By Shawn Doyle

Everyone wants to go to a work in an environment which is positive. Everyone wants to work with people that they enjoy. It is up to you as the leader to create this environment which (does not happen by accident )

Here are three specific elements for helping to build, create and  maintain a positive environment.

Orientation
 Orientation is a misunderstood concept. Most leaders think of orientation is being a one day event that the employee attends during their first week of being hired. Here are some additional thoughts and approaches for making sure that the orientation is more successful.

  1. Orientation- Should start to not when the person is hired it should start in the interviewing process particularly in the third interview, when expectations are covered and laid out. Orientation should also continue on their first day when they meet with you and receive (before the orientation class) a written job description and a review of the expectations. By putting it in writing we avoid ambiguity and confusion.
  2. Class follow-up- Once someone has attended their orientation class it should be up to the leader of that person to sit down and review what they learned from the class.
     
  3. The calendar – A leader should meet with the new employee and give them a specific calendar -an Eight Week Orientation plan.  The purpose of this eight week plan is to develop and implement specific processes for that employee to follow in their first two months in order to learn the company, organization and the culture. When an employee starts they have accepted the job, but it does not necessarily mean that they have decided to stay long term.  We need to make sure that  the orientation makes a positive impression and is packaged to reinforce the decision that they made was correct.
     
  4.  The magic of day one- You want to carefully consider the elements that are present in the employee’s first week experience. In many cases employees to start at a company, and their desk is not ready, their computer is not in place and sometimes not even ordered yet.  Make sure that your team gets the space ready for a new employee in order to make the physical environment ready for their arrival and to make them feel welcome.  Another great idea is to make sure that employee gets a tour of the entire facility, gets introduced to the team and starts to develop a good feeling about the organization.  Some other nice touches that I have seen for new team member 1) a card signed by the entire team welcoming them aboard 2) a nice paper banner strung across their office space saying “welcome to our company”, or 3) even a small vase of flowers or a box of candy are some small gesture saying that this is their special first day.
     
  5. Ambassadors – You may even want to consider finding folks within the organization who have the highest level of energy enthusiasm and personality and make them “ambassadors.”  The ambassador’s role is to be an integral part of a new employee’s first few weeks on the job. They are used to make them feel welcome and to be their first mentor in the organization. 

 Job descriptions 

As I travel around the country as a consultant and the trainer, I am often puzzled at people’s responses when I ask them what they do.  In many cases employees do not really a clear description of what they do so they are a little confused themselves.  In some organizations the job changes every week.  In many organizations when I ask if there are written job descriptions, people mutter about “well we used to” or “we have them but they need to be updated.”  I believe that every organization needs to have a written job description for every job that describes the specific task roles and responsibilities of the job.  How does this contribute to creating a positive environment?  When people have clarity about their roles then they are less likely to be confused, frustrated or feel undervalued, because someone has taken the time and energy to explain to them what their job is both verbally and in writing. 

Don’t tolerate negativity 

One of the ways to ensure you do not have a negative environment is to not tolerate negativity. Negative thinking creates negative behaviors.  I am often taken aback by organizations where this behavior is tolerated.  Keep in mind that when you are in a leadership role and tolerate negative behavior then negative behavior becomes the new policy.  I once ordered food in a fast-food restaurant and was treated very rudely by the person who took my order. When I asked for the manager at the curbside to talk about the negative rude employee, she defended her behavior and was rude to me herself.  No one would want to work at that restaurant.  When you observe negative behaviors, you have to correct, coach and advise those folks that the behavior is not appropriate, and more importantly the reasons why it is not appropriate. In many cases I’ve seen people who were not deliberately being negative and did not realize the impact their behavior had on others. 

 What people don’t realize is negative self-talk leads to a negative environment and to negative responses.  It is almost the opposite of the thinking big- negative talk eventually leads to thinking small.  It leads to minimized thinking, reduced expectations and minimized results.  If you think this is not true then simply observe a gifted coach take over in a sports team that is losing.  Yes they certainly do make adjustments in talent. But what I find in most cases is the new coach brings a new positive attitude and a new way of thinking- away from the negative talk and a positive mindset.  The new coach (and often

Administration) allows the team to now think in a positive way, because the new coach’s has created- yes a positive motivational environment.

Sometimes small changes can have big results and change morale in a way that is remarkable. So your choice-do you want the status quo or something special?

Shawn Doyle is the President  and Founder of New Light Learning and Development Inc. (www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in Leadership Development. He has also authored seven books on leadership sales and motivation. His latest book The 10 Foundations of Leadership will be published this fall.
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