Page 221 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

208B RE-ENGAGE

Developmental: How can we help a person build on what he or she
already does well?
We certainly want to do everything we can to help employees over-
come any weaknesses or gaps in their skills, and so any training and
development efforts should incorporate programs to do this. But we
must take care not to overlook ways to help individuals build their
strengths—help them to do better what they already do well.
Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital (Phoenix) makes an attempt to
determine each person’s strengths and then to develop and utilize
those strengths, Chief Executive Lloyd Scarrow explained. “We have
a pharmacist who is an excellent pastry chef, and so he contributes to
the hospital in both capacities. Our goal is not to be fair. We want
to treat people according to their uniqueness. To me, fair is an ex-
5
cuse to treat everyone equally bad.” At another winning company we
know, the HR executive supervises the maintenance staff because he
has a love for mechanical tinkering. Can you imagine trying to con-
struct a job description for a “pharmacist-chef” or “HR-maintenance”
position?
Getting people into positions where they’re using their strengths
can have a significant impact on per-person productivity. Just think of
the potential a company could unleash if all employees were working
in roles that were suited to their strengths! At Stryker Endoscopy, in San
Francisco, the work environment is exacting. “At Stryker, you learn on
the job,” Human Resources Director Jessica Winter said. “You develop
quickly and get rewarded with a promotion.” It is not uncommon for
employees to have three promotions in their first four years. “We set
people up for success,” added CEO Bill Enquist. “We understand their
strengths and put them in jobs that play to those strengths.” 6

Narrowcast: How can we offer opportunities that are tailored to a
person’s unique learning style, interests, and abilities?
Some of us learn best by reading the instruction manual; others learn
by watching someone who already knows, and still others learn in a
rap session with peers. Each of us has a preferred learning style.