The Power of Pride at Work
Hills Pet Nutrition is lauded for its inspiring culture, driven largely by its ability to leverage the pride employees have in their company. Pride, as I often talk about, is an incredibly powerful motivational trigger. What great workplaces like Hills does so well is encourage a culture where employees are encouraged to express their pride about a number of different aspects of their work. So employees at Hills Pet Nutrition are proud of their products, yes, but they’re also proud of their teammates, their mission, their customers, and their great work environment. Their culture offers some good reminders for all workplaces:
- There are overlooked sources of pride in many organizations that should be tapped into. So are you building a culture where employees are proud not just of your company or the
services and products you offer, but also proud of your customers’ successes? How about pride of your workplace culture? Pride in your teammates’ skills and accomplishments? Pride in your community involvement? - A major way that Hills instills a sense of pride is by giving employees the freedom to design their own processes for measuring standards and performance targets. Empowerment and pride go hand in hand.
- The walls of the plants at Hills Pet Nutrition are covered with their standards and targets, so that employees never lose sight of what really matters and are primed to anticipate feelings of pride once those targets are achieved.
- Hills has a “vision wall” where employees are encouraged to write a heartfelt page about how they feel about the values and vision of the company, fueling yet more pride in what they do.
Don’t underestimate the power of pride in your workplace and in your own performance. Remind yourself of how proud you will feel once “x” is finished. Share stories of your wins. Add a “moment of pride” to your meeting agendas. And never stop celebrating the great work you, your teammates, and your organization achieves.
Michael Kerr is an intentional business speaker and the author of The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank!
