Archives For Culture

#GreatBosses Inspire Excellence

May 13, 2013 — 1 Comment

iStock_000012681387XSmallToday’s post is the third in my five-part series that examines the best practices of GREAT bosses.

Are you a great boss to your employees? A great boss is a person who creates and maintains a safe, inspiring work environment where talented, engaged employees THRIVE.

Great bosses create clear performance standards, clear values standards, and hold everyone (including themselves) accountable for both each day.

In these work environments, my research and experience shows that employees perform better (40% or more better), serve customers better (40% or more better), and produce higher profits (30% or more higher).

So far we’ve examined the first two elements in the GREAT acronym: Growth and Relationships. Today, I share how #GreatBosses inspire Excellence.

EXCELLENCE
Great bosses set clear performance expectations and coach team members to exceed them, every time. High standards met consistently help differentiate the team’s contribution to the company and to their customers.

Great bosses know that the organization rightfully expects them to ensure goal standards are consistently met. Hitting or exceeding standards means the team has kept its delivery promises and commitments.

Great bosses must create a work environment that enables team members to apply their knowledge and skills in service to the team’s performance standards. They can’t demand performance – they must inspire it, every day.

Most organizations have metrics in place and carefully monitor progress towards performance standards with systems and dashboards. When teams meet or exceed targets or quotas, they earn trust and respect from the organization. That can mean they’ll “enjoy” higher targets or quotas the next time around – but team confidence and spirit is boosted when they know they’re contributing above standard.

Here are a few ways that great bosses I’ve observed and studied inspire excellence from their team members.

Create clear performance standards. Great bosses set observable, tangible, measurable performance standards for the team and each member. Both parties agree so that expectations are understood – and boss and follower know what a “good job looks like” for the upcoming performance period.

Set the context for performance. Team members deserve to understand the context of their efforts. Great bosses explain the strategy then link team goals to that strategy. Common concerns like “how does this target help our team meet its goals?” or “this project’s deadlines will be really tough to meet” are addressed.

Link performance to meaningful societal contributions. Most team members see their jobs as primarily “making money for the company.” Great bosses create avenues for the team to contribute to the community regularly. Charitable ventures like creating a neighborhood garden or doing a “cancer cure run” together can help team members deliver the broader benefit to their community.

Celebrate progress as well as accomplishment. Most bosses don’t praise or encourage team members enough. Great bosses see good things happening daily – and they celebrate them, in the moment. Goal traction is incredibly important; great bosses don’t miss the chance to validate effort and progress often.

Contribute your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. In what ways have your great bosses inspired consistent high performance from you and your team mates? How do great bosses balance direction and delegation effectively to boost contribution?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Share your experiences in my fast & free Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your company.

Photo © istockphoto.com/yuri_arcurs. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

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#GreatBosses Honor Relationships

May 6, 2013 — 1 Comment

Handshake and teamworkToday’s post is the second in my five-part series that examines the best practices of GREAT bosses.

Are you a great boss to your employees? A great boss is a person who creates and maintains a safe, inspiring work environment where talented, engaged employees THRIVE.

Great bosses create clear performance standards and clear values standards and hold everyone (including themselves) accountable for both each day.

In these work environments, employees perform better (40% or more better), serve customers better (40% or more better), and produce higher profits (30% or more higher). Last week I looked at how GREAT bosses inspire growth; today, I share how they honor relationships.

RELATIONSHIPS
Great bosses know that positive relationships based on shared values create mutual trust and respect in the workplace. They create and maintain positive relationships with team members and expect the same among team members.

Great bosses know that without mutual trust & respect, workplace cooperation disappears. They realize that they must effectively manage employees’ heads, hands, AND hearts. Most leaders are satisfied with managing employees’ hands (getting stuff done) and sometimes their heads (explaining strategy & goals).

Many employees spend more time at work than they do with their family or friends. Great bosses act to maintain a safe, inspiring workplace so employees feel honored at work.

Great bosses also understand that trust & respect is a fragile state; it must be tended & monitored daily with every player to remain healthy and vibrant.

Here are a few ways that great bosses I’ve observed and studied honored relationships with their team members.

Create values standards. Great bosses don’t stop at setting high performance standards. They create clear values standards, as well. Since managing employee attitudes is difficult (attitudes are primarily intrinsically driven), great bosses define values in behavioral terms. This creates clarity on how a good corporate citizen behaves and enables values to be observable, tangible, and measurable. Employees know exactly what’s expected of them when, for example, integrity means one demonstrates behaviors such as “I don’t lie, cheat, or steal” or “I keep my commitments.” When bosses and team members demonstrate these behaviors, relationships bloom.

