• Develop a critical list of values and beliefs that your organization will live by. Be tenacious about hiring employees that share these values.  Employees who can not support this value structure should have assistance finding employment elsewhere. A program with no teeth has no value. While diversity can be a good thing, fundamental incompatibilities in value structures and beliefs (in organizations, like in marriage) is the greatest detriment to a harmonious and productive life.

• Walk the talk.  There is no greater way to build and maintain credibility than to be what you say everyone else should be. 

• Management must work in partnership with their employees develop a workforce with the essential values and belief structures that support optimal human performance and enhanced job satisfaction.  Managers must become coaches for their subordinates and be willing to investigate new ways of helping inviduals get their outcome while delivering the expected outcome to the organization.

• Investigate and implement new approaches to employee education, program development and compensation that will be critical for meeting the challenges that businesses face in the new millennium. Management must provide rewards for employees that are consistent with their expectations. Many companies wish to be first in class and deliver first in class results, however, they feel that it is good enough to have employee compensation can "meet" the industry average.  It is neither realistic nor reasonable to have this type of incongruency deliver the results expected.  And it directly violates the principle of trust/ walking the talk. 

• Corporations must be committed to developing environments that are supportive of outstanding health and fitness for employees. The sedentary life of corporations is destructive to health and perpetuates stress. Corporations know it costs them millions in healthcare premiums, what they are underestimating is the cost to productivity and creativity. Fitness centers, aerobics classes, and cafeterias with healthy food plans are not just perks, they are essential programs for fostering fit and healthy employees who can make significant contributions to an organization.

• Develop a death to Dilbert campaign. If you find that Dilbert seems to be cropping up in your organization, then take action to identify the issues related to supporting that "fact" of your corporate life and commit yourself to make the changes necessary to drive it to extinction. «

Cay Villars is President of Market Value Concepts (MVC), a consulting firm that provides executive coaching, training, and contract services for marketing and business development.  Market Value Concepts is the sponsor of the BioTactics Reference Web. Cay would welcome your comments and suggestions for this article. cvillars@biotactics.com.