How To Have A "Batteries Included" Culture
I learned an important lesson the Christmas that our first child was three years old. At that point he was old enough to understand his gifts, and how the toys that he opened were supposed to work. That year he received a few toys that were subtly marked “batteries not included”. Foolishly, I had not thought ahead and bought the batteries we needed. And since we didn’t have them and the stores were closed, Christmas wasn't quite so merry that year. I quickly came to the conclusion that Christmas would be better if all toys were “batteries included”.
The same thing could be said about the people who work with us and for us. We’ve all met those who were self-starters, and those who didn't seem motivated at all. What does it take to have a "batteries included” culture - where people are engaged and excited to come to work, where they understand and trust their team, and are motivated by something more than just a paycheck?
A friend recently shared a story about a woman who worked in such an organization. When she was offered a similar job that would reduce her commute by more than 30 minutes each day while giving her a significant pay increase, she quickly turned the job down. And her reason why was a simple but powerful statement about their team culture. She responded, “I could never do that to my team.”
Most of us would love to lead teams that inspire their members that much. And the good news is that it’s entirely possible. Our organizations have “batteries included” when they energize our teams to win together. Here are four things that help make a “batteries included” culture:
Team members know the compelling mission that the organization is on (Hint: it’s something bigger than profits or market share). They also understand their specific role, and how it fits in to the overall mission.
The team is regularly reminded how they are doing in relation to that mission, through the sharing of statistics and stories that re-cast the organization’s vision in fresh ways (Hint: teams play better together when they can see the scoreboard).
Team members genuinely enjoy working together and trust each other. The gaps between what they expect and what they experience from each other are small, and are filled with trust rather than suspicion.
Team members are willing to go above and beyond because they enjoy stretching to meet a goal (Hint: it’s a mistake to believe that most people are lazy. They aren’t.)
We often try to solve our “people problems” by getting different people, but that is the most expensive and often least effective way to solve them. What if, instead, we reimagined the culture we are asking our team to work in and made it a place where their response to outside job offers was a polite but firm, “I could never do that to my team”?
Discover how Momentum Leadership Consulting can “jump start” your team culture!
