Core value · Order family
Organisation
Planning and arranging well
Also covers Preparedness
What does organisation mean as a core value?
Organisation as a core value means planning and preparing in advance, arranging people, time and resources so that things run smoothly and nothing important is left to chance.
Nothing puts you at ease like a good plan. You’re the one with the packing list, the shared calendar, the agenda sent the day before and the umbrella in the car. Being prepared matters to you, and you get real satisfaction from arranging people, time and things so a day runs smoothly. When an event you planned goes without a hitch, nobody else may notice. You do, and that’s enough.
What does organisation look like in practice?
- You plan the week on Sunday evening, meals included.
- You send the agenda and pre-reading before the meeting, not at the start of it.
- You keep a checklist for trips, launches or school mornings and reuse it.
- You arrive with the documents someone is likely to ask for.
- You’re the one friends ask to sort out the group holiday.
When is organisation overplayed?
Planning can become an attempt to guarantee an outcome that can’t be guaranteed. Over-organised, you may overload people with detail, struggle when the plan breaks, or lose the spontaneous moments that happen in the gaps. You can also end up organising everyone else’s life because you do it well, then resenting it. The mature form prepares thoroughly, then relaxes into what actually happens. You could try leaving one deliberately empty slot in your next trip or week, and seeing what fills it.
Often confused with
Organisation vs Order
Order is things being tidy and in their place. Organisation is arranging people, time and resources in advance so that things go smoothly.
Organisation vs Structure
Structure is the standing routine or framework. Organisation is the planning work you apply to a particular trip, event or project.
Organisation vs Productivity
Productivity is about output. Organisation is the preparation that makes good output possible, and it can matter to you even when nothing much is being produced.
Questions to sit with
- What happens to you when a plan you made falls apart at the last minute?
- What are you organising for other people that they could organise themselves?
- When did an unplanned moment turn out to be the best part of something you organised?
More values in Order
Structure, precision and control.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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