One of many “garage startup” success stories, Ted is the CEO of a growing IT company employing approximately 125 people. Ted’s company specializes in data farming for communication companies to help streamline processes and better target audiences for marketing. 
Though Ted has several senior managers who run various teams in the small company, Ted has a reputation for being very “hands on” with regards to his employees. Though he is highly trusting of his employees in matters pertaining to work (and isn’t known to micro-manage), Ted insists on sitting in on all prospective employee interviews.
In those interviews, Ted asks what some consider unusual questions – having to do with lifestyle and interests – particularly in the areas of health, fitness and smoking. Though a few of the company’s employees do smoke, Ted is rumored not to hire employees who are known smokers. Not surprising, he does not provide any sort of smoking area on site. Ted also sends periodic, company-wide email missives having to do with health & fitness. He is a self-proclaimed “health nut” and has been heard explaining that it’s his responsibility to share this value with company employees.
After disseminating a routine, anonymous organizational survey, Ted is struck by his employees’ apparent discontent at the “healthy lifestyle” undercurrent, as well as perceived discrimination against smokers by not allowing smoking on grounds, not providing an outside smoking area, etc.
QP3 Solution
Ted learns from a friend in the communications industry about [Tokii’s QP3s], describing how the apps help explore relationships between personal values and company values/business outcomes. Ted decides to try out the platform by purchasing Tokii’s Leadership: Values Toolkit. Employees have a two-week period in which they’re encouraged to use a company-wide iPad in a private setting to take quizzes in the toolkit with planned follow-up discussions to be held afterward. Ted adds incentive by offering every participating employee a chance to win a weekend at a nearby timeshare owned by Ted and his wife. Not surprisingly, the incentive helps garner a 90% participation rate from employees. 
Situational Insights
Employees aren’t surprised when follow-up discussion groups (all of which Ted attends) reveal Ted holds health as his most important value. However, employees were enlightened to learn that Ted was an overweight child, who had parents that lived “large” without concern for nutrition. Additionally, in the candid setting of the QP3 follow-up discussions, Ted explains that both of his parents smoked heavily, and that his father ultimately died from complications of lung cancer when Ted was seventeen. At the direction of their mother – then left to rear two teenagers alone – both Ted and his younger sister changed their lifestyle dramatically after their father’s death.
Ted describes how they probably coped with grief through exercising together – often taking long runs and bike rides together before Ted left for college. Ted’s mother even ran her first marathon at age 45. Though Ted and his sister didn’t also enter the marathon, they did train with their mother and carried their love of running and fitness through the next several decades of their lives to the present day.
Though Ted is known for his strong convictions and personality, he is also known to be compassionate, assuring employees the QP3 follow-up discussions would be non-punitive and he sincerely wanted to learn more about how to build a happier work force. Slow at first to warm up, Ted’s employees eventually shared that – though they appreciate tips and encouragement of any sort – they felt pressure to present a persona at work that isn’t necessarily consistent with their “real” persona – fearing they may be on the chopping block to be fired if the CEO is ever compelled to reduce workforce. Somewhat out of character for the charismatic CEO, Ted did little talking and a lot of listening to his employees during the QP3 follow-up discussions.
Situational Results
Ted takes the feedback he receives about his focus on fitness to heart. In the weeks following the QP3 discussion groups, he makes a concerted effort to halt aggressive approaches to communicating his value of health and fitness. Able to feel the marked increase of relaxation in his company over the next several months, Ted even makes the surprising move of adding an ash tray to a small, accessible patio, with a company-wide notification that employees may observe reasonably timed breaks on the patio if they are a smoker. Though few employees immediately use it – in time employees begin to trust that they can be more themselves in the work setting. Over the next several months, as employee morale appears to increase, Ted sees what he believes are associated increases in customer retention and better productivity among internal staff. Ted decides that the potential for company change that can come from this type of communication is greater than any other method he’s tried. He decides to replace his former organizational survey with QP3 Toolkits and follow-up discussions twice per year.
Explore your personality traits in a fun, new way with the Tokii QP3 App. Download the Tokii QP3 App Today! Like Tokii on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter. Get inspired with Tokii Pinterest, Get a behind the scenes look at Tokii on Instagram.
The post Ted’s Story: Understanding Personal vs. Company Values Using Tokii’s QP3 App appeared first on TokiiLab.
