As we approach the last few weeks of Bethany’s fiscal year, I think it’s important to reflect back and recognize our many great achievements, and to celebrate our successes. From my perspective, the greatest organizational achievement is the positive impact on our culture resulting from the launch of WAVE – our Service Excellence program. During this fiscal year, we have embarked on Performance Management, Leadership Development, Standards for Service Excellence and Recognition – our 4 pillars of WAVE.
I am excited to hear about the great conversations happening between leaders and employees across Bethany through performance and coaching conversations, focusing on everyone’s growth and development. Embedded within performance management are our Standards for Service Excellence – the critical behaviours aligned with our core values that define how all Bethany employees are expected to show up to work each day and work effectively together in service of our residents, families, tenants and each other. 45 of our top leaders recently completed the first cohort of our Leadership Program, and we are committed to continuing the program and ensuring all leaders have the skills and knowledge necessary to support their employees. The success of our recently launched Recognition Awards program has exceeded all expectations, with so many nominations across the organization, including peer to peer recognition.
With the introduction of WAVE and our culture of Service Excellence, I have reflected on my career and the different organizational cultures that I have worked in. As a young female lawyer in a male dominated firm, you were rewarded for competing against your colleagues, resulting in a culture in which each person was concerned with their own success, often at the detriment of their co-workers. I also had the misfortune to work for an organization in which having a positive and friendly attitude was discouraged, and I was actually asked to stop smiling and “what do you have to smile about?” Needless to say, I didn’t stay there long. For me, it is critically important that my values are aligned with an organization’s values, and this alignment of core values were critical factors in my decision to work at Bethany.
To say that “We Action our Values Everyday” is not just a written statement on a poster, we are truly living into and embracing WAVE and our core values. Our success as an organization continues to be recognized, and I am so proud that Bethany was again recognized as one of Alberta’s Top Employer’s, making it 11 years in a row. Congratulations Bethany, and keep up the tremendous work!
If you have any questions, or would simply like to share your ideas, please contact me directly at lisa.watson@bethanyseniors.com.
Kindest regards,
– Lisa
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