Demand civility & encourage validation. Nothing erodes workplace safety and inspiration more than personal bickering, dismissiveness, or bullying – from boss or team members! Great bosses demand civility by ensuring valued behaviors are demonstrated in every interaction. When civility is firmly embedded in the work environment, great bosses push for validation – honoring others’ efforts and ideas regularly. Note that high performing, values aligned teams debate (sometimes loudly) ideas & solutions often but they never discount a team member or their boss. Civility builds relationships.

Appreciate personal lives and passions. Great bosses genuinely appreciate each team member’s unique contributions and passions outside of the workplace. Great bosses know & ask about personal and family events, milestones, and celebrations. For example, one great boss of mine asked the team if we’d support one member’s soccer coaching responsibility every Thursday afternoon. We did! For two months, this team member left at 3pm on soccer days – but they managed their workload, came in early and never missed a deadline during the season.

Demonstrate “tough love.” Great bosses don’t let themselves or team members “off the hook” for meeting goal commitments. Everyone must maintain their contributions to team success – or the whole organization suffers. Where able, great bosses and team members refine the plan to deal with unexpected circumstances. AND, team commitments are kept, day in and day out.

Contribute your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. In what ways have your great bosses honored relationships? How did they create strong personal connections that inspired mutual trust?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Share your experiences in my fast & free Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your company.

Photo © istockphoto.com/yuri_arcurs. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

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#GreatBosses Inspire Growth

April 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

iStock_000010106679XSmallAre you a great boss to your employees? A great boss is a person who creates and maintains a safe, inspiring work environment where talented, engaged employees THRIVE.

Great bosses create clear performance standards and clear values standards and hold everyone (including themselves) accountable for both each day.

In these work environments, employees perform better (40% or more better), serve customers better (40% or more better), and produce higher profits (30% or more higher). Let’s look at one of the best practices of GREAT bosses.

GROWTH
Great bosses create avenues for team members to learn new approaches, develop new skills, and gain confidence to put those skills into action in the workplace.

Great bosses do not let team members”rest on their laurels” or allow their skill sets to stagnate. Great bosses know that their organization and their global marketplace is constantly changing and evolving.

The only way great bosses can ensure talented, engaged team members are held in the highest esteem by their organization is to continually boost team members’ contribution and value to the company.

Here are a few ways that great bosses I’ve observed and studied helped their team members grow.

Boost standards. Customers’ expectations constantly evolve. They want products and services that exceed their needs, and they want competitive prices. Your competitors aim to boost their market share with new products and services. Your business offerings can’t stand still. Great bosses set higher performance standards annually (if not more frequently), then help team members improve efficiency, reduce costs, and speed products to market to exceed those standards.

Build skills. What do you call talented, engaged team members with skill sets that no longer serve the company? At risk! In order to maintain that desired standing (talented & engaged), team members must honestly assess how well their skills serve current and future performance expectations. Great bosses coach team members to proactively toss old skill sets and engage in building new, needed skill sets, regularly.

Visit customers. How do customers utilize your products and services today? How are customer needs evolving – and how might your company address their needs? Great bosses create opportunities for team members to get practical understanding of customer needs by face-to-face visits and interactions. Personal relationships with customers drive open conversations and loyalty. Such relationships also uncover opportunities for team members to serve their customers more effectively.

Shared leadership. Great bosses give talented, engaged team members regular opportunities to lead. Facilitating team meetings or project team sessions can boost team member skills and confidence. Presenting concepts and proposals to internal and external customers help team members internalize needs and approaches as well as increase their comfort with public speaking. Asking talented, engaged team members for their ideas and solutions is a more casual way that great bosses share leadership.

Contribute your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. In what ways have your great bosses helped you to grow, to boost your contribution and value to your organization?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Share your experiences in my fast & free Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your company.

Photo © istockphoto.com/yuri_arcurs. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

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Get Traction on Your Desired Culture

April 22, 2013 — 1 Comment

iStock_000005596895XSmallSpring storms are a “feature” of mountain living, especially here in the Front Range of Colorado. This year is no exception. The state needs the moisture but local residents (including me) are “done” with the snow here in late April.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of harrowing rides down our steep paved driveway these past few weeks. My 4WD truck handles ice and packed snow well, but it really struggles with wet, soft snow.

There is nothing like the adrenalin rush of having no traction, sliding 200 yards out of control towards an 8′ drop off.

With the last storm, I simply gave up. I parked my truck overnight at the top of our driveway next to my delightful neighbor’s shed (who was happy to give me permission for the spot).

Three “what’s” can shed light on this situation. What I want is my tires to firmly grip the road in all conditions. What I’m experiencing is a lack of desired traction. What I’m doing is living with the gap, short of the traction I covet.

