17th April 2018
Howzat! – Who’s responsible for ensuring a great culture doesn’t die at the hands of highly engaged employees?
I am currently in Johannesburg working with the Africa Awards team ahead of our Conference here on June 14, 2018. As a sports freak, I booked a hotel that overlooks the iconic Wanderers Cricket stadium and it brought to mind the recent global sporting saga where Australian cricket players were caught red handed cheating and the subsequent melodramatic fallout.
These sports stars (employees) were obviously highly engaged. As engaged as anyone can be, representing their country in a sport they loved. No higher honour right?
They gave their all for the team, they won as a team. They were so invested in their team and their teammates they began to create a culture of win at all costs. They excused bad behaviour if it led to a “W”.
They created a culture that became toxic and lost sight of the values that had been established over 100 years by employees that had gone before them. Those values were a large part of what created the team (organization) and what the fans (customers) identified with.
For me, this scandal highlights that Engagement should be the goal and that the outcome of engagement needs to be inspired, directed and sustained by core values that are cherished by employees and customers alike.
Who do you think is ultimately responsible for sustaining great values that are embodied in a great culture? The players? The leadership? And what’s the best way to ensure it happens?
I’d love to know what you think?
Oh and if you want to be part of the conversation around the future of work join us at ExChange in London this May or The Employee Engagement Conference in Chicago this June.
Matt Manners, Founder & CEO, Employee Engagement Awards