Powering the plan
TECO’s leadership felt the first step toward integration was to explain the ‘why’ behind the new values. People had to understand how the new mission of the company would positively affect them before they would embrace the change.
“You must explain the goals and objectives of the change openly at the start of any new initiative that will impact a team,” says Hudson. “That decreases resistance at the outset. And to march together in a forward direction, you have to continually communicate about the need for the change and highlight progress toward your goals.”
It turned out there was no resistance at all, says Hudson, as employees saw the potential benefits of the changes. But Hudson recognized that it might be easy for them to forget about the values once the initial excitement of the change wore off, so the company committed to making them part of everyday operations.
For the mission and values to make a difference, Hudson knows they have to be talked about often and they have to be visible. The company even had table tents made that exhibit the company’s purpose, vision and values made for people to put on their desks, and they are prominently on display throughout the company’s facilities.
Realizing that 40 percent of employees are not regularly on the Internet, the company also publishes a monthly newsmagazine featuring stories that show how at least one of the company’s values was demonstrated in action, or how it translates to someone’s role in the company.
The company’s officers also go out and frequently speak to people about the work they are doing, building the values into their remarks and referencing them in conversations.
“There is no such thing as overcommunicating,” says Hudson. “We absolutely must lead by example. I expect that each person in a leadership role in TECO Energy to reflect the values each and every day in their actions. That’s what keeps the values from being words on a page.”
TECO also gives its employees a powerful tool to judge if the values are working. Last year the company reinstated an employee survey.
“The reason we do it is it’s an absolute yard stick,” he says. “It’ll be our report card as to how we’re doing in the eyes of our people.”
It provides an honest picture of where the company still needs to make improvements, whether it’s with one of its core values or another issue. But more important, the company actually makes changes based on the results.
“We have meetings after the survey results are out to talk about them and to demonstrate to people that we really are serious (about) what they tell us,” says Hudson.
Based on survey answers, each department is given its individual top 10 items — the things it does well or employees appreciate — and its bottom 10 items — areas that employees think need improvement. Each department is then responsible for developing action plans to address the bottom 10 issues and improve them.
“We either do the things they think we should do, or we explain to them why we can’t,” says Hudson. “You can’t always do what all your people want, but you can always give them a good, basic answer as to what’s happening.
“People have to feel that they are important, that they are needed, that they are appreciated, and that they have input and that they are listened to when the input comes,” says Hudson.