The most important ingredient for your culture change

The central nervous system of your organization, what runs throughout all your processes and systems can be summed up in one word: accountability. Lots of companies have done it poorly, but in today’s workplace, with ever-changing information and technology, and rapid shifts in business, a company needs workers to be invested, proactive, resourceful, accurate, creative and quick. This requires the most important ingredient your company can have: personal ownership.

You can feel it in the atmosphere. Employees and managers love it. Why? It energizes. It empowers.

Personal ownership allows people to think, act, and move for the benefit of all.

What would this shift look like in your organization?

Before personal ownership:

Customer service rep: ” May I help you? “

Customer: “Thank you, but I’m just looking.”

CSR: “Ok, I’ll be over here if you need anything.”

After personal ownership

CSR: “ You look like you might need help with something.”

Customer : ”Thank you, but I’m just looking.”

CSR: “Oh sure, what you see here in this aisle are the trending items. They’re sorted by scent and manufacturer. This one’s my favorite! In the next aisle are the fragrances of the month. If there’s a certain scent or manufacturer you prefer, I’d love to help you find it.”

Here’s another example:

Before personal ownership:

Server: “Would you like a dessert?’

After personal ownership:

Server: (bringing a tray of desserts) “Some of our pies are best warm with ice cream on the side. You may like it with two scoops, one to share! I love the caramel brownie! What would you like to try?”

People stop making excuses, and start asking “What else can I do?”

The shift in thinking will result in a shift in actions. Instead of people waiting to be told what to do, they take initiative to figure out what they need to do. Instead of identifying problems, people focus on finding solutions. People stop making excuses, and start asking “What else can I do?” And the shift in action will produce greater accountability, which means greater results.

What’s the first step to create this shift in thinking and get the results you need? That’s in the next article.

Notionfront specializes in employee engagement, which improves all areas of work and life. To see if your organization is engaged, take this quick survey.