Brian Gareau Engaging High Performance Blog

Value Lessons – Family Style

9/30/2013

For just a moment let’s go back to your childhood. Did your family have values? Of course they did. Now think about the process your family used to introduce and reinforce these values to you. Did they:

Create place mats or tent cards for the kitchen table, magnets for the refrigerator, and posters for your bedroom outlining your family values?
Encourage you to read documentation on your family values?
Assess you only once a year on your understanding and potential application?

I expect most of us answered all these questions, “no “. We simply knew what to expect by what we consistently saw – heard – and most importantly experienced daily. Values helped create predictability and clarify the traits and qualities our family considered most critical and highest priority – especially in tough or challenging times.

The same is true for businesses that want to excel in value-based behavior and enhance credibility, trust, and relationships. Here are five critical guidelines I recommend:

Values are caught not taught. Leaders and co-workers modeling the desired value-based behaviors is the best way to teach others – not sitting in classrooms, taking on-line e-learning modules, or reading a values booklet.
Values must be clarified through specific behaviors. Individuals may have slightly different mental pictures of the specific behaviors required for common business values like integrity, teamwork, customer service, quality, etc. – especially what it means in challenging and/or difficult situations. Take the guess work out – clarify the most critical behaviors needed to ‘walk the talk’.
Values must be measured. Avoid a ‘one and done’ annual assessment mentality. Routinely use simple, practical measurement tools and techniques to gage and address behaviors that are perceived to be ‘both’ in and out of sync with your values. Add credibility by pro-actively addressing perceived out-of-sync behaviors.
Values must be integrated and leveraged in key “people processes.” Exceling at value-based behaviors requires ‘constant reminders’ that Inform – Teach – Reinforce. These “people processes” (we’ve identified 12) are owned by HR but must be consistently executed by all leaders.
Values must have consistent consequences – both positive and negative. When values are actively ‘lived’ they must be recognized and rewarded. If they are skipped, avoided, and/or only pulled out when convenient, then they must be proactively addressed and corrected. There can’t be double-standards and inconsistencies. It simply erodes trust.

Having values did not exempt your family from making tough decisions and choices when you were younger. The same is true for organizations today. By actively practicing the five guidelines above, your organization can enhance its’ credibility, trust, and relationships – both internally and externally. Everyone will know what to expect and what is expected of them – especially in challenging times.

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Rarely Discussed Critical Role

9/17/2013

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Most employee engagement initiatives focus on two elements – what the organization and what leadership must do to maximize the commitment, effort, and loyalty of its workforce. While I agree these are absolutely critical, there is still a significant missing element rarely discussed or considered. It’s the role of individual employees in employee engagement. Sound too basic? Do not fool yourself. Most organizations I work with have a “V-8 moment” and put their figurative hand on their forehead when I bring it up.

Let me illustrate through the use of a youth soccer team. Coach Lou has many of the characteristics one wants their young son or daughter to be exposed to when playing sports. He’s genuine, cares about each of his players, listens well, uses positive reinforcement, is consistent, teaches through hands on interaction, and addresses issues promptly when they come up. Values like teamwork, continuous improvement, and good sportsmanship are emphasized and modeled by the coach.

Now, let’s focus on two of his players this year – Chloe and Allie. Both are about the same in physical stature and skill level but their attitude and subsequent behaviors are very different. One is very ‘engaged’ and one is not. Here’s a quick summary of some key attitudes and behaviors:

       Chloe                            Allie
Always at practice and on time               Misses practices and usually late
Offers to help other teammates          Expects everyone to help her
Puts in extra effort & helps with equipment       Does the basics - first in line for snacks
Practices drills at home                                     Busy with other things
Cheers for team when not in game             Focuses on other things when not in game
Proudly wears jersey                                             Takes jersey off right after the game
Does not grumble, if she doesn’t play                  Complains about coach & other players constantly
Encourages others to join team                  Says she will be looking for new team

The two youth soccer players above have the same physical environment to play in – same equipment - same coach – same teammates – same rules of the game. But Chloe ‘chose’ to be engaged and Allie did not! It is reflected in their attitude and behaviors. Which player would you like to have as a teammate? Which player would you rather coach? Which player would have the biggest positive impact on the team’s performance?

So, as you refine your engagement strategy to achieve and sustain high performance, please consider the following:

Have we provided clarity on what engaged and disengaged behavior (leaders and employees) looks like in our organization? Have you set expectations?
Do we help employees understand what’s in it for them (WIIFM) when they are engaged?
Do we reinforce engaged behavior and pro-actively coach and address disengaged behaviors?

As soccer legend Pele said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” That’s personal engagement!!! And, there can’t be any spectators in an engaged, high performing organization. Everyone has a critical role to play in engagement for the team to win!

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Value Lessons – Family Style

Rarely Discussed Critical Role

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