Making good decisions is a crucial
skill at every level – Peter Drucker
Writing for
Talent Management and HR (http://bit.ly/1KWCe2t), John Hollon cites a survey
concerning the state of employee engagement. Among his finding that employers
need to pay attention to include: More than 54 percent of employees have felt
frustrated about work; only 38 percent of workers strongly agree that their manager
has established a strong working relationship with them; some forty percent say
they don’t get their company’s vision, or worse yet, have never seen it; nearly
67 percent of American workers can name at least one thing that would prevent
them from taking any kind of risk at work.
With survey
results like the one mentioned above- coupled with all the talk about company
culture- it’s safe to say that there is a disconnect between what we want and
what we actually have. But does it have to be this way? What steps can be taken
to turn it around?
All of the
answers and possible solutions will not be covered in this space. But hopefully
it will serve as a catalyst for an honest assessment and how to move forward in
your own organization. I think it begins with priorities in what we
communicate. Here are three ways to make a difference.
Talk up your values
Your
organization is only as strong as the values you subscribe to and in the way
you practice them. Building a workplace culture on clearly articulated values
reinforces your purpose and gives a sense of meaning and buy-in on the part of
your people.
In the book,
Full Steam Ahead, Ken Blanchard and
Jesse Lyn Stoner write, “Values provide broad guidelines on how you should
proceed as you pursue your purpose and picture of the future. They need to be
clearly described so you know exactly the behaviors that demonstrate that the
value is being lived. They need to be consistently acted on, or they are only
“good intentions”.”
If your
values are not clear, regularly communicated and subscribed to, then your
organizational culture is adrift. Talk up your values and keep them before your
people. When your people know where they are going- and why- they will show up
not out of duty but for a compelling purpose.
Talk up your purpose
Your purpose
is your “why”. It’s your heartbeat as a leader. Knowing your “why” gives life
and work meaning and direction. The same principle is applicable to your
company culture. When your people know the “why” of the organization then they
can understand the importance of the role they play in advancing it.
In his book,
It’s Not About the Coffee, former
Starbucks International President Howard Behar writes, “At Starbucks, I’ve
always said we’re not in the coffee business serving people, we’re in the
people business serving coffee.” And this is at the heart of knowing your “why”
and why that is so important. Do you know the answer to your “why”?
Your people
will never rally around and devote themselves to an organization that doesn’t
know its “why” and how it relates them and to their future. If you want to
build your culture start by talking up your purpose. If you don’t know your
“why” then neither do your people.
Talk up your vision
When some
forty percent of workers don’t know their company’s vision or have never seen
it then it’s time to get real about company culture. So let’s take a moment and
get real: As an employee, do you know what your company’s values are? As an
employer, when was the last time you communicated your values?
When your
organizational values and purposes are clear in the hearts and minds of your
people then they will naturally gravitate to your vision for the future. When
team members buy-in to the leadership, and understand the “why”, then they will
begin to look at their role in a different way.
Talking up
values is not a one-time proposition or something to tuck away in a discarded
employee manual. As Blanchard and Stoner state, “Visioning is an ongoing
process; you need to keep it talking about it.”
The
challenges of building a healthy company culture are real and ever-evolving. It
takes a leader with insight, a teachable attitude, and a willingness to improve
on all levels to make it work. By talking up your values, your purpose, and
your vision, you can instill in your people a greater understanding of where
they are, why they are there, and where they are going.
Talk it up!
© 2016 Doug
Dickerson
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