Some miscellaneous, random workplace culture musings this week for your consideration...
- Most vision statements are utterly useless. Of the dozens upon dozens I review each year most are uninspiring and rarely used to guide decisions. Great organizations need to spend less time writing vision statements and more time nurturing visionaries and communicating a truly inspiring vision for the future.
- If you want to attract outstanding people to your organization, you need to remember that truly outstanding people can work anywhere they please (that's one of the perks of being outstanding). Kevin Costner was right: If you build it, the people outstanding in their field will come to you.
- The customer isn't always right. Sometimes they're jerks and the
best course of action if you want to maintain employee morale and build
an inspiring culture is to encourage the jerks to do business elsewhere! (I love marketing guru Seth Godin's disclaimer: "Pleasing everyone with our work is impossible. It wastes the time of our best customers and annoys our staff. Forgive us for focusing on those we're trying to delight!")
- Younger employees are increasingly looking for work that aligns with their values and that offers them a sense of purpose and meaning (aren't we all?). Purpose-driven organizations will lead the pack in the future when it comes to attracting and keeping employees.
- Annual performance appraisals are often a waste of time and money. As some organizations are realizing, annual performance reviews often just frustrate and annoy their top performers. (For a great take on this topic, check out the book I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company by Karen Phelan.) Great leaders coach, mentor and offer feedback day in and day out - it's not an annual event!
- Finally, the use of puppets in business meetings is making a big comeback. Okay, not really. I just thought I better lighten things up a smidge. And since we're on the topic of lightening up, of course inspiring organizations value the role humor and happiness play in their organization not just because of the hundreds of studies demonstrating the links to higher productivity and profits, but because it's the right thing to do!
