Do you remember the feeling you had as a child on the playground while swinging from the jungle gym? Your arms free, the sun on your face and the tickling feeling in your tummy from laughing upside down. It was that feeling of pure joy. You had so much strength and confidence that there was nothing you couldn’t do. Wouldn’t it be great if we could create that feeling in our employees at work?
The concept of capturing the heart and unleashing the joy is not a new concept. It’s one I read about many years ago in the book, Getting Employees to Fall in Love with Your Company. The author, Jim Harris, uses the description of capturing the heart and unleashing the joy to illustrate the type of environment where “possibility” is the norm. Although this concept originated some twenty years ago, it is even more relevant today. Our employees not only need a workplace that is inspiring, respectful and creative, they want to work where people can engage deeply and where they can take daily action that will contribute value to the communities they serve. Today, employees want more than a job, they want a work experience.
Our organizations are in a unique position to offer this type of work experience where we can capture their hearts and unleash their joy through the purpose driven work we engage in every day. We can create this healthy, thriving work environment by focusing on three areas: create an authentic work experience, build and nurture a collaborative environment and monitor and promote the health of our workplace culture.
Create an Authentic Work Experience
When we work to create an authentic work experience, our leaders, managers and staff take steps to actively ensure the values, behaviors and goals of the organization are in lockstep with the organization’s actual practices. This authentic experience demonstrates the concept of living values when the values we identify through our vision and mission statements are the values demonstrated daily in the behaviors and interactions of our employees. We must act from our values. When an organization delivers an inconsistent message or engages in behaviors that are not congruent with the stated values, employees see a work experience that is inauthentic. This creates confusion for the employee and, rather than capturing the heart and unleashing the joy, they become cynical and resistant to the direction of the organization. This inevitably impacts the delivery of services we provide our communities. When we create an authentic work environment built on our purpose and living values, we capture the hearts of our employees.
Build and Nurture a Collaborative Environment
Unleashing the joy within our employees can occur when we strive to build and nurture a collaborative environment. Today’s employees seek to work with an organization that feels more like a team than an organization chart. Today’s employees seek an organization that is transparent with information and encourages all of its employees to be engaged in the decision making process. This collaborative environment should be demonstrated not only in the processes and meetings, but also in the physical layout of the work environment; where employees can be inspired to engage in impromptu meetings and where problem solving can occur organically and without formality. This more collaborative and team environment will result in a more nimble, energized and engaged work environment – in other words, unleashing the joy within your employees.
Monitor and Promote a Healthy Workplace Culture
Workplace cultures that capture the heart and unleash joy through authentic work experiences and collaborative environments require maintenance. Just like a tropical fish tank requires clean water, so does our work environment. Maintenance is achieved by leaders and managers staying connected and in tune with their employees. Below are eight questions you should regularly be asking to ensure the health of your workplace culture.
1. Do our employees understand the purpose of our organization?
2. Do our employees understand how their individual job contributes to the success of our organization?
3. Are we demonstrating an authentic work experience and making “our values” “living values”?
4. Are we transparent in our communication? Do we share what we can promptly and broadly?
5. Do we regularly seek our employees’ opinions and input in the decision making processes?
6. Do we encourage collaboration, innovation and organic problem solving or do we foster formality and procedure?
7. Do we celebrate milestones and success?
8. Do we support and encourage our employees to do their best every day?
When we capture the hearts and release the joy of our employees, we create a culture that drives a work experience like none other. One where employees actively and vigorously engage and where they have a sense of confidence and empowerment to fulfill the most challenging goals and needs of the communities we serve.