I was listening to an interview with Horst Schulze, the CEO of the Ritz Carlton and he really inspired me to think about our organization.  One thing the company stressed whenever a new person came onboard was that the person was “selected”, not hired.  It made an every day position feel special.  He also made the point that the goal of every team member whenever they came in contact with a guest was to get that guest to return.  That is the #1 objective of everyone in the building, to make the experience so great that the guest cannot wait to return.  He mentioned that every team member is empowered to correct or fix any situation to make the guest happy up to $2,000.  Can you imagine every team member being able to say they have that kind of latitude?  That really takes our motto of it takes two people to say no but only one to say yes to another level.     

• He mentioned that as an organization they have 24 key points / values which everyone in every hotel around the world reviews each day.  Every day they review 1 key point and set a daily goal for everyone that works to achieve that 1 value.  They do this every day of the year, once they get through all 24 they restart from the beginning.  This got me thinking about how we could use some of our SERVE core values and Rules of the Bus on a daily basis for our shift goals.  I think it would be pretty cool to continue building our culture daily by reviewing some of our key points.

Below is a sample of what the next 10 days could look like:

• 1. Core Value #1 is to serve others and to create loyal, raving fans.  Ask the team to give you 1 example of how they went about creating a loyal, raving fan today.  Ask them if they learned a new guest’s name.
• 2. Core Value #2 is empowerment.  We all have the power to make someone’s day a little brighter.  Challenge every team member to try to make someone’s day today.  Maybe it is a surprise and delight by offering 1 guest a free sundae.  Maybe it’s helping a fellow team member to do a difficult task. 
• 3. Core Value #3 is renowned cleanliness.  The store may be clean but does it sparkle?  Ask each team member to make one part of the store “sparkle” and have them show you before they leave for the day.
• 4. Core Value #4 is having a 360 degree view.  Challenge the team to look for a way to help out in another part of the store.  Have them watch during the shift for a time when a certain area gets busy and have them float over to help. 
• 5. Core Value #5 is teamwork.  Tell every team member that before they clock out you want them to tell you of at least 1 time today when they helped out a fellow team member. 
• 6. Create the Wow!  Print out a copy of the Wow! worksheet and have every team member focus on 1 item from that sheet today in their specific station.   
• 7. One of our rules of the bus is to smile.  Challenge the team to try to get at least 3 other people to smile today.  Smiles are contagious and people can hear the smile in your voice.
• 8. Another one of our rules of the bus is to choose a positive attitude.  Challenge everyone on shift to have a positive attitude and set a challenge of no one complaining for the entire day.
• 9. Be grateful.  Encourage everyone on the team to say a specific thank you to someone today.  The more detailed your thank you is, the more impact it has on the other person.
• 10. We should all have the opportunity to learn and grow each day.  Challenge everyone to try to learn 1 new thing today.  Maybe it is the kitchen person learning how to scoop 1 dish of custard.  This only takes a few minutes but it can make people feel more valuable. 
• I think that if we keep our core values and ideals front and center, we can achieve and maintain a culture of greatness.  The more we can challenge each other to continually raise our standards, the better we will become as an organization. 

I was sent the following article written by Eddie Jackson and I was inspired to write a post on a few key points.  Eddie Jackson was the starting safety and punt returner for the Crimson Tide this year.  During a return, he broke his leg and has been out for the season.  I was very surprised to read this amazing article that really spoke to the culture of Alabama football and Nick Saban. 

