Building on the Conference 2011 theme, “A Business Imperative” the idea of:

clarity, focus, and connection leading to business solutions

was a primary thread through the presentations and discussions.

The ideas of clarity and connection were first found in Roy Spence’s opening keynote when he said that:

“purpose will not make decisions easier, but clearer.”

Purpose connects our business to the difference we are trying to make.

“Purpose gives us a course to steer.”

One concept that came out loud and clear was the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Managing Mental Health Matters, a Great-West Life workshop by Dr. Joti Samra and Mary Ann Baynton, focused on the necessity of emotional intelligence. One facet, emotional self-regulation, was especially important for managers. The importance was highlighted through a question posed by Mary Ann:

“What is it within you that makes it challenging to respond effectively to emotionally distressed workers?”

Answering this question honestly and training to improve emotional self-regulation is a top priority in the psychologically safe modern workplace.

Once managers are trained in emotional intelligence, it is possible to move beyond psychologically safe workplaces to psychologically healthy workplaces. A psychologically healthy workplace, according to Karen Seward of Morneau Shepell, is where mental health is not merely protected but promoted.

Our steps toward promoting mental health need to address interpersonal challenges, because acts of incivility can reduce staff perception of psychological safety in the workplace leading to lowered employee engagement. Sharone Bar-David called this process a:

“spiral of incivility.”

Daily acts of incivility lead to unhealthy and unproductive workplaces because “humans don’t like being treated like this.”

Stephen Hammond, in a workshop on human rights, echoed this sentiment. Often employers attempt to create workshop policies to superficially protect themselves from the negative consequences of ignoring disrespectful behaviour. The reality is that:

human rights trump policies, procedures and contracts.

If you allow disrespectful behaviour to continue, in the words of Stephen, “a poisoned workplace is what you’ve got” and the courts have far less sympathy than in times past. Pleading ignorance is no longer an excuse.

Businesses must begin consciously creating workplaces that protect human rights.

But how do unhealthy workplaces move forward? It comes from changing unhealthy patterns and self-reflection. According to Carla Rieger, in the session “How to Avoid the Top 4 Mistakes Change Leaders Make” when people are resistant to changes in the workplace, the question to ask is:

What is my role in their resistance? How am I implementing this change process?

By getting clear on the role you play, you are better able to enable people to create their own change, to get engaged in the change process. Carla has found that:

“people support what they help create.”

Giving employees structure and then permission will enable them to think outside the box and create their own solutions.

This paradox of structure, leading to creativity, leading to clarity, also found its way into Lynda Curtin’s Strategic Thinking Forum. Through the use of thought channeling tools Lynda led attendees to contemplate their challenges from multiple perspectives and to connect seemingly disparate ideas. At the core of her presentation was this idea of connecting opposites, strategy as finding patterns in the fog, the importance of intuition in the cut-and-dried world of business:

the reality that a far-reaching vision needs focus to gain power and movement.

Connecting our vision of seeing healthy organizations become “the expected” versus “the extraordinary” to our every day actions and workplace policies will be the key to success.

According to Lori Casselman and Janet Young of Sun Life Financial, there is a dearth of Canadian statistics on wellness in the workplace. This leads to “taking a blind shot” rather than being able to target risk factors and track changes over time.

Statistics are important so that there is a clear record of effectiveness, but it is equally important not to reduce employees and their health down to simply numbers. This human connection reappeared at Conference 2011 in the form of:

health ambassadors being a part of a better workplace initiative

as mentioned by Marie-Claude Pelletier and Dr. Mario Messier of GP2S and Patrice Roy of Desjardins Group. Clarifying how initiatives work, supporting back-to-work transitions, and acting as the link between management and front-line staff are just a few of the roles that a health ambassador can play.

This connecting role also re-emerged in a panel discussion moderated by Mira Jelic of NOVUS Health.

Care is prone to breaking down during fragile transition periods.

Nurses are beginning to act as advocates, helping patients navigate the health system, ensuring that the connection doesn’t get dropped once patients leave the hospital. These health connectors play an essential role. However,

as important as the role of advocate and ambassador are, they are less effective without a strong underlying organizational health strategy to prop them up.

The necessity of a clear and connected strategy was the subject of Nancy van Boxmeer’s breakout session. According to Nancy, we should no longer create strings of single wellness programs. If we want wellness then we need strategy. What are you trying to accomplish with your wellness programming? How does this connect with the business you are in? If there is no connection then there is no sustainability because there will probably be no measurable impact on the bottom line.

A healthy workplace strategy that is integrated into the business strategy becomes not only sustainable but also essential because it directly improves business operations.

The impact of the strategy is clearly connected to the focus of the business.

It is this mindfulness in business planning that was best summarized by John DeHart, co-founder of Nurse Next Door, when he said that:

culture was built “by design or by default.”

A starting point for John was creating a vivid future – creating a “painted picture” that made his vision tangible and clear, including an everyday reminder of what he was trying to accomplish. This was his way of, in the words of Health Work & Wellness™ President & Managing Director, Deborah Connors, “saying his plan out loud” and exemplifying what we can accomplish with clarity, with maintaining our focus and valuing our connections.

Thinking about the Conference 2011 theme, over the course of the three days speakers and delegates considered the question:

When does creating a healthy workplace become a business imperative?

Answers included:

• When it becomes clear that not doing so is a shortsighted business choice.
• When leaders and managers realize that the health of their employees is directly connected to the bottom line.
• When we all take a step back and focus on the bigger picture: it becomes clear that work is not an island, but a small part of a bigger community.

In short, delegates at Conference 2011 discovered that:

• clarity, through purpose and vision
• focus, through self-evaluation and reflection, and
• connection, through human interaction and respect

leads to effective business solutions that create a better workplace.

