Tom Warsop III took over as CEO of The Warranty Group in 2012. Tom was a panelist at the February 19 HRMAC event titled: Perspectives from the New CEO: Setting the Course. The panel discussion featured three CEOs who were all relatively new in their positions. They discussed their different approaches to positive changes that they implemented after taking the helm. In the panel discussion, Tom Warsop shared that they had to stop using the word “goal“. It was a word that didn’t work in his organization. Here’s how and why he changed the word.
The G-Word Replaced by the C-Word
At The Warranty Group, the road to positive change began by replacing “goals” with “commitments“. Before you set out to do the same, it’s important to understand the scenario and the reasons for the change in language.
A Misused Tool
Preparing for the Low Jump Event?
Tom found that the goals in the organization were traditionally set so low that anyone who showed up and demonstrated minor competency would achieve their goals and thereby get his/her bonus. The CFO was accountable for closing the books on time. Nothing more. Another department’s top goal was maintaining clean desks. “People were standing around waiting to be told what to do” – once their desks were clear. In effect:
Goals = Showing Up and Doing the Minimum
So to instill real accountability for some genuine achievements, they scrapped the word “goals“ in favor of “commitments”. In their culture, there was no real goal achievement. The word meant showing-up and neatly going through the motions. Now it’s more about commitment and accountability in order to achie bigger and better things.
The Moral
Everyone knows what a goal is, right? The fact is that words mean different things to different people. And if the important words you’re using don’t work with your audience, it’s time for a change. If your organization runs like 5-year-old kids soccer or T-ball league where no one keeps score and everyone gets a participation trophy, your survival may depend on developing more accountability. If a change in language is needed to support it, at least you can create an environment where people can genuinely win. Otherwise the word goal can and still will work when used effectively.
Epilogue
While The Warranty Group stopped using the word “goal” internally, Tom Warsop did share that their goal was to be recognized as “the best place to work”. And if your idea of a best place to work is being bonus-ed merely for keeping your desk clean, you’ll now need to look elsewhere.
The G-Word Replaced by the C-Word
