Essential Lessons

for Building a Culture

of Ownership A Special Report for Subscribers to the Values Coach Culture Mechanic Service

Joe Tye, Values Coach Inc.

Copyright © 2014, Values Coach

Inc.

Having worked with more

than 70 organizations in the

Values Collaborative, 500+

hospitals taking The Florence

Challenge, and dozens of

consulting clients, we have

learned a few things about

culture change!

At its very best, a

successful cultural

transformation will

enable you, too, to

say…

“I got a whole new

team and didn’t have

to change any of the

people.”Paul Utemark, CEO

Fillmore County Hospital

Geneva, Nebraska

A Values Coach Client

Culture really does eat

strategy for lunch!

View or download the slide

show 12 Reasons Culture Eats

Strategy for Lunch at this link

Accountability

Doing what you are

supposed to do because

someone else expects it of

you. It springs from the

extrinsic motivation of

reward and punishment.

Important Point!

Ownership is not an absence

of accountability – it is a

higher evolution of

accountability…

In a culture of ownership

you spend less time, energy,

and resources holding

people accountable because

they hold themselves

accountable…

Accountability is of

the left brain.

9

Ownership is of the

right brain.

10

It’s the

difference

between…

Holding their feet to the fire

And…

Having them

walk across

hot coals on

their own

In both cases feet are being

held to the fire – the

difference is in whether they

are being held accountable

by someone else or doing it

from a sense of intrinsic

commitment.

You cannot hold people

“accountable” for the

things that really

matter.

Nobody ever

changes the oil in a

rental car!

Ownership

Doing what needs to be

done because you expect it

of yourself. Ownership

springs from the intrinsic

motivation of personal

pride.

Do your people

own the work or

are they just

renting a spot on

the org chart?

In a culture of

ownership the

same job

description…

First and foremost

a caregiver…

Last but not least

a janitor…

And in between

whatever else

needs to be done.

Lesson #1

Culture must rest

on a solid

foundation of core

values

Lesson #1

Culture must rest

on a solid

foundation of core

values

Lesson #1a

The most important

decision is which values

to deem “core” and to

define the expectations

created by those core

values.

Lesson #1b

Core values define who

you are, what you stand

for, and what you won’t

stand for

Lesson #1c

Engage people with values they

can relate to and avoid the

ultimate sin of boring

boilerplate

One of the core values of

Integrated DNA Technologies

Inc.

Lesson #1d

Make them beautiful

Lesson #1e

Organizational values define

strategies while personal

values define culture.

31

“People who are clearest

about their personal

vision and values are

significantly more

committed to their

organizations.”James Kouzes and Barry

Posner:

A Leader's Legacy

Lesson #2

You need a culture

blueprint,

roadmap, or code

to define

expectations

Using a construction metaphor, Values Coach helps clients create a cultural blueprint for their Invisible Architecture™

It’s a great group exercise that’s fun to do!

It sparks individual and group creativity!

Additional copies of the

Cultural Blueprinting Toolkit

Workbook are available for $29

at www.SparkStore.com

Lesson #3

Culture change

begins with people

change

Lesson #3a

Culture does not change

until people change…

Lesson #3b

And people will not make

sustained changes in

their attitudes or

behaviors unless there is

a personal benefit to

doing so.

Lesson #3c

Remember that

everyone listens to the

same radio station:

WIIFM, What’s In It For

Me?

A theme of the late Zig Ziglar

Lesson #4

It takes a

movement

Lesson #4a

Launching a movement is

a lot harder than starting

a program – it is also

much more likely to

achieve a lasting positive

impact

View the Derek Sivers

TED Talk on How to

Start a Movement

at this link

Lesson #4b

A movement is launched

by “lone nuts” and

accelerated by “first

followers”

44

Lesson #4b

Achieving critical mass

requires approximately

30% population

commitment.

Certified Values Trainers at Sidney Regional

Medical Center – CEO Jason Petik last row on the

left

Lesson #4c

You need enough people

moving fast enough to

escape the negativity,

pessimism, cynicism, and

inertia of the past

Lesson #5

It must be more

than a “program

of the month”

Lesson #5a

Sustainability requires a

growing core of

passionate “Spark

Plugs” who have a

personal stake in

cultural transformation.

Lesson #5a (contd.)

And those Spark Plugs

need to have support from

their managers when they

are criticized or ostracized

by toxically negative

coworkers.

Lesson #5b

Avoid identification of

the change process with

any single individual or

“program.”

Lesson #5c

Create “initiative

coherence” by being

clear about how various

projects reinforce one

another

Lesson #6

Give people

practical tools to

help them change

Lesson #6a

Make it fun…

The Pickle Challenge for a More

Positive and Productive Culture

Lesson #6b

Engage people in group

activities, like reading of each

day’s promise from The Self-

Empowerment Pledge that is

taking place in organizations

everywhere…View the slide show for The Self-

Empowerment Pledge at this link

Watch the YouTube video – half

of these people are not reading

it!

Additional Pledge cards and daily

reminder wristbands can be

ordered by calling 319-624-3889 or

at:

www.TheFlorenceChallenge.com

Lesson #6c

Give people a formal way to

make a commitment to desired

culture change – like this

Certificate for The Florence

Challenge, which is a

commitment to being

emotionally positive, self

empowered, and fully engaged.

Palmetto Health

Maine Medical Center

And make it

public and

visible

Lesson #7

It takes

leadership, top to

bottomYou need leadership in every

corner, not just in the corner office

Lesson #7a

Culture change requires

top down direction and

support

AND

Bottom up passion and

innovation

Lesson #7b

People must believe

senior leadership

believes in and is

committed to the

cultural vision

Lesson #7c

Middle management’s

mere support is not

enough – they must be

gung ho champions for

change

A tough love message for managers:

The privileges of being a

manager also entail

certain foregone

freedoms

When you accept the title

and pay raise, you assume

the responsibility to

support a committed

initiative as if it had been

your own idea.

Lesson #8

Resistance and

opposition is

inevitable – deal

with it

Lesson #8a

Embrace the skeptics,

marginalize the cynics,

and plow through

resistance

Lesson #8b

Engage potential critics

in a constructive

manner – encourage

them to think like

partners in the change

process

Lesson #8c

Marginalize the

negative, bitter, cynical,

sarcastic pickle-suckers

Lesson #8d

You cannot allow

people to opt-out of

positive culture

change!

Lesson #9

Institutionalize the

process

Lesson #9a

Establish rituals and

routines like The Pickle

Challenge and daily

readings from The Self-

Empowerment Pledge

Lesson #9b

Celebrate successes and

share the stories

Lesson #9c

Personal stories

resonate more

powerfully than scripted

lectures.

Lesson #9d

Keep it visible: posters,

banners, screensavers,

newsletter articles, web

pages; include it at the

start of every meeting.

Lesson #9e

Make your culture an

integral element of

recruiting and new

employee onboarding

And one more

thing…

You have to balance

urgency and patience;

be in it for the long haul.