Track how well you do it
Molendorp places a lot of importance on the amount of loyalty his employees show toward OneAmerica’s vision. Since it is such a crucial part of the company’s growth goal, he needed a way to monitor progress.
“It’s very important in any organization [that] if you want to improve, you have to know where you start from and you have to keep score and you have to keep a dashboard in front of your folks,” Molendorp says.
“The dashboards allow us to gauge our progress and provide a visual compass for where we need to be in the future. Linking each division’s goals and objectives with enterprise metrics enables each employee to understand how their teams fit into and support the organization’s vision, values and goals.”
The dashboards at OneAmerica appear on each employee’s computer monitor.
“My screen just changed to measuring our progress, and it says ‘promises delivered’ at the top and then it breaks down our pillars: excellence, strength and growth,” Molendorp says. “Then it breaks those down so that everybody in the building can begin to see where they fit in the delivery of that.”
Information and data displayed on the dashboards should be something that can be viewed at a glance and require minimal time and energy to digest.
“Don’t overcomplicate information,” Molendorp says. “Keep it short, simple and to the point. To reinforce the message, employ repetition and consider using themes.”
One of the most popular themes at OneAmerica is auto racing.
“We’ve had Michael Andretti talk to our employees to say what teamwork is all about and how it’s important in the racing world and how it translates to our world,” Molendorp says. “We just vary the content on a regular basis.”
In addition to variety, the message needs to be timely and honest, regardless of whether it is good or bad news you are sharing. The quickest way to kill the effectiveness of the dashboard concept is to censor what goes on the screen and focus only on the positive things that are happening.
“That’s why you measure,” Molendorp says. “That’s why you have a dashboard. Leadership always deals with the facts. Some people say you need to face the brutal facts. I just like to say you have to deal with facts and you can’t shoot the messenger. You want bad news because if you don’t get it, you don’t know what you need to work on.”
It’s the linkage of clear and measurable goals in various departments and their connection to the larger company goals that can help create a sense of team and encourage individuals to work together to meet these benchmarks.
“I look for innovative approaches that will keep employees engaged in meeting our company goals,” Molendorp says. “This approach helps us focus on what’s most important and then drives the creation of a compelling scoreboard that holds everyone accountable for our progress.”
To broaden buy-in on the dashboard approach, you need to work with departments throughout the company to make sure everyone’s viewpoint is being addressed and as much pertinent information is being shared as possible.
“Leave the door open by asking for employee suggestions,” Molendorp says. “Also, to ensure you’re on track and that employees fully understand how their work affects the bottom line, make sure they understand what the information on the dashboards is conveying.”
At the end of the day, you need to remember that the dashboard system is in place to help you and your employees do their jobs. So don’t get in the way.
“We have to understand that it’s not really about us, it’s about the vision,” Molendorp says. “I’m convinced that 90 percent of our people come to work wanting to make a great contribution, and sometimes we get in the way of that. My job is to create a culture in which good people become great people and we can achieve more together than we can individually.”
How to reach: OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc., (877) 285-3863 or www.oneamerica.com
