Do you sometimes feel frustrated about the absurdities standing in the way of solving problems?
The start of a new year is a chance for many to clean the slate. An opportunity to start afresh with learnings from the past and renewed energy to find simple and effective solutions to tackle the problems and challenges we face, so that we can progress – as individuals, employees, managers, leaders, communities, organisations; and as a society.
Yet crossing the threshold into 2022 feels different from most other years. From the conversations my colleagues and I have been having, there is an overwhelming sense of frustration, and for some a loss of hope.
You only need to turn on the news to find yourself asking questions like –
- Why aren’t all RATs (rapid antigen test kits) provided free to Australian residents?
- Why don’t we have a single national approach to vaccination mandates?
- Why aren’t all lockdowns the same?
- Why aren’t travel requirements consistent and why don’t all the states have the same plan?
Valid points, so I’ll let you ponder on those for a few moments, as I am sure you have your own views.
But this overall sense of some of the absurdities standing in the way of progress is not limited to our governments’ response to the COVID pandemic. It’s all around us. I’m sure if I asked you what absurdities stand in the way of progress in the organisation you work in, you wouldn’t have to think too hard to identify several.
Being stuck in our thinking
It’s because so much of what we do is based on legacy. Legacy systems, culture, thinking. “It’s the way we’ve always done things…”
And yet, as our workplaces, businesses, communities, and environments change and evolve; we need to do the same. Evolve. 
What is often patently obvious to the people on the ground, is not understood by the leaders who make decisions and have the power to institute better ways of doing things.
At times like this it’s too easy to feel frustrated and to feel like your voice is lost in all the noise. The truth is, we need to hear your voice and others like yours. We need to hear from people on the frontlines and in the trenches of business, government and communities. The workers, the managers, the people who have to deal with the everyday realities rather than the theories. Because it’s only then that we will be able to make the connections between the problems we are trying to solve and the realities on the ground; the barriers standing in the way of the solutions.
Connection
We can connect a problem with a solution. But if we don’t understand the barriers standing in between the two, we will never achieve the desired solution.
That’s why Unearth’s theme for 2022 is CONNECTION. To make good on this theme from the start, let me make the connection to why this theme is so important to us!
It starts with our purpose.
At Unearth, we believe that everyone has the right to feel safe and to live well.
We envision a future where people feel safe and empowered to give their best efforts without fear of failure. Our purpose is to create a safer world; one workplace, one community and one person at a time.
How we do this is by creating “safe to succeed” environments that drive transformational outcomes for people and organisations. Our commitment to our clients is to PROTECT THE HOUSE – that is “their house” – their organisation.
What we happen to do is Risk Management consultancy services. We operate in the areas of corporate risk, insider threat and public safety.
In order to deliver on our purpose and our commitment to PROTECT THE HOUSE, there are two vital connections we need to focus on in the coming year:
- Connecting PEOPLE to the solution.
We believe risk is the pathway to opportunity and transformation. So we are turning risk management on its head to ensure that people are rightfully at the core, because we know that risk starts and ends with people. People are at the centre of all risk and at the centre of your business and the community. It is only by focusing on risk with, through and by your people, that you are going to truly solve your risk exposure and drive transformational change. - Connecting leaders to the realities that exist within their organisations.
The same realities that are preventing them from achieving the outcomes they are so focused on. By tackling the disconnections that exist within organisations, we can overturn the barriers that are standing in the way of progress.
Unearth Your Voice
When you put people at the centre of a risk management strategy, the way you look at a problem immediately changes. You start to look at what is preventing your people from being more effective in their roles. How do we set them up for success? What are the realities that are holding them back?
No organisation – whether business, government, community or non-profit is going to be able to realise its full potential until its people can realise theirs.
So one of our key CONNECTION priorities this year is to uncover the realities that exist within organisations. To step back from the noise and get to the heart of the challenge. To do this we need to unearth your voice and the voices of others who are currently unheard.
How we will do this over the course of 2022, is by inviting you to share your experiences in a range of areas, including those areas of frustration, where you believe absurdities stand in the way of progress; or where the reality on the ground is disconnected from the theory developed by senior executives.
We will do this through surveys (anonymity will be offered to ensure you have a safe space to share). Depending on the engagement we get, we may find other ways to connect with you to get your insights and feedback.
Let’s unleash the power of people to make things better
If you believe we can do better, then by sharing your voice you will be contributing to a process where we challenge outdated legacies and create real, meaningful, people-powered solutions.
I ask you to join us. Connect with us. Together we can create better, safer workplaces where people are valued and are able to give their best.
We will share the collective insights we generate. They will be used to generate conversations privately within organisations as well as in the public sphere. They will also be used to inform the way we work with organisations; to connect the work we do with the realities that you face every day, so that we can build new, better pathways to managing risk and opening up opportunity within corporations, government and communities.
We’re on a mission to challenge the way risk is managed, because the simple truth is, the current approaches to risk that most organisations adopt are not effective. We are seeing the results of a failure of imagination in risk management and it’s time to change it. We need a new perspective on risk and we need your insights, in order to bring that.
Our commitment to you is to ensure we continue to share learnings and ensure we continue to offer innovative and pragmatic approaches to support you and others like you. What you share – your thoughts, your truth – is valued and a gift, and it will make a difference.
If you’d like to join our movement for change; and if you’d like to be the first to hear about the insights we unearth and the events through which we will spark discussions, then please sign up here to our e-newsletter and our blog.
Let’s make 2022 the year of connection.
If you have found value in what we have shared, feel free to check out other blogs by the Unearth team and subscribe to our Newsletter. And if interested in the book ‘Risk Starts and Ends with People’ recently released then feel free to reach out to learn more or share your thoughts on the blog or any information we have provided, we would welcome hearing from you through hello@unearth.com.au
