The Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make

May14
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Edmonds

I had the pleasure of presenting a Ken Blanchard Companies webinar on this topic recently to 1000 global participants. The content was extremely well-received so I was inspired to present highlights here.

What drives leader behaviors in the workplace? Research indicates that role modeling (good or bad) by previous bosses, the organization’s culture (also can be a positive or negative influence), and social style (personality type) drives leader behaviors. Recent analysis reveals that the slowly improving global economy is also a driver. Many leaders find themselves in survival mode. They are playing it safe. They closely monitor staff decisions and spending. They are trying to do more with less, maintaining – as best as possible – quality productivity and delivery with a smaller workforce. All of these influences can create a perfect environment for leaders making BIG mistakes.

A Leader’s Biggest Mistakes

The four biggest mistakes leaders make include:

  • Inconsistent communication
    This is, by far, the most frequently reported mistake by leaders. It takes many forms. It can impede a division, an organization, a team, or an individual player.
  • Lack of clear strategy and goals
    Ken Blanchard says, “All good performance starts with clear goals.” He’s right. And the high performing, values-aligned organizations we’ve studied for our culture change process indicate that strategy comes first, then goals are aligned to the strategic thrusts that have been formalized. Clear strategy creates the context for and meaning of the day-to-day work people do.
  • Poor accountability
    The best leaders demonstrate a relentless focus on holding themselves and others in their organization accountable. With these leaders, promises made – for a task, for a quality standard, for a deadline, for a budget – are promises kept. This approach builds performance consistency, reliability, and integrity of everyone involved.
  • Reactive vs. proactive efforts
    “Fighting fires” is the byline of reactive leaders. If they’re in survival mode and reacting, they engage in influencing moments from a fear base. Proactive leaders come to influencing moments from a trust base.

The Impact of These Mistakes

Everything leaders do either help, hinder, or hurt the creation of peak performers. When leaders make these BIG mistakes, employees tell us they experience:

  • Eroded trust between them and their leaders (primary impact) and between them and their peers (secondary impact)
  • An “I win, you lose” environment in their organization’s culture
  • Perceptions of unfairness, usually driven by inconsistent accountability
  • Less discretionary energy applied to goals and tasks

NONE of these impacts create inspired, talented employees in a workplace. In the comments section below, add your ideas on how leaders can avoid making these mistakes. I’ll share my thoughts AND yours in next week’s blog post.

What are your suggestions for how leaders can avoid making these mistakes? What is your experience with making or experiencing these classic leader mistakes? What mistakes or impacts have I left out? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

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Great Leaders Leverage Employee Dreams

May07
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Edmonds

Years ago I was interviewing a CEO before presenting a keynote to 500 of his company’s leaders. I asked him what differentiated his company from other competitors in the industry. He told me, without hesitation, “Our people. They’re great – skilled, enthused, service-minded. They’re the heart of our company.”

He paused, then added, “I wish I knew more of them by name.” In the early days of the company, that was easy – he had hired most of the leaders and managers and had a hand in hiring many of the team members. “Today,” he related, “I’m embarrassed to realize that I don’t know 3/4 of the staff here.”

This CEO was dead-on accurate about two key ideas. First, the heart of any company is it’s people. Second, leaders have to know the players – each player – they’re engaging with every day. If leaders don’t, they may find team members going through the motions, not fully inspired by their work environment, their jobs, their opportunities.

Create Connections

Leaders must invest time and energy in learning not only what skills team members bring but WHO they are as people. In Whitney Johnson’s upcoming book, Dare. Dream. Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream., she relates a great example of how critical human connections are in day-to-day business. She describes how Atul Gawande created a surgical safety checklist with a step that included introductions of surgical team members to each other before any operation. Gawande’s research found that when this step occurred, the average number of complications and death fell by 35 percent (!). By “activating” each others names aloud, team members were much more likely to speak up during surgery if they saw a problem.

