Empty rhetoric from another puffed up ego at the top? Not a chance. Bill George is the genuine article – the prototypical Next Generation Leader who guided Medtronic through fifteen years of extraordinary success by practicing exactly what he preached. But he didn't do it alone – the passion and performance of every employee is what makes Medtronic to a leader in the eyes of customers and shareholders.
Medtronic's mission is simple and inspiring. "Alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life." According to George, "Medtronic is not in business to maximize shareholder value. We are in business to maximize value to the people we serve." This mission and the behaviors and values that underlie it, resonate deeply with the personal beliefs and values of Medtronic workers. It motivates them to create innovations in products and therapies to improve the quality of life of their clients.
The company uses rituals to constantly reinforce its mission and values. For instance, each December at the company's holiday party, patients, their families, and their doctors are flown in to tell their survival stories. This is not PR gimmickry; journalists are not invited. Instead, it's for the employees and the people whose lives have been restored, indeed saved, by their work. Veterans know to bring plenty of tissue. There isn't a dry eye in the room once ‘customers' start telling their stories.
You don't have to have a mission statement written by Mother Teresa to inspire employees. The key is a shared purpose that is authentic. Forget the Madison Avenue approach. Slick marketing campaigns won't go anywhere. Let a clear and compelling purpose speak for itself. Make sure your leaders personify it. Allow workers to pursue your organization's collective passion in individually rewarding ways.
How does your company's mission and values match your employee's expectations? Here's a simple test - pick the description that best describes your organization:
– Company mission and values clash with individual employee values and beliefs. (DE-MOTIVATING)
If you are honest enough to recognize that your organization is turning off employees in droves, you've already made a start at a turnaround. Act quickly and decisively to redefine your mission, replace or rehab your leadership, and reconnect to core values and purpose.
– Company mission and values are uninspiring to the of majority employees. (BENIGN)
This is the reality of many companies. Workers may not be bolting from disgust with the company ethos and leadership but they sure aren't getting worked up into a frenzy over them either. Before resigning yourself to run-of-the-mill business status, try getting conversations going with talent. Find out what gets their emotions in gear about the work, the industry, and their own aspirations.
– Employees relate to the organization's mission and values and how it carries out its business and social responsibilities. (ENGAGING)
You are engaging employees where it counts with your organization's mission and values. Now's the time to seek ideas from key staff about why they are engaged and how you can "turn it up a notch" to inspire them even more.
– Company mission and values directly connect with deeply held values and aspirations of workers. (ELEVATING)
Congratulations! You are a Next Generation Company. Do everything you can to keep stoking employee passion and emotion for your shared mission.
Next Week: Giving workers a voice.......
© 2003 Next Generation Consulting, Inc.| We encourage sharing Next Generation Company e'zine in whole or in part with the following attribution: "From the Next Generation Company e'zine by Next Generation Consulting, (888) 922-9596, www.nextgenerationconsulting.com."
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