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/eddie-jackson-alabama-football-to-my-brothers/

• The first point I want to talk about is how Eddie makes the comment that at Alabama you are either teaching or learning – always.  The veterans use practice to teach the younger players and help them get better.  Yes, the coaches also coach but having the individual team members helping elevate the younger team members is one of the keys to their success.  Think about your day at work, is everyone either teaching or learning?  Are you as a leader spending your time both teaching and learning?  Any idle time or missed opportunity to either teach someone how to do something better or to learn something new yourself is wasted time that you cannot get back.  As I have talked about before, you can either spend your time or invest your time.  Never waste a chance to help someone improve.  If you see it, say it.  
• The second point he makes ties into this in the fact that the reason the Alabama program remains great is because the players live up to the standards of the players that have come before them.  Think about your current team and the positions at your company.  Do we have the right people leading the correct way in those positions so the newer team members live up to the standards we want to see?  As new team members observe our existing team members, they learn what is both expected as well as accepted.  Ask yourself what is expected as well as accepted from all of your key positions.  As you pair up new team members with mentors make sure that it is someone whose actions you want replicated.   
• The third point also ties into the first two. He mentions that everyone on the team demands the best out of each other.  Imagine a team culture where each team member helps hold everyone else accountable.  As I have touched on in many posts, accountability is one of the keys to our success.  He mentions that the accountability is so high that people who don’t fit in don’t last in the organization.  It doesn’t matter how many stars they have or what position they play, they are all held to the same high standard.  Who sets the bar at your company?  Do others help keep the bar up high or do they try to lower it along the way?  How do you stay on top as long as Alabama?  Everyone around you keeps raising the bar! 
• I know that Nick Saban is always credited for the process but it sure is inspiring to see how the process is living, breathing and morphing into the teams’ DNA along the way.  Remember to keep the standards high and to always be either teaching or learning every day!

It is interesting to hear so many organizations talk about “Culture” and how they want to have a great culture.  Unfortunately so many companies talk about culture during the onboarding process but then fail to follow that up with action.  Our company needs to be one that follows that statement up with daily actions to prove to our team members that we walk the talk!  Below I have listed 11 steps to help create and maintain a “Culture of Greatness”.

• 1. Everyone must know the vision.  I remember reading that when Kennedy was president and he was trying to get a man on the moon that even the janitor at NASA when asked what his job was said “to put a man on the moon.”  Talk about everyone knowing vision and goals.
• 2. Everyone must know the rules.  We must be clear on what we expect from all members of our team.  We must be clear on what we expect to see as well as what we will not tolerate. 
• 3. We must lead with a positive attitude.  As leaders we set the tone.  Our attitude will determine the direction and eventual destination of our company.
• 4. We must serve others first.  Remember that no one cares about what you know, they first want to know if you care.  The best way to show others that you care is to serve others first.  We only succeed as a team if the individual team members are successful.  If we help others achieve their goals, we will naturally accomplish our goals.
• 5. We need to be intentional.  We can work 100 hours a week and have a worse culture than if we worked 50 hours a week but made those 50 hours count.  We need to be clear and specific on all of our communication.  Use SMART goals when setting daily, weekly or monthly goals with the team.
• 6. We must hold everyone accountable, including ourselves.  Setting goals is a waste of time if there is no accountability.  We need to be an organization where we can all help hold each other accountable.  As we give feedback and direction the course may change a bit but the end destination remains the same.  We need to stop giving and also stop allowing excuses.  One team member not performing has a negative impact on those that do perform.  
• 7. We need to empower others.  Setting goals and giving feedback is what leads to empowerment.  We need to give our team members the vision, the goal and then the freedom to accomplish the task. 
• 8. We must have a 360 degree view.  We need to learn from the past, be engaged in the present and realize the future impact every action we take  
• 9. Remember that details matter.  This is what makes the difference between good and great companies.  Great companies do the little tasks that the good companies choose to ignore or say “good enough.”  Good enough is the true enemy of great.  
• 10. We must show appreciation.  Use our scoop cards as the ultimate way to show appreciation for a job well done.  The more we can recognize and reward positive behavior the more it will most likely be repeated.  Remember to praise in public as much as possible.     
• 11. We must be transparent & ask for feedback.  Team members in today’s culture want to work for a company where they feel like there is full transparency and where the have a voice. 
• Please feel free to leave a comment with any other tips for creating a “culture of greatness”