By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col. (ret)

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“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.”

~W. Edward Deming

The face of the American workplace is changing as baby boomers exchange steel toed boots for sandals and millennials lace their shoes to enter the race.  Whether seeking a lifetime of work on the assembly line or in a windowless OR,  younger workers are seeking employment in an environment where they feel valued, are fully engaged, and where they can showcase their talent.  Far from being lazy, they want to give full effort and prefer to do it where they are equally challenged and stimulated, a requisite that benefits both the employee and the organization.  Writing in Chron, author Judy Brunot notes that fully engaged workers are 20% more productive and 90% more likely to stay with the organization.

Preferred workplaces are created to attract and keep the most talented workers.  An insightful leader knows the benefit of having motivated workers and takes well-planned steps toward the goal of building a workplace of choice.  Nationally known for their ability to assess employee engagement, the Gallup organization has identified knowing what is expected at work as a key element in a preferred workplace.  Having, knowing and enforcing expectations sets boundaries that provide structure to employees while creating stability for the organization.

Leadership matters and those in leadership positions who are committed to build a preferred workplace must take advantage of every opportunity to set and communicate desired outcomes with their team.  Here are three situations where the stage is set for you to describe your goals and clarify the requirements of the job.

Recruiting/hiring   Those in the construction industry know the raw material that you use must be appropriate for structure the that is being built.   Building your preferred workplace is like building an office building; you need a blueprint, the right material and the right people to put it together.  Recruiting/hiring is your chance to get the right material for your team.  In your recruiting ad, use the job description to define the workplace that you are building and state it as an obligation that the applicant will support your effort.  At the interview, discuss your goals for the team as well as the organization’s mission, vision and values.   Ask the applicant to describe his/her ideal workplace to determine if the applicant is a fit for your workplace of the future.

Onboarding/orientation    Design a plan for bringing a new person into your organization that includes clear communication of the requirements for inclusion on your team.  View yourself as a teaching partner and use a benevolent authoritarian style to plainly establish the work that is to be accomplished and the way team members are expected to work together to achieve goals.  Newly hired people are open and receptive to instructions and strict mentoring during orientation will produce lasting results.  You get one chance to get it right the first time and it is your job to ensure that the new person clearly knows your expectations by the time orientation is completed.

Ongoing team interaction.   Existing members of your team need and deserve to know the what and the why if the standards for the team have changed.  Workers who have been on the team for many years, or even decades, are working in an environment that didn’t exist when they were hired.  As the workplace and the nature of the job evolves, so do desired outcomes.  Use your team meetings to review mission, vision, values and goals and stimulate your team to discuss the action needed to achieve them.  Active involvement and open discussion allows team members to establish behavior norms which positions people to hold one another accountable.

There are many components of a preferred workplace and skilled leaders are the master craftsmen capable of putting them together.    Establish and communicate expectations, hire the right raw material, and challenge existing team members to help in the building process.  Team engagement and productivity will ascend and exceed expectations.

Special thanks to my wife and editor, Liz Sanner Davis.

Thomas Davis is a noted leader, educator, speaker and clinical anesthetist. 

Build a preferred workplace.  Join Tom and a group of healthcare leaders for the values-based leadership webinar.  Click here for information.