I believe that people genuinely want to do a good job, and as leaders, we can help them. One thing we can do is create an environment in which staff find purpose in their work. When people “own” something and understand how it helps the company, its customers or employees, and they’re appreciated, they take pride in their work, have self-esteem, and do a far better job.
I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to foster a better environment and culture. This was a unique experience filled with many lessons learned. I implemented it for IT, but the approach is universal and applies to any company or department.
To set the context, I came from Deloitte where the staff was highly engaged, passionate about their work, and delivered on time and on budget. Upon returning to industry, I discovered that my new department was inwardly focused, often late in completing projects, and the morale was lackluster so I set out to create a world-class culture like Deloitte. I planned to cultivate an environment where people are inspired, challenged, self-motivated and highly engaged. I started by thinking about what’s important to them (documented here) and created a multi-year cultural transformation program around it. I asked for volunteers, and together we executed the program, fondly named “The People Project.”
This was my Mission Statement and Roadmap.
After the successful implementation, I presented my approach at CHRO and CIO conferences so others could benefit from it.
I enjoyed building a world-class culture and it was quite a learning experience. I’m happy to share information (e.g., what’s important to people, how to get started, and leadership lessons learned). Contact me by clicking the email button in the menu.
The chronicle was published here: https://www.hellersearch.com/blog/building-world-class-it-is-a-people-project