Question:
It seems that pride in one’s employer is a thing of the past. Is there anything that can be done to bring back at least a bit of pride to the workplace?

StreetSavvy Answer:
Organizational pride may not be dead, but it certainly appears to be on life support!

Many leaders think organizational pride is old fashioned and immaterial in today’s fast-paced global economy. Come on, admit it. When you saw this month’s question, you almost skipped reading the answer because you didn’t think it was relevant, right?

That old-fashioned status plus an emphasis on tangible, measurable results (pride is a difficult thing to measure) means leaders perceive there’s little return on investment for focusing on or encouraging organizational pride.

Interestingly, but not coincidentally, pride absolutely matters at the “Most Admired” and most successful organizations. Yahoo, SAS, Caterpillar, Washington Mutual, FedEx, W.L. Gore and Con-Way Transportation – all of these organizations make internal branding and organizational pride a top priority.

Visit Yahoo’s corporate website, and you’ll discover that it describes itself this way:" Yahoo! is the premier Internet media conglomerate. The smoking hot guide to everything Web. And the most essential Internet service for consumers and businesses ever known to mankind. Despite our overly giddy enthusiasm, these descriptions are not far off the mark. Yahoos are, in fact, helping define the future of the Internet.” Yahoos? They’ve even named themselves. Sounds like organizational pride run amuck…in a good way! It’s too bad so many other organizations can’t say the same thing.

Now, if Yahoo thinks organizational pride isn’t old fashioned, do you think perhaps you should reconsider your position on it?

I’m not suggesting a return to a simplistic, good-old-days approach to organizational pride. We need a different spin on pride – one that’s in sync with the modern workplace, younger employees and the realities of a technology-based, global economy.

Leaders often can’t change or affect the causes of diminished pride, but they can absolutely help create a positive culture that is the precursor to organizational pride. Pride usually isn’t a have-to in organizations, but it certainly ought to be a want-to. Today’s employees can’t depend on a job, a team or a consistent set of responsibilities. But they can depend on, and find pride in, an organizational culture that values and acknowledges them and their efforts.

With that in mind, here are some StreetSavvy Techniques for bringing some organizational pride back to your workplace:

1. Determine the level of organizational pride that exists – or doesn’t exist – within your team or department. You can tell a lot about the level of pride in an organization or team through simple observation. How are customers (including internal customers) treated? How do employees treat each other? Are the physical surroundings well cared for? In a restaurant, for instance, if the floor is dirty, the food cold and the wait staff indifferent, you can bet employees feel little pride.
   
   While consulting with a major U.S. company recently, I discovered a few quick and easy ways to evaluate organizational pride: Ask yourself what percentage of your employees would wear a hat or shirt with your company name on it. How many would buy something with your corporate logo? If asked what they do for a living, would they respond with their title or job description alone, or would they also mention your company name? The answers to these questions will give you a general idea of your team’s level of pride.
   
   
2. Take advantage of your influence as a leader to enhance organizational pride. You have a unique opportunity to reinforce the positive aspects of your organization with your team. Remind employees about good works your company does in the community, awards the organization or leadership may have received, positive articles or news pieces that appear in the media, etc. When leaders genuinely model organizational pride, without brown-nosing or being schmaltzy, eventually it will rub off on employees.
   
   
3. Be very cognizant of your potential negative effect on organizational pride. When an organization does something that is perceived as unfair, inappropriate or unrealistic, leaders are put in a very difficult position. If you badmouth the organization or senior leadership, it sends the message to employees that it’s okay for them to do the same. Although it may be tempting to criticize organizational decisions – especially the ones that truly are poor decisions – resist the urge. The reality is that you accomplish nothing, other than damaging organizational pride, by feeding the fire.
   
   Instead, I recommend you do the following:
   

• Ferret out the reasons and rationale behind the organization’s action or decision. For example, if the company spent a lot of money to redo the front of the building during a time of financial hardship, you may discover that the city passed a new ordinance that required the work be done. You may not always agree with the logic behind a senior management decision, but at least you’ll know the reasons.
  
  
• If at all possible, share this information with your team. You’re much better off giving them the honest reasons behind a decision or policy than letting their imaginations run wild about what went on behind closed doors. When employees understand changes were in fact thought out by management, even if they disagree with the reasons, it can actually enhance organizational pride.