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HR PRACTICES AND PROCESSES THAT MAKE SUSTAINABLE VALUES STICK 63

So basic and fundamental and obvious. And yet, even after years of practice, even
high-performance teams need to go back to such “blocking and tackling” fundamen-
tals. After all, most of us learned these basics in kindergarten: We talk when it is our
time to talk, and we listen when it is our time to listen.

ACCOUNTABILITY
The most important aspect of feedback rituals is the interpretation and coaching that
provides an individual action plan based on the results. We don’t want just to engage
in feedback sessions—we want to see efforts to leverage that feedback for positive
results. We want to hold each other accountable by way of an action plan that meas-
ures and evaluates growth and development. That is where another tool is used, the
balanced scorecard.
A balanced scorecard is used to integrate the feedback a staff member receives into
a professional/personal action plan that dovetails with the overall strategic direction of
the company. The company has a balanced scorecard each year, focusing on initiatives
in four main areas: learning, internal processes, customer relations, and finances. The
four areas are interrelated through these questions:

■ What does the company need to learn in order to improve upon its internal
processes?
■ What does the company need to do with its internal processes in order to improve
its delivery of services to customers (and other stakeholders)?
■ What delivery of services does the company need to focus on in order to improve
the financial performance of the company?

Typically two to four initiatives are assigned to each area of the company’s strategic
focus.
An individual’s balanced scorecard functions precisely the same way, looking at ini-
tiatives for learning, internal processes, service, and financial results. Personal growth
and development (learning and internal processes) are linked to professional growth and
performance. It is worth noting that Melaver, Inc. determines year-end bonuses on
the basis of these individual balanced scorecards, emphasizing the strong link it sees
between personal growth and business productivity.

MENTORING
Melaver, Inc. wants to be a mentoring company, one that can guide others both within
the company and outside the company. But where do mentors come from? Mentors
are not always the older, more experienced people in the company. A mentor is some-
one you choose and ask to guide and advise you. A mentor is different from a coach,
but a mentor can also play that role. And herein lies a quandary: While coaches can be
assigned, mentors typically evolve out of a self-selective process. A senior leader of a
company might say, “I want so-and-so to mentor this person.” But unless there is