Leaders, learn team members names. Connect, one to one.

Encourage Discussions About Dreams

Leaders need to be aware of the messages they send. Whitney describes an interaction she had with her then 10-year-old son who had auditioned for a local play. Not knowing whether he’d made the cast, Whitney found herself saying, “You know, there aren’t many parts for boys your age, so don’t be disappointed if you aren’t picked.” Her son replied, “Mom, why are you discouraging me?”

Too frequently, messages in our organizations are not validating of others skills or efforts. When asked about the feedback they receive from their bosses, employees overwhelmingly state that the most frequent feedback they get is the LACK of any feedback. The second most frequent feedback they receive is negative, pointing out mistakes, expressing disappointment. Eliminate messaging that expresses ideas like, “You’re not good enough” or “You really blew that one” or “I don’t thing you can do this.”

Only when employees feel trusted, honored, and respected will they share their hopes and dreams for their work, their team, their company. When those dreams are expressed, opportunities often arise to enable those dreams – or a portion of those dreams – to be acted upon. That creates a groundswell of well-being that is powerful.

Create a safe, inspiring workplace, and leaders can learn what employees would LOVE to learn, what their DREAM job would be. Learn those dreams then open doors so team members can act on those dreams. Performance will skyrocket!

How well are your dreams valued in your workplace? What do great leaders do, in your experience, to connect & value employees’ dreams? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

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New Secret Service Rules Are A Good Thing

Apr30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Edmonds

This week, in response to the Columbia sex scandal, the US Secret Service put into place ten new rules to govern agent and officer behavior on international trips.

Some see the rules as “closing the barn door after the cows have escaped,” but I see these rules as an appropriate shift in clarifying expectations.

The facts are not all in; the investigation of the agents/officers’ behavior in Columbia continues. We do know 1) the information that has been reported and 2) agents/officers have been fired, relieved of duty, or given the opportunity for early retirement due to their behavior.

What Went Wrong?

The US Secret Service boldly describes the organization’s values and culture on their “join the team” web page. The following statement is powerful:

The United States Secret Service culture is represented through the agency’s five core values: justice, duty, courage, honesty and loyalty. These values, and the Secret Service adage “Worthy of Trust and Confidence,” resonate with each man and woman who has sworn to uphold these principles. Not only do these values foster a culture of success, but they also hold each person to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity.

The most important declaration is that the service holds each person accountable to these high standards. Yet, apparently, 12 agents and officers engaged in heavy drinking and payment to prostitutes in advance of President Obama’s visit to Columbia two weeks ago.

The problem? The standards were an “unwritten code of conduct.” A former agent of eight years, Andrew O’Connell, is quoted in an April 27, 2012 Washington Post article saying, staff were “taught certain principles from day one and throughout our career — acting professionally and ethically and not in a way that embarrasses the service or the president. It’s too bad they have to put it into writing.”

It is unfortunate that widely-held principles that worked for so long now need to be defined more fully. And, it’s the right thing to do.

Formalize Expectations, Then Hold All Accountable

The challenge with “unwritten rules” is that – without consistent observation, coaching, reinforcement, & accountability – they evolve over time. Rather than wait for mis-aligned behavior to occur, we help guide senior leaders to be very specific about the values-aligned behaviors they expect of all employees – including themselves!

The US Secret Service has an opportunity to align ALL agent and officer behavior to conduct their unique responsibilities around the globe in ways that align to the service’s mission, culture, and values. The recent scandal means that the service will be under greater media scrutiny for years to come. I’m hopeful that the leaders of the organization pay attention to the details and 1) celebrate behavior that is in alignment with the new rule and 2) promptly redirect any behavior that is misaligned.

Time will tell.

How well are your organization/team’s values defined in specific, behavioral terms? Are folks held accountable for valued behaviors? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

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Out-of-the-Box Thinking about Corporate Culture

Apr23
2012 2 Comments Written by Chris Edmonds

I’m always on the lookout for unique corporate cultures. There’s no “wrong” corporate culture, so long as three elements are fully present: 1) employees demonstrate high work passion, 2) customers are not only loyal but devoted, and 3) the organization is making money to sustain itself.

