Robert Iger, ex Disney CEO entered his role as successor to Michael Eisner who had been CEO for 21 years, with three priorities:
1. Invest capital in high-quality content from the most creative minds (Iger acquired Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm)
2. Use technology to reach people in more innovative ways (Disney+)
3. Grow globally, deepening connections to markets around the world (Disney Shanghai)
Clearly a tall order and a complex set of tasks, but what I found so enlightening is that Robert Iger made clear his priorities, having understood the business environment and how it was changing. From this, making a calculated hypothesis that by Disney focusing on the priorities he had set out, Disney would once again be the organisation that generations to come would associate with their childhoods.
It is clear and accepted dogma that having a clear strategy, based on the current and predicted future business environment and society’s changing thinking, is an essential part of any organisation’s future success.
The value of values:
What is also an equally essential part of an organisation’s success and continued growth is its values. These are not a set of phrases spoken by management without any action behind it, but a set of behaviours so dear to an organisation that they assist in directing decision making and how departments act.
Unfortunately, still today, a lot of organisations promote a set of values without embedding them into the very fabric of the organisation and instead use them to promote a brand image of ‘integrity’, ‘honesty’, ‘family’ etc. etc.
What I strongly believe and work towards within ourganisation is that without a consistent and well-thought through set of values, an organisation cannot begin to construct consistent, effective and efficient recruitment processes, Learning and Development programs, management ideals, retention practices and culture, culminating in an inconsistent message to employees and a weak external brand image.
Recruitment:
As an organisation we understand the behaviours we want our employees to exhibit, and maintain a focus on recruiting for these behaviours. We attract only the highest calibre Consultants because we have a clear understanding of our values which culminates in structured recruitment activities and touch points designed to seek out and attract candidates with these behaviours.
Learning and Development:
Learning and Development is a complex beast and encompasses many different modules and learnings, but the behaviours that we as an organisation have so thoughtfully embedded into our fabric, form part of employee learning on a daily basis. As an example, quality is at the forefront of what our Consultants do daily and this is reiterated throughout meetings and taught throughout our learning modules.
Management:
Our management is clear on the values that we want our Consultants to embody and clearly and consistently communicate these behaviours. This gives our management team a clarity of message and our employees clarity on what is expected of them every day.
The value of values:
As an organisation we have thought in detail about the values we want all of our employees to embody and our management team consistently and clearly communicate these. As an employee of JPS, you can expect clarity of expectations, frequent feedback, to be challenged to be the best, career progression opportunities, daily learning and fantastic rewards. What we expect in return is a focus on quality, a passion for learning, to challenge us to be our best and to be a team player.