The solution to this slick issue is entirely within my control. My truck’s tires don’t have the grip they had when new, so I could buy a new set of tires. Short of that, I could actually take out the z-chains I bought two years ago and learn how to put them on my tires.

Is your company getting traction on the high performance, values-aligned culture it desires?

Leaders can use my three “what’s” to examine the effectiveness of their organization’s culture and move it slowly but surely towards the desired state.

First, define what you want. Describe your organization’s purpose, it’s reason for being. Then refine performance expectations to ensure goals align to the purpose. Next outline what a “great corporate citizen” looks, acts, and sounds like by defining values in behavioral terms. Next describe the strategy that will best serve both employees and customers.

Second, examine what you’re experiencing. To what extent do leaders and staff align plans, decisions, and actions to your newly defined (or refined) purpose, strategy, goals, and values? It is likely you have some leaders, players, or departments who behave exactly as you desire. And it is likely that most leaders, players, or departments don’t consistently demonstrate desired behaviors. This “what” outlines the gaps you face.

Third, decide what you will do to close gaps. There will be a number of different avenues available. Find proven paths and follow those. Blaze a trail or two if something different is required. Map out your plan to address gaps.

Fourth, do it. Deciding and doing are two very different things. Deciding is passive. Doing is active. Do the doing!

For my part, I’ve just found a video online that shows me how to install the z-chains on my truck. I’ve also priced new tires and found a local installer who has them in stock. One way or another, tire traction will no longer be an issue for me.

Contribute your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. How well do you, personally, address the gaps you face in life and work? How well does your organization address it’s gaps?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Share your experiences in my fast & free Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your company.

Photo © istockphoto.com/photawa. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

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Evaluate Character AND Performance

April 15, 2013 — 2 Comments

iStock_000010847130XSmallCharacter matters.

After numerous scandals involving high-ranking officers, the US Military will now require generals and admirals to be appraised by their peers and direct reports on qualities including their personal character.

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Martin Dempsey announced the new feedback approach as part of an upgrade of training and development programs for generals, admirals, members of their security detail, executive staff members, and even spouses.

Disturbed about the misconduct issues, General Dempsey said that evaluations of top officers must go beyond traditional assessment of performance alone. Character without competence “doesn’t do me any good,” stated Dempsey. And, competence without character creates the misconduct issues that have garnered such attention.

A few senior officers have “developed some bad habits,” said Dempsey, and “it’s those bad habits we are seeking to overcome.” Dempsey praises the conduct of the vast majority of senior officers, yet notes that “the perception in a profession is just as important as the performance.”

I am hopeful that this new approach will help every US senior military leader be a beacon of both performance and character.

You Get What You Reward

All great bosses demonstrate both competence and character. The best senior leaders create clear performance standards as well as clear values expectations so that all leaders and staff know exactly what a good job – and good citizenship – looks like.

Great senior leaders do not leave high performance or values-alignment to chance.

Yet many organizational leaders do exactly that: they leave performance and values to chance. Most senior leaders do not outline values or behaviors required for good citizenship – it’s just not defined. Those that do define values typically take this flawed posture:

  • Announcing and Assuming

    • Once values have been formalized, announced, and published, senior leaders assume that “now everybody knows,” so organization leaders and staff will demonstrate those values. The reality is that announcing is the first of a dozen ongoing steps required to ensure demonstration of desired values. Only with constant reinforcement do desired values become habit.

There is only one consistent, proven avenue to leaders demonstrating high performance and desired values: organizations must define the playing field:

  1. Describe performance standards. Ensure every player has an annual performance plan that includes specific, measurable, aligned goals which contribute to the organization’s success. Gather data about performance progress & review that data at least monthly.
  2. Describe values standards in behavioral terms. Ensure every player has, in their performance plan, specific valued behaviors that they promise to embrace. When they’re demonstrating those valued behaviors, they’re living desired organizational values. Gather data about values alignment and review that data at least twice per year.
  3. Hold all leaders and staff accountable for both. Share performance & citizenship data. Praise progress & accomplishment and coach to boost performance and citizenship. Reward those who demonstrate high performance and desired values; redirect or release leaders or staff who do not meet performance or values standards.

Contribute your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. To what extent are your organization’s leaders appraised on personal character as well as their performance?

What is it like to live in your organization’s culture? Share your experiences in my fast & free Performance-Values Assessment. Results and analysis are described on my blog site’s research page.

This research can help you refine your organization’s corporate culture. Contact me to discuss conducting the Performance-Values Assessment in your company.

Photo © istockphoto.com/JoeLena. All rights reserved.

Subscribe!Podcast – Listen to this post now with the player below. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes.

The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

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