faces of staff. Research shows that while there is a strong correlation between money and happiness, there is a limit to how much happier an individual can ever become and therefore, salary alone does not necessarily make for a happy and productive workforce.

Generally, a good indicator of workplace happiness is the average length of employee service compared with competitor’s performance and industry benchmarks. Comparisons are not always easy to obtain but if you find that you are constantly recruiting for the same positions over and over again you may need to consider hiring a CHO [Chief Happiness Officer], to work alongside the CEO, CFO and CIO.

Seriously, it is a fact that our society is becoming more and more obsessed with being happy and fulfilled. There was a time when companies simply brought in clowns to keep the workers happy, but today, engaging an “idiot” to look after the “village” just won’t keep the troops motivated. Instead, the 21^st century CHO, [employer], should be responsible for encouraging people to be more creative, challenging and spontaneous at work. Happiness helps makes us more productive, and employers need to be more proactive in spreading it around.

Taking into account the mountain of happiness statistics from around the world, the things that make us happiest, aside from wealth and a happy relationship, are:

• having a job in the first place;
• job satisfaction, and, above all;
• working in your own garden, [not to be confused with gardening]

It is this last point that is believed to be the single most important factor in boosting happiness in the workplace. For employees, finding ways to use their individual talents to do a good job, making an equal contribution regardless of salary or job title, being encouraged to ask questions and to keep learning and, being encouraged to accept ownership for the organisation's performance are all ways that employees find happiness in their work. After all, genuine happiness is experienced through the interaction of the individual with the challenges thrown up by life, the metaphor being that it is the constant gardener who enjoys the fruits of their own toil.

However, it is important to make the distinction between happiness and engagement. Happiness per se does not necessarily lead to business outcomes because happiness is an emotional state whereas engagement translates to what someone does; whether individuals say great things about their organisation, whether they are happy to stay there and whether they strive at work. When you observe that sort of behaviour, you can declare that staff are both happy and engaged – the El Dorado of enlightened management.

So next time you see a group of employees laughing uproariously, heads thrown back as full-throated guffaws ring through the room, enjoy the moment because having fun at work is a healthy sign. Generally speaking, the fact that people are laughing when you walk through the office means they are going to be working better, not worse. Just don’t confuse laughter with happiness or engagement – they are not the same thing.

Edith Thew
with Status’ Manager Edwardstown-
Valeria Tulic