Keeping People First® Alive

The intent of this document is to provide you with meaningful, purposeful, and focused opportunities for keeping Logos Leadership alive. We have provided you with a number of options to support you in this endeavor.

As we discussed during the Logos Leadership workshops, a company is only as strong as its leadership, and the key to creating and sustaining strong leadership is by taking a systemic approach. In keeping with the spirit of this belief, it is our desire to provide you with meaningful and purposeful steps for keeping Logos Leadership alive and making it a way of life for all your leaders. Doing so will support your desire to create and bring to fruition a lasting People First® Culture - a way of being that becomes part of the fabric of who you are.

As you recall, the major theme/principle of Logos Leadership is knowledge and every action you take as a leader in your organization must be grounded in a theory of knowledge that is self-consistent-not self-contradictory or self-refuting. The emphasis must be on knowledge!

This knowledge you now seek must continue to be guided by truth, wisdom, and excellence. Therefore, as you return to running your business, it will be very important to create clear and aligned strategies for keeping all you have learned and absorbed at the "top of mind." One of the major ways to accomplish this is to focus on the answers to "How do we know?"

How do we know we are doing well?

How do we know we are doing poorly?

How do we know we are doing anything at all?

Are we being what we desire to be as it relates to People First® and its principles and practices?

Are we demonstrating and practicing the theories of Logos Leadership we learned?

Remember, as we discussed, right thinking comes from the right knowledge, which leads to the right practices. The right practices come out of knowing the truth about who you are and how you behave and how your behavior is perceived by your Purpose Partners®.

In order to gain more knowledge (ongoing knowledge) about how you are doing, you must be more conscious of your actions on a daily basis, and the best way to achieve that is through self discovery, introspection (being precedes doing) and a reality check through the eyes of your purpose partners. They are the true reflectors of what you are practicing and can tell you if they are seeing the People First® ‘philosophy with skin on’.

The collection of knowledge and the adoption of new practices is the ‘how’ for achieving desired change. It is where the rubber meets the road—yet it is often given only minimal attention. Emphasizing the development and adoption of practices is the critical breakthrough needed to sustain ongoing improvement. Remember what you have embarked upon is an ongoing process, so practice, practice and more practice will be the key.

Practices, are actions that are repeated often enough and long enough so they become the norm. For example, to change an old pattern, a person must select a new practice and consistently repeat this action until it becomes a habit—a process that typically takes three to six weeks. As you gain more insight/more knowledge about how you are doing, select one or two things you know you can realistically practice for 3 to 6 weeks. Stick with it and then move on to the next pattern you would like to change.

As you know, people tend to be creatures of habit; habits then become patterns. Similarly, organizations have a rhythm, a set of existing norms, and an underlying culture. Only through the judicious development and adoption of new practices can we substitute new behaviors for old ones. Recognizing this will enhance your ability to seed sustainable change. As Mark Twain said, "You can’t break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You’ve got to walk it slowly down the stairs." Not all changes involve eliminating negative behavior, of course, but Twain’s quote does speak to change as a process that takes place over time. Remember to be patient with yourself and others.

The following list provides you with suggestions as well as purposeful opportunities for creating and sustaining a People First® Culture.

In the spirit of true partnership, you are authorized to copy the People First® Leadership Manual for internal distribution to new leaders. Determine how to meaningfully and purposefully share this knowledge with them and establish a formal process for mentoring (this may also apply to those leaders who have been through the program and require more support in shifting behaviors).

Determine what the expectations are in terms of how the program will be reviewed. What is the role of the mentor and protégé? Be specific about what will be covered – when and how, etc. Make this a part of the mentor’s performance appraisal. As you consider this practice, we invite you to:

Use the material found on pages 293-309 as your guide.
Revisit your commitment to the mentor process as found in your action plan on pages 306-308 of the manual.
Define the mentor/protégé relationship. How long will it last? What is the desired outcome?
Assign mentors that will be a good match for the protégé.
Review the characteristics of an effective mentor – by the mentor
Review how to become a world class protégé – by the protégé
Have mentor and protégé collaboratively complete the up-front discovery agreement using the powerful questions found on page 304.
Expect those assigned as mentors to have the assessment – "What Kind of Mentor Are You?" completed by their protégé(s) a number of times during the relationship. (This is up to you to discern what makes the most sense).