A recent Fast Company article featured Jon Stein, the founder of Betterment. The article describes Stein’s investment banking startup’s very unique culture. Titled, “The No-Hour Workweek,” the article opened with citing a powerful study from the University of Southern California, where a researcher shadowed over two dozen new investment bankers during their first two years in the industry. She discovered that 100% of the individuals she observed developed a stress-related physical or emotional ailment during those 24 months (!).

With Betterment, Stein is reinventing financial investing with a cool product, different ways of interacting with customers “on the go,” a values-aligned approach to business, and a nurturing environment for team members. Stein and his team needed to come up with a new approach to manage the demands of a startup business during a global recession while leveraging skills yet balancing needs of the organization’s workforce. Their solution: the “no hour workweek.”

Here is how it works for them. The team is in constant contact. Work is done in their NYC office or in planes/trains/automobiles or in cafes or home offices, as required. Work happens 24/7. Two-thirds of their team take customers calls at night and on weekends. Overtime is inevitable. To offset the stress of overtime, traditional time restrictions for work are eliminated. Staff get to leverage their best times of the day, manage partner/kids/health/social connections, all while getting needed work done with valued colleagues.

To keep the no-hour workweek from becoming all-work, all the time, four values are in place. They include:

  • Respect – team members respect each other and work as a team. Moment to moment, they balance the priorities of the business with the commitments & needs of their colleagues.
  • Focus – each team member, with their leader, drafts specific, measurable goals that are reviewed every three months. This enables autonomy as well as activity towards a common goal.
  • Environment – team morale is nurtured & fostered daily. Despite the options for working wherever, whenever, 95% of the team comes into the NYC office because they enjoy working with their colleagues.
  • Leisure Time – being on duty “in the moment” requires the discipline to go off duty just as quickly. Rest & recuperation creates energy, which creates creativity, which increases performance, which is good for everyone.

A “no-hour workweek” like this may not be effective in your organization. But – what tweaks to your corporate culture might boost employee work passion, or increase customer devotion, which then leads to greater financial success? Don’t be afraid to try something “out of the box.”

What about your organization/team’s culture is “out of the box”? What interesting cultures that work have you seen? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

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Don’t Get Distracted – Focus On Culture

Apr16
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Edmonds

Spring has sprung here in the Rocky Mountains. At 8400 feet above sea level,  ”Colorado Springtime” brings a wide variety of weather. Two weeks ago we were evacuated because of wildfires. Last night we got 8″ of fresh snow. Tuesday, it’ll be 65 degrees.

One has to deal with the realities of the moment – here in the Rockies as well as in your own organization’s corporate culture.

Don’t Get Distracted

Like the dog in the photo above, it is easy to get distracted by the new, the shiny, and/or the desired in the midst of one’s journey. Two of our culture change clients were distracted recently.

One client is at the beginning of their culture initiative. The leadership team is excited about partnering with Blanchard and utilizing our proven culture change process.

And – I’ve had a couple of conversations with one of the senior leaders regarding additional assessments. She’s done a great deal of research about leadership profiles and is convinced they need to have all leaders get rated. I’ve explained that the profiles she’s found are great and that Blanchard has a number of effective leadership profiles, as well. And – don’t get distracted. We need to stick to the proven plan for the next 12-18 months. When the culture is a bit more refined & aligned, such profiles might be very effective.

Another client is well down the culture refinement path. They are about to conduct their initial custom values survey (asking employees to rate leaders throughout the company on the degree to which those leaders demonstrate desired valued behaviors). This step is a critical one as it’s the first time they’ll have reliable, measurable data on values alignment of leaders.

