People: The second of four key success drivers

For an organization that embraces ValueGroove, there are four key drivers of organizational success: Culture, People, Strategy and Management Process.  In this entry we will briefly review the essential elements of the ValueGroove approach to people.

ValueGroove HR—the big idea: Establish a simple, high-value People process.

What to do:

Hire the best possible people for each role.  Over-hire with respect to intelligence, drive, initiative, accountability, emotional intelligence, and any other aspects of cultural fit. 

Establish a clear social contract with employees and deliver on it.  The terms:

• The value creating purpose of the organization comes first; customers are first among equals.
• Employee development is tied to value creation for customers.
• Regular, respectful, honest, learning-focused feedback (bi-directional).
• Positive accountability (bi-directional)
• Rewards and incentives shaped by each employee’s preferences (their individual definitions of value for themselves).
• Establish the prime directive that everyone in the organization will treat everyone else (fellow employees, customers, suppliers) with 100% respect, 100% of the time.

Results:

Empowered, highly competent, highly motivated employees will drive

• Superior customer value, customer loyalty
• Superior profits
• Growth opportunities
• Freedom for the owners and senior managers to step out of “ working in the business,” without things falling apart

Tools:

• ValueGroove goals process (specifically, the employee development and feedback forms and monthly one-on-one discussions)
• Personality and work style inventories (e.g., Myers-Briggs, Kolbe)

Failure patterns

• Not having a proactive plan for hiring, and, as a result, hiring in a rush, and settling for people who are “good enough.”
• Over-valuing specific industry experience versus character, motivation, aptitude and cultural fit.