Require all who attended the training to retake the personal inventory three months from the date of completion of the Logos Leadership Training, to see if there is a change from the post-inventory scores. We suggest you require leaders to continue this practice every 3 months. Meet quarterly to determine how leaders are feeling about the shift and determine what changes are required, if any. Continue to work on letting go of emotional stamps.

Continue to reinforce the course concepts and principles by expecting all leaders to listen to the 16 People First® Leadership Audio CDs. As with any other suggestion being made in this document, if you do decide to adopt this as an expected practice be clear about the expectations; i.e., how often, define feedback loop, create dialogue opportunities, etc.

Conduct periodic People First® leadership meetings specifically focused on Logos Leadership and assess how well you are doing as a leadership group in living the People First® principles each and every day. Periodically seek feedback from your Purpose Partners® on how you are doing – are you really walking the talk? (See next bullet for more specific suggestions around purpose partner feedback).

Remember to celebrate your progress! Make this part of your meeting. Remember to honor and celebrate your accomplishments while also honoring the opportunity for ongoing growth and expansion.

Incorporate all elements of the Logos Leadership Model into every leader’s performance appraisal. The key is to show all Purpose Partners® there is a sincere commitment to sustaining a People First® Culture. This can only be accomplished by holding leaders accountable for modeling these new behaviors each and every day and requiring them to conduct assessments on how they are progressing.

It is important for all leaders to know they are being assessed and held accountable for the new behaviors. Ensure the expectation is consistent and across the board for all – no exceptions. Include such things in their performance evaluation as: teaching/mentoring, honoring others, encouraging teamwork, empowering others, etc.

As part of this process, do not rely solely on the opinion of the leader; seek key input from his/her purpose partners. This can be accomplished by using some of the tools found in the Manual; i.e., How to Transform Employees from "Pusillanimous Performance Puppets" into "Powerful Purpose Partners®," found on page 76.
Also, consider using the charts:
- Traditional Leadership/Logos Leadership, found on page 53-55.
- The Art of Building Lasting, Quality Relationships, found on pages 188-190.
- Belief and Behaviors: A Healthy Culture Versus an Unhealthy Culture, found on pages 250-251.

Any of these can be completed by Purpose Partners® as well as leadership, and can be used to determine the level of progress that has been made while also gaining valuable insight into opportunities for additional growth and expansion. Again, once you have made a decision to adopt a specific practice around this type of feedback, formalize the practice and hold all accountable.

Conduct a celebration meeting once a month (or periodically – weekly, biweekly). Be clear about what is being celebrated. Focus on things you are working on so celebration is meaningful and purposeful, and becomes part of the fabric of your organization. Stories are very powerful so when you do celebrate, focus on:

Who
What
Why

Doing so will not only send a strong message that you are committed to creating and sustaining a People First® Culture, it will also help your purpose partners be really clear about what is expected behaviorally.

It is important the recognition be timely. Always strive to recognize Purpose Partners® as close to the actual event as possible. If doing so at large gatherings is not possible, ensure you do honor him/her in front of their peers at your weekly staff meeting and/or take the time to personally thank them that day. The key is to let them know you are grateful and appreciative.

Continue to educate and emphasize the importance of being committed to creating a People First® Culture by capturing and sharing stories. When using examples in a story format, you are not only educating your purpose partners, you are continuing to more deeply integrate People First® as part of who you are. It can be as simple as a one pager, which you can brand as "People First® In Action at ______," or you can get more creative and get Purpose Partners® involved in naming it. If you already have a newsletter, then you may want to incorporate the People First® story; however, make sure it is done in a way so the story is not diluted or lost. This will be a very powerful mechanism for creating your People First® Culture at all levels.

We suggest you consider a story a month. Remember people believe in and become what is most focused on and talked about. As they begin to spend more and more time talking about and focusing on the celebratory stories the more these types of stories will be created over and over again.

Create a People First® blog on your corporate Intranet. Doing so will provide yet another powerful venue for sharing powerful stories and new knowledge which will contribute to your shift and sustainability of a People First® Culture.

