Master the art of continuous improvement by bringing core values to employee evaluations.
Part 2 of a 2-part series on making Core Values count in your daily business (check out part 1)
Many people in business today have heard the term, kaizen. It’s a Japanese term that means, “improvement” or “change for the best.”
In this article, we’ll talk about how employee evaluations and recognition, tied to core values, support our drive for continuous improvement at Mavidea.
We start by making “evaluations” more like a continuing conversation that is carried on throughout the year.
It starts with a documented process. Like most companies, our managers set goals with each individual based on how they’ve done the previous quarter.
But beyond that, we work daily to guide the direction of our activities back to our core values and our overall statement of purpose.
Daily goals build toward long term aspirations
The goal is for each of us to demonstrate our core values in all the things, large and small, we do every day. If we can work toward these goals on a continuing basis, then that gets us closer to the aspiratio
nal goals that are our vision for the future.
Keeping core values at the center keeps them top of mind for our team members. As time goes on, they learn how they can use them to perform better in the future.
Trying out team interviews
One concept we’ve been trying out is team interviews. We’ve come to the point where we’ve become integrated enough as a team that we can sit down and host a team evaluation that can be positive and constructive.
This concept isn’t just for employees. I’m trying to make it part of our evaluations for management, as well.
When the appropriate framework is set for these interactions, they can be the source of productive feedback for both the team and the individual. It can help a person work through challenges and discover opportunities for growth.
It’s a concept we’re still working on, but I believe it has promise. We’ve been testing it out with various departments over time.
Recognizing true grit
Another concept we’re working on is developing clarity in the way we define our core values in practice.
For example, we dug deep to define a particular quality that we prize. It captures a certain persistence in the way our team members tackle opportunities.
We decided to call this value, “grit”.
We weren’t sure if the term was a little too “gritty”, so we took it to our team members to make sure we had the right fit.
Through those conversations, we discovered we all had different interpretations of what “grit” was.
But it was clear we all understood what it means to Mavidea. We’ve developed a common approach to this value. And we give top honors to Mavideans who put the value into action.
Becoming black belts of kaizen
Just like martial artists who practice their craft daily, we understand that it’s critical we work toward the goal of continuous improvement every day – a process the Japanese call, kaizen.
So when we see an employee showing grit as they work out a solution to a challenge – or when someone goes the extra distance in serving a customer – we honor that effort and recognize it.
Creating clarity around your values in the real world requires that you celebrate them when you see them.
Taking them down off the plaque and recognizing them in practice reinforces their impact and importance to your future.
Over time, your core values become more than just words. They become ideas with real power.
They are the roadmap to the organization you can become in the future. And they’re beacons that reflect your purpose to your teams, your families, your customers and your community.
Bring kaizen to your culture with a team that prizes continuous improvement.
I would love to hear about your company’s culture and how you are bringing kaizen to the workplace? Also, don’t forget to read part 1 of this blog series.