The president just received notification of a terrific new Blanchard program (set for release mid-summer). He’s asked if it makes sense to integrate this new program into their culture efforts. My coaching to him – don’t get distracted. His company has enjoyed terrific traction on their desired culture. Leaders and staff are intrigued at what the values survey will reveal. I reminded him that he’s asked us to bring in Blanchard’s Servant Leadership program for leaders (another recent offering) later this year. The strategy is in place – let’s not confuse people with pieces that may not perfectly fit the strategy at this point in time.

How Do You Know If Your Desired Culture Has “Arrived”?

What are reliable indicators that your high performance, values-aligned culture is on track?

  • Every player in the organization can describe the company’s purpose & values in their own words. The core message has taken hold.
  • Customers indicate that they are well-cared for, listened to, and valued as key partners. Products and services are of high quality and serve well.
  • Employees praise and encourage each other. Spontaneous recognition of genuine effort & contributions aren’t always managed by leaders – they’re managed by employees, too.
  • Leaders are seen as “in service” to employees and customers, as credible & caring, and as connected to what’s happening “on the floor” and “in the field.” They respond quickly & appropriately.

This post comes on the two year anniversary of the Driving Results Through Culture effort. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing my articles about creating a high performance, values-aligned corporate culture.

What keeps you “on track” and focused on team or company culture? Tell us in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

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Do You Manage People’s Results Or Their Energy?

Apr09
2012 9 Comments Written by Chris Edmonds

How do leaders in your organization see their jobs? Not long ago a culture client told me, “I used to see my job as managing processes and results. Now I see my job as managing people’s energy!”

Great things can happen with this mindset. One of our culture clients enjoyed a significant turnaround in their manufacturing plant, driven entirely by senior leaders shifting their focus to being “in service” to their staff. The Banta Catalog Group measured a 20% increase in employee engagement, a 17% reduction in employee turnover, and a 36% increase in profitability – in less than 18 months.

The Costs of Managing Only Results

Years ago a client described a retirement celebration he attended. Clyde worked for a large retail chain and served as a regional HR director. One afternoon Clyde was invited to a retirement party at a distribution center. He arrived just in time to witness the retiree, a gentleman named Jose, blowing out candles on a big sheet cake. There were 30 or so of Jose’s colleagues and a few region staff there to join in the party.

Jose’s colleagues called out, “Speech! Speech!” as the cake was being cut. Everyone encouraged Jose to say a few words. Ball cap in hand, Jose simply said, “For over 30 years I’ve worked at this distribution center.” He held up his hands. “During all those years you paid me to use these hands to do my work every day. But, you know what?” He pointed both index fingers to his head and said, “For the same money, you could have had my brain, too.”

Clyde related that there was a moment of stunned silence – after which Jose’s colleagues cheered, applauded, and scarfed down cake. Clyde, however, didn’t forget Jose’s comment so quickly. Jose’s experience indicated that, during his career:

  • Jose’s boss (or bosses) did not ask him to THINK about the work he was doing
  • Jose could have been much more engaged in his work
  • Jose could have been a problem solver vs. a “cog in a wheel”
  • Jose might not be the only employee who feels this way

Clyde decided right then to refine leadership development efforts to ensure that company leaders understood that their primary role was to inspire employees – not just manage “stuff.”

What are YOU Managing?

Consider these ideas to increase your inspirational leadership of team members:

  • Set clear goals and coach appropriately. If you have talented staff, set the goal and let them run. If you have staff who are new to a task or goal, coach them (or arrange for expert coaching to occur) so they get up to speed quickly.
  • Let team members apply their knowledge and skills to their daily tasks. If a team member gets the job done but it’s not how you would to it, that’s OK.
  • Praise progress AND accomplishment. People do a LOT of things right. Validate effort and their completion of tasks, goals, and projects.
  • LISTEN. Learn what team members want to learn about. Learn what ideas they have to improve efficiency. Learn how they’d do work differently. Support their efforts to make the work their own.

