I Want To Be a Hero. How About You?
Do you want to be a hero? I do. Your workers do too. I know a factory where they have the values on the wall. The leaders think it helps, but it just adds to overall cynicism. The workers feel little happening around them actually matches those words on the wall. People just work for a pay check. I just cringe.
One problem is that workers to include me want to be a hero at home, in our clubs, and even at work.
Who feels like a hero at this business of 200 plus? I bet there are not 3 people out of 200 plus who feel like a hero regularly. It is common.
from Great American Hero
The reason that is true is because of the leadership. There is no shirking the responsibility. Do you have the right leaders? Are you the right leader?
So some pointers-
Your mission statement on the walls is usually not going to get you very far. Making them a real part of your culture will.
Posting rarely makes any clear connection with anyone. Finally, the words on the wall make virtually no one feel like a hero, so they just collect a paycheck.
Have your each department write their own mission and values for their unit. Get them to write something that is true and feels heroic to them. Then, have your people meet with customers and feed them real stories of what your products or service have done that is heroic. In fact, virtually all businesses are doing something heroic if you really take a look at it. Help workers to connect to the heroic. Hook into it. All the right people want to be heroes. Are the leaders you hired doing that?
The Right Hire Will Want To Be a Hero
Supervisors should look out for heroic activity in the workplace too, and trumpet it quickly when it occurs. For other positions, calculate all they do to show how heroic their work is. Work to connect every job with part of the heroic work of the company. Give your people the gift of heroism, and they will give you their heart and their passion.
We do leadership recruiting at our company, and one of my people asked if we are head hunters.
I thought about that a little and said I do not hunt heads. I work each day to make workers more happy and productive. That is why I go to work each day. I will not place a leader unless he or she will make a difference for the shop floor worker. This is because I do not live to get a paycheck, but rather to be a hero to those guys. Usually, they do not even know my name. Get leaders like this: Hire Force Multipliers.
How about you? Do you want to be a hero? Do you think it is worth it to make your managers and workers one?