Creating a winning team spirit
A company’s traditions are an investment that pays in human dividends. Banking on people more than products or technology to ultimately make a difference in the world is something that separates the mediocre from the extraordinary. A bold statement, to be sure, but what does it REALLY mean?
In the simplest of terms it means that we are relational beings, and as such, all work and earning and paychecks and accomplishments are a means to that end. Many years down the road companies and icons will rise and fall, products and services will emerge and fade, but people and their relationships with one another will still be going strong. The companies that recognize their worth in terms of the difference they have made and will make in the lives of PEOPLE—be it their customers or their employees—are the ones that are the real winners no matter what the day’s ledger may indicate, and connecting that ideology with practical day to day business is the challenge.
That’s where the importance of a company’s traditions comes into play. You might have two employees that work next to each other on an assembly line, or two department supervisors that sit together in the same weekly meeting, yet none has ever really connected with the other outside of the paradigm of the job. A softball team, planning a company picnic, or selecting an outstanding employee to receive some sort of special recognition are all good examples of company traditions that can bring people together in an environment that communicates the company’s care for its people and allows them to connect with one another in ways that don’t typically occur in the usual workday.
The potential worth of such traditions should give pause to every forward thinking business person. The value of people must be communicated by means other than just a paycheck. If you want employees to operate as a cohesive team—and you want to reap the rewards that come from that cohesion—you need to recognize the role traditions play in adding an immeasurable component to bottom line profits. They create opportunities that foster relationships and strengthen the foundations that your business will rely upon for many years to come.
Your challenge? Create a new high impact tradition in the next 30 days!
HR consultant and executive coach Rita Craig is award-winning human resources consultant, keynote and TEDx speaker. This is no surprise when you look at her professional profile; with over 40 years of professional human resources experience, including 23 years as an HR professional for an electric utility company, Rita’s first-hand insights engage, instruct and motivate professionals throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her career experiences, coupled with her upbringing in a household of 14, supply enough anecdotal ammunition to keep audiences and clients entertained and engaged in a way that is all at once disarming and inspirational.
Along with an MBA with a Specialty in Human Resources, Rita’s achievements include being the first ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the HR Association of Palm Beach County, numerous recognitions from various HR and civic organizations and two governor’s appointments to serve on Florida state commissions.
Her great love of developing the next generation of leaders inspired her to write Foresight: Finding Your Footing in a Fast-Forward World, and her unique point-of-view is sure to resonate with any person who has ever asked the question, “What’s next?”
Rita is on Twitter at @RitaBarretCraig and on Linkedin.
www.toptierleadership.com
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