How does your boss inspire you? Share your insights in the comments section below.

Learn about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

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Reflections On My Best Boss

Apr02
2012 Written by Chris Edmonds

Jerry Nutter, my best boss ever, passed away this week. His passing caused not only my personal reflections on what he and his guidance means to me, but it enabled others who Jerry influenced to connect and reminisce about this great man.

Everything good I do today – as a husband, parent, team member, and consultant – is immensely influenced by Jerry’s coaching, humor, high standards, and love of service. My understanding of high performing, values-aligned teams came from my experiences on teams lead by Jerry. My “great boss” tweets all stem from what I learned from Jerry over my 15 year career as a YMCA professional.

Nutterisms

Two co-workers from my YMCA days have remained dear friends – Sioux Thompson with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Ann Phillips, a Blanchard colleague. Our time with Jerry changed us – and binds us together. We celebrate Jerry every day by repeating truisms Jerry shared with us. We call these truths “Nutterisms.” Favorites include:

  • “Everything a leader does either helps, hurts, or hinders the creation of peak performers.”
    Leaders do not have “neutral” impact. They are “on duty” 24/7. Withholding a decision IS a decision. Leaders need to be present, be smart, ask for help, and do the best they can, every moment. This Nutterism expands to include a leader’s impact on teams, organization culture, discretionary energy – across the board.
  • “There’s no such thing as a hole in the other guy’s end of the boat.”
    We’re all in this venture together. Ignoring issues in other parts of their organization put leaders and their team at risk. Be observant, raise questions, and lend a hand to solve problems to keep the enterprise vibrant.
  • “You can’t make up in training what you lack in hiring.”
    An organization has the responsibility to hire team members with the best skills & work ethic possible. Once hired, these potential stars require an extensive orientation and ongoing mentoring to find the best fit for their skills & motivations. If you don’t hire great skills or a great work ethic, you’re screwed. No amount of training will “fix” a bad hire.
  • “You can shoot the arrow then run over to where it hit and draw a target around it and say, ‘Bullseye!’ Or, you can draw the target, shoot the arrow, and close the gap.”
    Be intentional. Make your strategy and goals clear. Make your best effort, then refine your approach to hit your target. Otherwise, it’s all a game and little good will be accomplished.
  • “I believe you believe that.”
    I believe something different. I’ll engage in dialog to help you understand how I see the scenario playing out. If I do that well, I may educate you on the realities of the moment and we can move forward.

In retirement, Jerry was relentless with his service. He volunteered to help create and serve on a non-profit board of directors for the Humboldt Crabs baseball team. His service inspired an entire community to support this independent club and create a wonderful family resource that today is entering it’s 68th year.

Jerry’s impact has spread far beyond his one-on-one efforts and our world is a better place due to his influence. Condolences and positive vibes surround Jerry’s wife Karen and their family during this difficult time.

How did your best boss influence you? Share your insights in the comments section below.

Learn about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

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Leaders, Change What You Pay Attention To

Mar26
2012 Written by Chris Edmonds

At a recent corporate culture keynote, my audience responded enthusiastically to a “best practice” recommendation.

I shared Blanchard’s culture change model and facilitated small teams in drafting sample behavioralized values for their organization.

Our culture change model requires that companies be very disciplined in setting expectations on two fronts: performance and values. These particular leaders have worked hard to increase performance clarity. As with most of our culture clients, though, they have not created clear values standards. Our discussions and activities helped increase their understanding of the importance of values clarity.

The tough part of culture change isn’t setting expectations; it’s holding all staff accountable for those performance and values expectations.

My “best practice” recommendation: leaders must change what they notice. Every day.

What Do Leaders Pay Attention To Today?

Most leaders in organizations have been trained to look at performance metrics. Organizational systems have been designed and refined to present up-to-the-moment data about performance metrics. Those metrics typically include:

  • Widgets out the door
  • Quality of products and services
  • Financials, including revenue, expenses, and net profits
  • Waste, scrap, and/or recovery
  • Labor costs
  • Raw materials costs
  • Market share
  • Customer satisfaction

These are important metrics to track as they all contribute to or erode financial success and the long-term viability of the enterprise.

