Reality

Kim found an assessment that was close to what they wanted, but it attempted to measure much more than the level of care. However, the team decided they could extrapolate what they needed. Charles shared the team’s plan with the executive committee and asked Blake to send an email to the entire organization with a link to the survey.

In Charles’s monthly meeting with Blake, the “issue,” as Blake called it, was the only item on the agenda.

“How’s it going with the survey?” Blake asked.

“The response rate has been low so far.”

“How low?”

“Ten percent.”

“Really?” Blake responded in an aggravated tone. “This is a problem! And it’s just another symptom of the bigger issue. People don’t even care enough to fill out the survey!”

“Hold on,” Charles protested. “Don’t jump to any conclusions about the overall level of care. Our people are busy.”

“I can’t believe our people couldn’t find ten minutes over a two-week period to do this. Let’s call an all-staff meeting.”

“Everyone? Are you sure? You know we don’t do that very often. It might scare people.”

“I’m scared of the consequences if we don’t meet.”

When the staff gathered Friday morning, rumors were flying. One by-product of low engagement is often low trust. Blake knew this and wanted to address it head-on.

“Good morning!” Blake said in his typical warm and energetic tone. “It is fantastic to see everyone in the same room. First, an overdue thank-you from me for your efforts to maintain our market share in the face of increased competition. As many of you know, we are working to create new products and services to help us be even more competitive. However, today is not about products and services; we are not announcing a merger, a reorganization, a downsizing, or any other structural changes. I called this meeting to discuss something even more important—you.

“We’ve been heads down for a long time—focused on today’s work and today’s challenges. From time to time, this may be necessary. However, leadership must always make time to do the heads-up work of the organization. We have to rise above the daily distractions; we must be sure we invest enough time today to ensure we will have a better tomorrow. I have not always done this well.

We have to rise above the daily distractions; we must be sure we invest enough time today to ensure we will have a better tomorrow.

“One area I have not given enough focus is our culture. For this I apologize. The tyranny of the urgent is an ever-present challenge, but I am recommitting to you to strengthen our culture—to build on the best parts of what we’ve created here and eradicate the behaviors that undermine our long-term success.

“A huge part of our future is you. I want to create a workplace in which you can thrive. Honestly, my hunch is we have much to do in this arena, but to move forward with purpose, we need more specific information on what needs to be improved. That’s why I sent you the link to a survey a few weeks ago.

“Here’s what I am asking each of you to do today as soon as we leave this room. Please go and complete the assessment. There are four things you need to know:

“One, your responses will be anonymous—the survey is being tabulated by a trusted third party.

“Two, we will share the findings with you—all of them . . . the good, bad, and ugly. Three, we will also share our response to the issues. And finally, I will personally read every comment.

“My commitment to you is to make this an amazing place to work—every job, every department, every shift. To make good on this promise, we need to hear from you. Thanks for partnering with us on the journey. Please complete your survey today.”

As Blake left the podium, Charles said, “That was outstanding.”

“We’ll see,” Blake said. “It was only outstanding if they complete the survey.”

On the following Wednesday, Charles was ready to share the results of the survey.

“Good morning, Blake!”

“Do you have the report?” Blake asked.

“I do. I have good news and bad news. Let me begin with the good news,” Charles said. “I underestimated the power of your talk. I need to upgrade my assessment from outstanding to phenomenal! We have received a completed assessment from 81 percent of the staff.”

“Okay, now for the bad news . . . ,” Blake said as he braced himself.

“Engagement is awful. Tragically low, according to our vendor. Your instincts were right on target; we do have a problem.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Yes, I know. I’m just glad we have the data.” For the next few minutes, Charles reviewed the numbers with Blake. He explained the rating scale: a rating of 1 indicated someone strongly disagreed with a statement; a rating of 3 represented neither agreement nor disagreement; and if someone rated a statement with a 5, it indicated strong agreement. Of all the responses, these troubled Blake the most:

• I believe in the vision of the organization = 2.4

• I feel valued for the work I do = 2.0

• I am given opportunities to make decisions that matter = 1.9

• I believe it is safe to voice dissenting opinions with my supervisor = 1.7

“How did we get here?” Blake said, staring blankly across the room.

“Not sure exactly,” Charles said, “but we’ll make it better.”

Blake grimaced and asked, “What’s next?”

“My team is going to dig into the details and begin creating some plans regarding how we change our current reality.” Charles continued, “We have to start where we are, but we certainly don’t have to stay here.”

“Thanks. I know. I just hate having dropped the ball like this,” Blake confided.

“Me too.” Looking for something else to say, Charles added, “What are your next steps?”

“I am going to begin reading the comments; it looks like we received a lot.”

“We did.”

“And then, I’m going to talk to Debbie.”

“Who’s Debbie?”

“My first mentor. I haven’t seen her in a while, and I think it’s time for a visit.”