HOPE Moves Forward with the Cultural Initiative

We are continuing our growth as an organization by focusing on our culture – the expectations that the organization has for each of us that impacts our engagement and effectiveness and our ability to achieve our mission. We began this initiative in June 2018 and shared that it would continue over the next 18 months. To start the 2019 year, we wanted to provide you with a recap of what we have accomplished so far and information about the remaining process related to this work.

Step 1. Assessments

1.    Cultural Blueprint Assessment – Completed June 2018

Electronic survey sent to all employees. Out of 203 employees, 198 completed the survey.

Cultural Blueprint Assessment Score – 567

Overall the current culture is in the average range. This culture not only reinforces many liberating beliefs that are key to engagement and performance, but also reinforces limiting beliefs that will hold the organization back.

2.    Vision and Values Alignment Survey – Completed June 2018

This survey was completed by 27 out of 28 HOPE Senior Leaders

Vision and Values Alignment Score – 771

The Vision Culture is in the above average range (vision cultures are typically in the 750 – 950 range). Achieving this level in our current culture will enable us to be more creative, better aligned as a team to wards organizational goals, and accelerate organizational performance.

Goals

As a result, we identified the following areas to focus our efforts:

Goal 1: Improve the innovation within the organization

Goal 2: Improve the transparency and communication (Explaining the why)

Top five behaviors to continue…

·         Cooperate towards the achievement of a common goal

·         Support effective team collaboration

·         Be respectful of other people’s time

·         Acknowledge the people who help you

·         See everyone as having value

Top five behaviors to reduce…

·         Accept the rules regardless of the situation

·         Always take the same approach

·         Keep information to yourself

·         Focus on short term gains regardless of the long term cost

·         Worry that you do not have the right information to act

Top five behaviors to increase…

·         Challenge current assumptions to achieve better results

·         Be creative and innovative

·         Operate with an open agenda

·         Let people know why

·         Make things happen

Step 2 – The Process

1.    Leadership Mindset training – As of March 2019, all HOPE leaders will have completed this process. Leadership Mindset is a series of workshops designed to introduce leaders to the power of mindset in leadership and how mindset impact not only our own performance but the performance of those whom we lead. Throughout the process, leaders have explored the following five areas of leadership:

• Leadership Focus
• Leadership Power
• Leadership Purpose
• Leadership Capabilities and Potential
• Leadership Motivation and Drive

2.    Leadership Blueprint Survey – Completed in 3rd Quarter by all HOPE Leaders, a development tool that measures leadership effectiveness – the leader’s impact on his/her direct reports. This initiates the opportunity for leaders to examine their own attitudes, beliefs, behavior and values, in order to assess alignment to the organization’s ideal Vision, or desired culture.

3.    Action Plans and Leadership Philosophy – As a result of the Leadership Mindset training and Leadership Blueprint Survey, leaders are currently working to develop a leadership philosophy statement and action plans for improving leadership effectiveness.

Remaining Steps – We are working to implement the remaining processes related to this initiative which are:

Facilitator Education & Thought Patterns for High Performers –

Thought Patterns for High Performance is a professional development program delivered to all employees that will use the same cognitive based concepts covered in Leadership Mindset. Employees will learn to identify and address habits of thought that impact personal, professional and organizational performance. This program will also promote the following:

• Employee Engagement
• Ownership and accountability of organizational growth objectives
• Elevation of internal standards of excellence that are required to meet future organizational goals.

10 employees will be identified to complete the Facilitator Education Training and will be responsible for facilitating Thought Patterns for High Performance going forward.

Guiding Coalition

The Guiding Coalition is comprised of a diverse mix of employees from all levels, whose purpose is to ensure that the organization sustains learning acquired in the training and continues to apply the content towards organizational growth objectives.

We will provide an update on these remaining processes in the next issue of Hello HOPE.