However, they are not the ONLY metrics leaders must observe closely. And, suggesting that leaders spend 50% of their time and attention on things OTHER than performance metrics causes consternation (and worse) in audiences I speak to.

Why? Most leaders have not experienced an organizational culture that requires values alignment as well as high performance. Without relevant role models or “on the job” training for managing values AND performance, organizational leaders don’t know what to “do differently” to do those things effectively.

Pay Attention to These Metrics, Too

These values metrics provide insights into how well the employee population believes that their company trusts, respects, and honors them, day in and day out.

  • Employee morale
    Do employees believe the company is a good place to work? Do they recommend  that others work there (or stay away)? Do employees apply discretionary energy to their work tasks and opportunities?
  • Employee perceptions of the company’s culture
    Do employees believe that the organization has their best interests at heart? Does the corporate culture enable staff to share hopes and dreams about the future? Are they happy about working in the company?
  • Employee perceptions of the company’s leaders
    Do employees believe leaders are credible, behave with integrity? Do employees believe what leaders tell them? Do employees rally around leaders during times of stress or do they disconnect?

How do you measure traction in these metrics? Wander around your workplace. Ask questions. Listen. Conduct regular employee surveys. Hold leaders and staff for values expectations.

To free up time, energy, and space to observe these values metrics, leaders must delegate some of what they’ve been doing to stay on top of performance metrics to trusted, talented staff. Very capable staff are ready to provide data that enables leaders to keep track of performance standards and accountability.

Great bosses create safe and positive workplaces that inspires high performance and values alignment. Results reported by our culture clients indicate consistent gains in employee work passion, customer devotion, and financial profits.

What do you think about “changing what leaders notice”? Add your comments below.

Learn more about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

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Create a Safe & Inspiring Workplace

Mar19
2012 Written by Chris Edmonds

A global study about the psychological health and safety of today’s workplaces recently caught my attention.

The Reuters News-sponsored study by Ipsos Public Affairs found that 27% of 14,000 workers from 24 countries surveyed believe their workplace is not psychologically safe or healthy.

There is some  good news in this study: 47% believe their workplace is safe and healthy. That is higher than expected given the results of studies and articles regarding workplace satisfaction during the global recession.

26% of surveyed workers in the Ipsos study are on the fence; they did not feel one way or the other. Is this “middle of the pack” ranking a good thing? No. These scores (5-6 on a 10 point scale) indicate respondents do not believe their workplace is awful, but it is not, in their minds, psychologically safe.

The Benefits of Psychological Healthy Workplaces

The American Psychological Association‘s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards program has identified these benefits to employees:

  • Increased job satisfaction
  • Higher morale
  • Better physical and mental health
  • Enhanced motivation
  • Improved ability to manage stress

. . . and these benefits to organizations:

  • Improved quality, performance, and productivity
  • Reduced absenteeism and turnover
  • Fewer accidents and injuries
  • Better ability to attract and retain top-quality employees
  • Improved customer service and satisfaction
  • Lower healthcare costs

Creating Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Despite the powerful benefits to employees and organizations listed above, most organizations focus primarily (some exclusively) on getting products and services delivered. Too few organizations pay close attention to the environment employees exist in while trying to deliver those products and services.

How can you improve the psychological healthy of your work environment? The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the organization’s leaders, from senior leaders through supervisor ranks.

Leaders at all levels of an organization must pay equal attention to employee performance AND employee work passion. If day-to-day practices, policies, and procedures erode employee well-being, that organization will not be perceived as a psychologically healthy workplace. In fact, if only a FEW day-to-day practices erode employee well-being, your organization will not enjoy the benefits noted above.