Did this conference synopsis resonate with you? Join us for the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2012 in Vancouver to hear and discuss first-hand the latest concepts in workplace health. For more information visit www.healthworkandwellness.com. ]]> http://healthworkandwellness.com/blog/conference-2011-synopsis/feed 0 http://healthworkandwellness.com/blog/sticking-to-core-purpose-pays-off http://healthworkandwellness.com/blog/sticking-to-core-purpose-pays-off#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:04:14 +0000 johndehart http://healthworkandwellness.com/?p=3739 In Southwest Airlines Rule # 16: A Culture Has its Own Language, we looked at how great cultures brand their own language to help bring out their uniqueness. In Southwest Airlines Rule #15: Invent Your Own Culture and Put a Top Person in Charge of It, we looked at how great companies design their own cultures from the ground up so they become unique. So today we visit Southwest Airlines Rule # 27: See Your Business As a Cause.

“Southwest Airline’s mission is Freedom to move about the country. Before Southwest, only 15 percent of adults in the United States had flown on even one commercial flight. By the end of the century, 85 percent had taken to the skies. A prime reason is the “Southwest Effect”—the phenomenon in which the entrance of Southwest into a market lowers the average fare on other airlines while dramatically increasing the number of Passengers.”

This is purpose. Why we do what we do, beyond just making money. As Jim Collins says, it is the secret ingredient in great companies. When you have purpose, or fight for a cause, it elevates you above the ordinary, and if you can stick to it, then over time, you become a radically different company. Like Apple. Like Starbucks. Like most of the “great” companies in the world.

I recently met Roy Spence, the author of”It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For” the founder of The Purpose Institute. His firm was behind some of Southwest Airlines most successful advertising. He told me the story of Southwest’s decision to not charge for bags, like every other airline in the business was doing. (See “Bags Fly Free“)

A consultant came in, and told them they would drop $350 million straight to the bottom line by just following suit. Every airline was doing it. It would combat higher gas prices, and help stem the losses that were flowing out of airline companies.

But Southwest said no. We got into the business to give people the freedom to fly, and this goes against everything we stand for. So they didn’t do it.

And then they woke up one day and they realized they had made an extra $1.2 billion by taking away business from the other airlines for making this decision.

This is why Jim Collins calls purpose the secret ingredient in companies. Having a strong core purpose keeps us clear on what our priorities are. It keeps you focused on the important things. And sure, it has nothing to do with making money. But that is the secret. The companies, that stick to their purpose over the long term, actually end up making far more money. Funny, isn’t it?

Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines came out with their “40 Lessons To Learn” on their 40th anniversary. Southwest is famous for their culture, and their leaders attribute their unmatched success in the airline industry to this. As you can guess, there were a number of lessons on the importance of culture.

Here is Lesson # 15: Invent your own Culture and put a top person in charge of it.

“The person behind Southwest’s unique culture is Colleen Barrett, the airline’s former president. A native of tiny Bellows Falls, Vermont, and a graduate of Becker Junior College, Colleen (no one calls her “Ms. Barrett” and gets away with it) was Herb Kelleher’s legal secretary when Southwest got its start. She started as the corporate secretary in 1978, rose to VP of administration in 1986, and became president and chief operating officer in 2001. By the time she stepped down in 2008, she had crafted the tone and SPIRIT that defines Southwest today, from the legendary annual Halloween party to the way a gate agent treats a Customer.

Sporting a long white ponytail, she looks more like a sweet grandmother (actually, she is a grandmother) than a corporate titan. But anyone who acted against the Southwest way of doing business—who, in other words, behaved in a way that seemed less than heartfelt—were immediately set right.

Heartfelt. If one word defined Colleen and the Culture she worked to create, that’s it. We love that Forbes rated her above Queen Elizabeth II in its 100 Most Powerful Women ranking in 2005. She didn’t make No. 1., but only because Forbes doesn’t grade people by the size of their hearts.”

Point # 1: Invent your own culture.

Southwest is unique. There is no airline like them. There is no company like them. They stand in a class of their own. Why? They had leaders like Herb Keller (founder) and Colleen Barret who recognized that one of their main jobs as a leader was to build and lead a company that never strayed from their purpose and always stuck to their values. So they designed Southwest airlines around these principles. And by doing so, became a unique company.

So many companies are the same. They share the same, boring, old core values. They have a mission statement that is a paragraph that no one (even the founder and CEO) can communicate. And most of all, even if their values aren’t old and boring, they don’t know how to live them. So they never form a unique identity with their culture. And they never form a unique identity in the marketplace, either.

Point # 2: Put a top person in charge of it

How many examples of great brands can we name that started to fail once the founding CEO left the CEO position? Lots. Apple, Dell and Starbucks are the first 3 that come to mind. Why? Because the spirit of the company also left with the founding CEO. Sure they hired super smart people. But super smart people don’t always have the heart and the spirit that the founder embodies. And when this disappears, so can your culture. When the company’s purpose isn’t truly embodied (read blog post “Making Tough Decvisions to Preserve Your Core: Learning From Starbucks), that is when your brand will start to falter.

Southwest did it right. They hired someone from within that embodied the spirit of the company. Colleen certainly wasn’t the smartest CEO out there. But she was someone who would champion the cause. Apple learned the hard way. This time, they promoted from within. I bet after Howard Schultz turns Starbucks around, that he will appoint someone from within as the CEO.

Even if you cant do this, (as with most fast growth, entrepreneurial companies like Nurse Next Door) you better make sure that your person at the top embodies the spirit of your company, and they champion the cause.

A set of articles outlining current issues for human resource departments including cost-benefit issues for employers and the effect of work on mental health.

One definition of spiritual wellness found within a larger wellness wheel.