Turning Your Employees Into “A” Players

Many organizations claim that their people are their most valuable asset, yet those same organizations treat a select minority of employees better than the rest. Those “A” players are lauded with promotions, perks, and incentives while the remaining 80% of employees are developed and/or tolerated. So, how do you turn more of your employees into “A” players? Turn the “A” into a symbol for Accountability.” What every organization wants and needs most is a workforce that is accountable for achieving the desired results. Naturally, some people will always outperform others when it comes to contributing value and producing results, but every employee in the organization has a necessary role to play. Turning every employee into an “Accountable” player is what we really need.

McKesson, a Fortune 20 pharmaceutical and healthcare services company with $50 billion in revenues, clearly recognizes the importance of turning its employees into “Accountable” players. Employees at McKesson (all of them) really are the company’s most valuable asset. How do they do it? The company’s ICARE Shared Principles are: Integrity—doing what’s right; Customer-centered—we succeed when they succeed; Accountability—taking personal responsibility; Respect—treating people with dignity; and Excellence—insisting on quality. McKesson’s values may read like those of other companies, but somewhere along the daily path of corporate life, McKesson’s senior leadership, middle management and employees in general have learned to take personal accountability for adopting and applying the company’s ICARE Shared Principles to help everyone become “A” players. There are no second-class employees here.

Encourage your people to treat all employees as most valuable assets by promoting a Culture of Accountability that respects, reinforces, and rewards the achievement of desired results. Help them take accountability for considering and pursuing multiple career paths within the organization—management and technical, leader and individual contributor, roles that broaden and deepen—to maximize their contributions and value added. Teach them to take greater accountability for achieving both organizational and individual results. To learn more about how to turn all of your employees into “Accountable” players, join our Accountability Community at www.partnersinleadership.com, where you can review the accounts of actual companies that have done so.