In my new book with Lisa Zigarmi, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, we present five elements of well-being and describe the best practices of those elements in employee’s work lives. Those elements include:

  • Positive Emotion
  • Positive Relationships
  • Positive Meaning & Purpose
  • Positive Accomplishment
  • Positive Physical Health

Each of these elements contribute strongly to workplace psychological health. Let’s look at the impact that the first two of these have on psychological safety.

Emotion is a huge driver of the perceptions of workplace health. At work, if an employee feels fear, exclusion, taken advantage of, anxiety, or frustration due to the behaviors of others, those diminish and even quash personal well-being. Positive emotions – like joy, gratitude, awe, appreciation, and serenity – create personal well-being and lead to greater trust, respect, and application of discretionary energy in the workplace.

Relationships are the most important driver of personal well-being. If one’s work relationships are based on interactions that validate, honor, inspire, and enable, there are immediate benefits not only to well-being but to productivity, creativity, and cooperative interaction, as well.

The Ipsos study revealed that 47% of employee surveyed believe their workplace is psychologically safe and healthy . . . and (therefore) 54% did not. Organizational leaders should strive for a work environment that is seen as psychologically healthy in every way by 100% of it’s members.

What is your experience with psychological workplace health? Add your comments below.

Learn more about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. You can view our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

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Reinforce Your Desired Culture with Stories

Mar12
2012 Written by Chris Edmonds

What stories are told in your workplace? It’s an important question because the kind of stories that are told around your organization are an indication of what is important to the company’s members (from senior leaders to frontline staff).

Stories are powerful because they connect themes and values to our humanness – to our hearts, to our natural desire for meaning and interpersonal connection.

We humans are rarely inspired by facts and figures. We are frequently inspired by stories of how our efforts helped feed the hungry or provide skill-building for the unemployed so they find a job. Such stories not only inspire our pride but they inspire us to action in ways that facts and figures rarely do.

Because stories describe what is important in an organization’s culture and they inspire action, leaders must be intentional about the stories that are told. Let me share an example from my fabulous employer, the Ken Blanchard Companies.

Praising & Recognizing Recovery

In the late 90′s our company was going through a growth spurt that was fun, exciting – and stretched our systems to the max. A colleague was on the road, checking materials and room set up in a hotel late in the afternoon before the following day’s session with senior leaders of a new client. Everything looked good until she checked the envelope with the leader effectiveness profiles and discovered they were for attendees at the following week’s class. Not good.

She called our Escondido, CA headquarters and explained the problem. The project manager found the right profiles and said she’d get them overnighted for delivery by 10:30am the next day. The consultant said that would be great. One of our fulfillment staff checked with the delivery service. The last flight out of San Diego airport was at 6pm that night. The only way the profiles would get delivered on time was by driving the profiles to the airport. He got permission to drive down and delivered the envelope with minutes to spare!

His efforts were widely praised – he definitely went above and beyond the call of duty. AND – there were logical consequences that the original error caused: panic, heroics, non-billable expenses, and more. This powerful story subtly shifted employee attention to recovering from mis-steps as opposed to proactively eliminating errors like this so the need for recovery would be eliminated.

Such errors have been rare over the past 10 years because of the emphasis on getting the right products to the right place at the right time.

Storytelling Guidelines

Be intentional. Work hard to ensure that every story told in your workplace validates your desired corporate culture. Identify and highlight stories that meet these criteria:

  • The story clarifies and elevates your organization’s core purpose and values.
  • The story is about real, caring people serving real, caring people
  • The story is simple, brief, and clear
  • The story describes the beneficial impact on the customer, the company, and possibly even the community at large

With effective stories, your desired culture will be more widely embraced, more quickly.

Join in the conversation! Let us know what your experience is with workplace storytelling in the comments section below.

Learn more about my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. You can view our video on why we wrote the book, get a FREE excerpt (and automatically be entered in our monthly contest for the entire ebook), and more!

Photo © iStockphoto.com/biffspandex

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