From ME to WE Culture

Here is the text of an e-mail newsletter I receive that primarily deals with changing organizational culture. There is also a link to a great article towards the end. In HR, we've been talking about using video in our recruiting process to show what staff does at AGU and why they love to work here. We are well on our way to becoming the Best Place on Earth to Work! Let me know if you or anyone on your team is interested. This would be a late summer/early fall project and would not consume huge amounts of time and we will have FUN doing it!

From David Lee of Human Nature at Work:

Leveraging Employee Pride: As part of a "From ME to WE Culture" project, I recently met with a number of employees from a company to get more a sense of their daily worklife. I was really touched by one particular employee's level of passion for the excellent product they create (it is top tier) and his commitment to making it so. It reminded me of a couple of practices that can make a huge difference in the engagement level of both new employees and long-standing employees.

1) If you want to inspire and engage your new employees, get videos of your inspired, committed current employees talking about why they love your company and are proud of what you do. Include these in your orientation program and put them on your recruiting website. Just use a digital camera or smart phone. we're not talking James Cameron here.

2) If you want your employees to feel more connected to your mission and goals and your customers--and let them know they matter--create a video of these passionate employees talking about why they believe in what you do, and share those with your customers. Not only does it set your company apart and make it more "bondable" to customers, it makes your employees feel more valuable and like "players" rather than just "hired hands"--an important component of creating a "WE Culture."

3) One of most important questions to ask employees is - "What can we do to help you experience the Thrill of Victory and not the Agony of Defeat at work?" (or some variation of that question). Employee pride in what you do is one of the most powerful motivators and sources of sustenance during tough times.

If employees' quest for excellence is thwarted on a regular basis because of inadequate training or resources, or bogus processes, it will eventually beat them down. Conversely, if they get to experience excellence and the thrill of mastery, not only will it keep them engaged, it will also help them respond with determination and a "Can Do" spirit to difficulties.


Don't Be a Buzz Kill: I did a program with another group last week on resilience and building a high performance team culture. One of the practices we talked about was Spreading Goodwill. It's one of the simplest and nicest ways of creating a more positive culture and being a "force for good in the world".

Just an FYI, if you want more of your employees to be an Upper, you can share

Are You an Upper or a Downer?


with them. In this short article, it invites people to recognize they have a huge impact on others, regardless of their position, and a huge opportunity to help create a positive emotional climate.

Alright, back from my digression...

In one of the breaks, a gentleman in the group mentioned how he had volunteered for years at a non-profit, taking care of their IT needs at night. After several years, something big happened and he spent most of the night working on it. While there, he got a call from the Chairman of the Board saying he just found out about this and how deeply he appreciated the work this man was doing for them.

Always interested in the effect of how people are treated, I asked him how this affected him.

He not surprisingly said how touched he was and how it made him more committed to helping them.

He also noted, sadly, that it was the first time anyone had ever contacted him from the non-profit to thank him for all his hard work.

Can you believe that? Here he is coming in after work, helping them out, and narry a word?

So, please please please. Be on the lookout for opportunities to express gratitude to those who help you and those who go the extra mile...including your boss.

Let them know you notice and appreciate them.

Remember how good it feels when someone appreciates YOU?

Spread that good feeling.


Best regards and become the change you wish to see,

David Lee