The Organization Collective.(Brief Article)

What is the key to excellence in the extension of credit, protection of corporate assets and overall accounts receivable performance? There is no shortage of answers to the question: preparation, qualification, innovation, documentation, communication, visitation and any other applicable word ending in "ation." Various financial strategies, models, formulas and matrices are also important components.

Many solutions, in a very general sense, definitely have merit and are effective when applied in proper measure with discerning direction. Yet, the question remains--what is the key? The answer might surprise us: courage. Our collective response would most likely be to screech out an unbelieving, WHAT? Courage is key; not in the sense of being confrontational for the sake of being confrontational, of being tough, of being unbending and unyielding, but courage to make decisions within the stabilizing and illuminating covering of context, collective effort and cohesion. Simply put, it is not so much what we do, but what we do together--as the "organization collective."

Courage is beneficial at all levels and within every function and form. However, courage must originate and emanate from the seat of authority. Without the buy-in and backup of existing operational authority, the heights or locations it can ascend are restricted and limited. If the courage is not in abundant supply, it will eventually and inevitably cease. One must note that in many circumstances, operational authority is not the same as the titled or published authority. In situations where organizations consistently perform at less than the optimum, operational and published authority is different.

Courage is choosing what is it right over what is easy and what is lasting over what is immediate. Courage recognizes the lesser of two evils is still evil, and resolutely prefers, expects, and never stops pursing what is good.

Courage does not shrink back or recoil when faced with challenges--known or unknown. It embraces risk when it has been evaluated and calculated, yet seeks to minimize chance. Ever cognizant that the elimination of either is not possible, and, in fact, would be injurious to any and every progressive action. Recognizing that maintenance is the enemy of achievement when it is disconnected from collective vision and finds itself operating within anything more than a temporary confine of time. Never content to live only at the elemental level of promise, courage ascends to, yet does not stop at the transitory secondary expression of possibility, but continues on, always striving to reside within the desired expanse of probability.

Every good tug of war team knows that they must pull together; every hand must be on the rope. The dynamic of any team member lessens in value apart from the collective effort. They do not take turns pulling, save to refresh and replenish each other; they are not separate in any fashion; and they are not segmented in any way. And they know, yes they know, that the closer they are together, the ...