I recently saw a presentation given by Steve Degnan, the VP of HR of Purina. Purina was recently awarded the Malcolm Baldrige award. And Steve said the question he found most interesting in the interviews they conducted with their employees was the following: “If you walked up to the copier and saw that a co-worker was cheating the company, what would you do?”
What would your employees do?
Chances are your employees will put their neck on the block, jump off the plank and go to the frontlines for you IF they think you would for them. So chances are the answer to this question is the same as the answer to, “If you knew an employee was being treated unfairly/unjustly/unkindly (by a co-worker, manager, or customer), what would you do (and how quickly would you do it)?”
Perhaps you think basic individual ethics and mores should answer the question. More often than not though, your company culture – group attitudes, actions and expectations – will trump individual motivation.
Do you have an opportunity today “to go to the mat” for one of your employees? Onward and upward.
Photo credit: http://pinterest.com/pin/22518066856961843/