Conduct ideation meetings with the only rule being that ideas must come from "outside the box" thinking. While doing this:

Ensure all have the opportunity to participate - even Introverts.

Honor all input, letting everyone know there are no silly or "stupid" ideas, only creative ones that take everyone to another level.

Provide a clear rationale when an idea is not accepted – the why is very important. Sharing the why serves as a forum for learning and acquiring new knowledge.

Design a People First® Incentive program (HR or Executive Management). Start your own program – with Coins printed for Permission to Succeed, as an example. When developing this program here are some key elements to keep in mind:

Be clear about your intent – what new behaviors are you going to incentivize and in what way.

Be very purposeful and very clear about the criteria.

Ask Purpose Partners® what motivates them – don’t assume you know.

Make the incentives meaningful, otherwise they will not be taken seriously.

Ensure purpose partners have a clear understanding of the linkage between their effort and the incentive.

Ensure what you are expecting is within their control.

Deliver on your commitment(s).

Incorporate People First® concepts and principles into the employee handbook and share them at orientation. As you talk about your culture at orientation, share with new Purpose Partners® the importance of everyone honoring the human spirit. Let them know it is everyone’s job; and, is an expectation at your company. Also share with them your company’s values, mission and vision. In other words, talk about your People First® Culture.

Beyond orientation – when the new hire is a leader, integrate them into the mentor program presented earlier. If the new hire is an independent contributor and/or line Purpose Partner®, ensure the hiring manager/supervisor spends additional time: 1.) Discussing the principles and practices of People First®; and, 2.) Sharing key expectations as it relates to his/her particular job. We suggest you make this a formal aspect of your orientation and hold the hiring manager/supervisor accountable.

Place posters with your values, vision and mission, and the People First® branding around the building. Ensure you are placing these posters in high traffic areas; i.e., lunch rooms, cafeteria, hallways, office areas, manufacturing areas (if you are a manufacturing site), conference rooms, out in the field (if you have field Purpose Partners®), etc. Use every opportunity to discuss these, whether it is before a meeting, as you encounter a Purpose Partner® in the cafeteria, or in the hallways. Make discussion around these items part of everyday conversation. Encourage all leaders to ask purpose partners, casually, how they feel things are going. Feedback doesn’t always have to be formal. Often, our best and most valuable conversations happen in the lunch room, in the hallways, or out in the field.

Have all Purpose Partners® sign up for Jack Lannom’s newsletter at www.jacklannom.com – for valuable reminders of People First® Leadership practices. Consider setting the expectation that all who went through the training read the newsletter and take it a step further and create a time and format for discussing the content of the newsletter at leadership/staff meetings.

Asking the following questions.

What are the major points that are important to take away from this article?

How well are we doing as it relates to the concepts and practices presented in this article?

How can we best ensure that we are in alignment with this new knowledge?

What is the most important thing to focus on as it relates to the information shared in this article?

Incorporate the People First® branding on your corporate materials.

Go to http://www.communityengineeringonline.com/default.html to view an example.

We also suggest you consider using the People First® brand as part of your recruiting strategy. This is a great differentiator when looking to attract the best talent.

Work on building stronger relationships through interaction activities such as problem-solving exercises, and outward-bound events. Always strive to create opportunities to reinforce the Logos and strengthen relationships.

Create opportunities to have fun with the People First® philosophy and practices. Allow Purpose Partners® to get creative and design slogans, events, etc. This is a very powerful way to get everyone involved in creating and sustaining your People First® Culture.
Share People First® at corporate events – internal and external and with the community.
Invite contacts and suppliers to share in the experience.

Remember

Believe in People First®

Live it every day

Seek feedback frequently

Educate others about it

Be a good mentor

Be a good protégé

Possess the desire to pass on the legacy

Continue to support each other from a loving place

We would like to hear from you. Please let us know what practices you have adopted and how they are making a difference in keeping People First® principles and practices alive and well. We would also appreciate hearing about any innovative ideas you and your Purpose Partners® have generated. We, too, are interested in gaining more knowledge and living in the spirit of People First® each and every day in every way.

People First® Facilitator’s manual includes: (People First Ebook, Power Point Presentation, Manual and People First song).