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Some leaders believe that all they need to do is proclaim a set of values and organizational culture will magically change, but that does nothing to retool the values that control actions on the front line. Changing those inherent values takes more effort and can’t be done by any leader or executives acting alone.
What are the secret ingredients of high performing teams they outline? Breakthrough teams, ones that produce exceptional results, have an understanding among members “that in the interest of the greater good team members agree to set standards for their interactions”.
A great deal has been written about customer service. But in our experience,
transparency is the differentiating factor between good and great customer service companies.
Leaders who… make decisions based on what is “right” for the customer, above all other considerations, win customer loyalty in the long term leading to sustainable bottom-line results.
But it isn’t enough just to hire “A” players. You must continually exceed the expectations of your people and re-recruit them every day. Don’t make the mistake of failing to recognize or spend time with “A” players. Leaders often assume “A” players don’t require attention.
Values Based Leadership Involves Recruiting and Hiring “A” Players
One of the most important things you can do to create and sustain a values-centric culture, is develop a system for recruiting and hiring A players who mirror your values. What are A players? They are people who authentically live your company’s values daily. They can be anyone at any level of the organization. They are people who are dedicated and successful in their jobs and care about getting things done right. Obviously those are the kinds of people you want on your team.
Creating a Values Blueprint is an important part of the process and includes establishing a set of behaviors for each value. The Values Blueprint then provides a foundation for hiring, rewarding, recognizing, and managing the performance of employees.
Leading a corporate culture based on values is easier said than done. The most successful organizations today have leaders who understand that they are responsible for the cultures of the organizations. They understand that the success of the organization depends completely upon the people. And they understand that success is about creating a place where people are inspired to perform at their highest levels.
Ann Rhoades. The other trip was to the 10 year, actually, this year we’re celebrating our 10th year at jetblue, and so there was an operations off site meeting in Orlando that I attended and the enthusiasm and the energy and the spirit was wonderful…..They are so enthusiastic and so proud to be working for a company that really lives the values and has a strong corporate culture.
Ann Rhoades. I tell people to be very careful about and very specific about being transparent on the compensation area. Make sure you have very strong consultants who won’t tell you just what you want to hear but will tell you what the expectation is and what their opinion is as far as what information we should be releasing.
Zappos is a great example of “Off the Wall Leadership.” Building and maintaining the culture you want may be easier said than done. If it were easy, more companies would be doing it successfully. It takes a focus on core values, leadership, and a commitment to institutionalizing the desired behaviors.
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