A Core Value a Day...Produces Pressed Pants

The best way to build company culture is to do it in five-minute segments once a day. Perhaps you've heard of the "Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards." Each and every day at the Ritz, the entire staff meets in a five minute daily huddle to discuss a Gold Standard, one of twenty Gold Standards which are short statements about the core values of the Ritz-Carlton which everyone is expected to live up to. Every twenty days they repeat the process, ad infinitum. The rotating repetitive reminders really reinforce the core values of the company and establish the Ritz-Carlton culture.

Sounds great, right? But does it work in the real world of small and mid-size companies? Absolutely. Two of my Inner Circle clients recently started their own version after I passed along the Ritz-Carlton program at a meeting. Five minute huddles every day, a different principle each day. When all the principles are covered, start over.

Here's the proof that it works. An teenager ironed his pants for the first time.

The teenage son of the receptionist of one the members trying this, works in one of the restaurants he owns. She came home from work one day and found the iron and ironing board left out. Seems that the son, who she admits is something of a slob, used it to iron his uniform pants for work that day. She was incredulous and asked him what induced him to do something he had never done before. His response, “Mom, our daily huddle today was ‘Uniforms, Crisp and Clean’” "Uniforms, Crisp and Clean" is one of the statements he uses to convey the company core value of being presentable and professional for customers.

Both members spent lots of time developing the statements, and faced resistance at the initiation of their programs. Let’s face it; a daily five-minute meeting seems pretty silly. But after the initial round, everyone is happy. Morale is up, service is better, new employees get up to speed faster, and teamwork is enhanced. Lots of other training programs have been eliminated. And business is up! The reinforcing reminders really work!

There’s got to be something to this, if it can get a teenager to press his pants without being told.