HR - Workplace Ethics

HUMAN RESOURCES

Transition to Business

By Paul Falcone

Workplace Ethics: Making It Personal

Excerpted from Paul’s newest book, Workplace Ethics: Mastering Ethical Leadership and Sustaining a Moral Workplace, to be released next spring by HarperCollins Leadership

Much needs to be said about corporate America’s history, our laws, and our evolving workplace when it comes to ethics. But one thing’s for sure: over the past twenty years since Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) was passed in 2002, ethics has become a lot more personal and gone beyond mere compliance.

Following is an excerpt from Paul’s soon-to-bereleased book that maps out how an ethical workplace was established and sustained from his days as head of HR at Nickelodeon.

I was fortunate enough to serve as head of human resources for the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California. I transferred to Nickelodeon after a number of years at its sister company, Paramount Pictures. Mark Taylor, Nickelodeon’s general manager and senior vice president, was likely the greatest leader I’ve ever worked for. Mark is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, but he brought Nick to a level of success where they became the number one children’s cable TV network—even ahead of Disney— during his reign. Mark knew all 500 employees by name, he practiced MBWA—management by walking around—was visible, maintained an open-door policy, knew the business inside and out, and made Nick the number one destination where animators wanted to work. SpongeBob Square Pants, Dora the Explorer, Avatar, and many other high-profile animation productions were humming away under the humble roof of that small studio on a nondescript corner across from the railroad tracks in that downtown Burbank neighborhood. What Mark did especially well, however, occurred during the first week of employment. Once a month when we held new employee orientation, Mark scheduled about an hour to meet with each cohort of new hires in the main conference room. He wanted to get to know them personally, make sure they found in one another a special bond as new hires, and used the opportunity to share “Mark’s Big 8 Rules of the Road.” He shared how special the Nickelodeon family was and how he held each new hire accountable for perpetuating the culture that was so dear to him and everyone else. His “Big 8” focused on high quality, ethical behavior, personal accountability, mutual respect, and passion for your work. He included the importance of “true leadership,” whether you were in management or in an individual contributor role. And he handed out a one-sheet with these principles and mantras mapped out, with the byline:

Strong Principles + Belief in People = Strong Leadership

Mark was and still is an animation industry legend. How exciting for new hires—from animators to accountants to mail room staff and janitors—to spend time with him, feel his genuine concern for them and the organization, and assume responsibility for making his priorities theirs. But wait, there’s more! If the large group orientation took place on a Monday, a follow-up meeting on Wednesday occurred for anyone who was responsible for supervising people. Mark again had the opportunity to discuss the values one-sheet, this time focusing on his expectations of these new leaders in terms of sustaining a moral workplace, communication, teambuilding, and becoming a great leadership team. With this opportunity, however, he also focused on the negative consequences for not meeting these expectations and shared how he held the management team to a higher standard of accountability than everyone else.

There was no doubt about it: everyone understood the culture that was so cherished, the values of the GM, and the expectations going forward in terms of performance, productivity, respect, and gratitude.

Oh yes, and there was always that eighth and final principle: fun. Granted, this was an animation studio, and most organizations won’t have as much discretion in implementing fun and creative activities like Nickelodeon, but Mark was a prankster. He kept the squirt guns in his office, arranged the holiday theme parties, and tried to outdo himself every year. As an HR professional, I could only sit back and watch in amazement as everything I wrote about in my books and articles came to life before my very eyes.

If you’re a CEO, business owner, division or department head, or supervisor or team lead, share your values and your ethical expectations upfront and openly. State them proudly, give examples of how they work, and remind everyone that your culture is unique and worthy of honor. Add a permanent topical point to your staff meetings and employee gatherings, asking for recent examples that further your organization’s mission and values. Celebrate success. Lighten up and have fun, to the degree you can and that would be appropriate. Know that people will feel more secure when they understand what’s expected of them, when they can relate to you and your values as their leader, and when they appreciate the opportunity to join and remain part of a special family.

Nickelodeon’s success soared under Mark Taylor’s leadership; tell your story about your history and culture proudly, set expectations surrounding ethics and morals, and raise the bar for all employees to perform at their highest level. It’s amazing how a simple philosophy—clearly expressed and modeled every day—can have such a tremendous impact on an organization.

Great leadership can be yours, and making workplace ethics and values a core componentof your human capital strategy is likely the best place to start.

You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn at

www.linkedin.com/in/paulfalcone1

Paul Falcone (www.PaulFalconeHR.com) is a human resources executive and bestselling author on hiring, performance management, and leadership development.