3 Requirements For Extraordinary Organizations

Christi Hegstad April 24th, 2014

3 Requirements For Extraordinary Organizations

I recently met with a group of business leaders to discuss employee engagement. One executive felt on the verge of greatness in her department and had for some time, but couldn’t quite seem to move the needle from “good” to “outstanding.”

“We’re fine – we’re meeting all the expectations,” she shared, “but I know we could be so much more.“

It’s no secret that, to be effective, an organization needs a compelling vision, clear expectations, honest communication, and the like. But what moves an organization from “effective” to “extraordinary”?

While no one-size-fits-all prescription exists, we can learn a great deal from organizations who have tipped the scales in favor of extraordinary:

1. Honor strong, clear values.

Zappos offers a terrific example of how an organization’s core values permeate everything it does, beginning early in the interview process. In his excellent book Delivering Happiness, CEO Tony Hsieh shares the values around which Zappos has built their culture, such as: Pursue Growth & Learning, Create Fun & A Little Weirdness, and Build A Positive Team & Family Spirit.

Zappos doesn’t just pay lip service to their core values, either – they rely on them heavily for decision-making and growth. For example, Hsieh writes that after a week of training, a new hire is offered $2,000 (plus pay for time already worked) to leave the company if he or she feels it’s not a good fit. Because of Zappos’ commitment to making values clear from the initial phases of the hiring process, very few people accept this offer to leave, and most go on to build lengthy relationships with the company.

2. Trust your team.

In all my years of coaching, I have yet to find someone who enjoys being micromanaged. An extraordinary organization sets the bar high, then provides exceptional training, development, and support for employees to rise to those meaningful expectations.

Starbucks, for instance, places a high emphasis on giving their employees (whom they call “Partners”) ample training – even going so far as to close all Starbucks stores for a day in order to train and regroup together, shares CEO Howard Schulz in Onward: How Starbucks Fought For Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. Partners are then entrusted to do what’s necessary to make “the Starbucks experience” a positive one for guests and are given the freedom to determine how best to do that.

You might relate this leadership aspect to extraordinary parenting: our role is to instill strong values (see #1) in our children and provide parameters, but then give them the freedom to innovate and grow.

3. Believe Everyone Matters.

Mary Kay Ash famously said, “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important'” – a wonderful rule for life and business success.

If you’ve visited a Disney theme park, you’ve likely experienced how they bring this concept to life. Employees (“Cast Members”) are taught the RAVE Principle early in their training: Respect, Appreciate, and Value Everyone. From those keeping the parks spotless to the characters that inspire awe in young children to the front desk representative listening to a guest complain about the soap in the restrooms, Disney empowers Cast Members to apply the RAVE philosophy to everyone they touch. In Creating Magic, Lee Cockerell includes action steps such as “Ask yourself frequently what you have done to show that everyone is important and knows it,” “Spend time getting to know your employees,” and “Create an environment that makes every employee and every customer feel special.”

Take a look at your organization, department, or team. Do you have clear values permeating all of your decisions? Do you set high expectations – coupled with adequate training and development – then trust your team to succeed? Does each employee, vendor, customer, and stakeholder feel like they matter? As a leader, ramping up even one of these areas can begin elevating your organization from “effective” to “extraordinary.”

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.”

~ Uta Hagen

What requirement would you add to this list? Share your insights below, on Facebook, or via Twitter.

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As a Certified Executive and Leadership Coach and the President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches executives and leaders who feel stuck – whether in their leadership abilities, at a certain income level, or “spinning their wheels” in the day-to-day – to flourish towards a purposeful vision with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action.