WORKPLACE EXCEPTIONALISM TRAINING

No organization aspires to be good, as captured by the Jim Collins best-seller; everyone wants to go from “Good” to “Great”. At Respectful Employer, we believe that creating a culture of “exceptionalism” is key to innovation, enhanced collaboration, teamwork, and individual motivation. No degree of supervisory attention can fully make up for a deficit in “collective culture pride” — a shared set of values that tie all employees together. We offer training sessions and inspirational presentations in a variety of formats — small team vs. large townhall setting, junior staff vs. senior staff, virtual vs. in-person. The goals of these sessions are to motivate both individual and team-oriented exceptional performance. Our principals and advisors have extensive leadership experience as part of well-regarded employee cultures.

In many instances, more junior staff, staff in certain roles, and staff from non-standard backgrounds fail to feel relevant to the organization’s success. Our training is aimed at increasing every employee’s understanding of their relevance and also ensuring that other leaders and colleagues reinforce this attitude via their daily actions. We know of situations, for example, where an Executive Assistant or front-office receptionist was the difference in securing a client contract. The key is equipping every employee with the belief and the motivation to have such impacts. We also aim to increase every employee’s standard of excellence for themselves by giving them the tools to set and evaluate higher personal impact standards. Too often individuals feel they have earned the right to move to higher organizational levels because their view of a superior performance is not shared by the higher-ranking members of the organization. Reducing this gap in perspectives enhances retention and reduces workplace conflict, disillusionment, and legal actions. We also focus our content on helping each individual understand what it means to be a part of a winning team, and not just a great individual performer.  

At Respectful Employer, we believe that our exceptionalism training helps organizations create more talent from the talent they already have, in addition to developing a recruiting advantage as the reputation for an exceptional culture becomes widespread. When employees come to believe that they are a part of something unique and they are also viewed as being exceptional, their commitment to the small tasks increases. Going to “work” becomes a misnomer; they are going to do something far more important to their personal esteem.

A sampling of our training offerings:

Cross Unit Collaboration: in many organizations, the employees of different departments or regions view one another as rivals or combatants when they should be working in harmony. Utilizing case studies and interactive discussions, members of different groups enhance their collaborative and respectful tendencies.

After the Merger: combining cultures after two small units or entire organizations are merged together is a challenging task. Through research, and a series of confidential and group interview sessions, our experts help identify the potential mindsets and policies that could hinder optimal teamwork within the merged entity.

The Respectful Hierarchy: many organizations treat “support staff” in ways that reduce staff engagement and productivity. This training module coaches employees in the more favored skill groups on being more inclusive and respectful while maintaining the clear lines of authority that mission success requires.

Bystander Intervention Training: through interactive scenarios and expert guidance, participants gain the tools, and the motivation, to intervene when they see misconduct, creating a culture of accountability, trust, and collective responsibility. 

Organizational Resilience: individual and team burnout can result in a toxic environment and elevated turnover rates. This training session teaches teams and leaders how to cultivate a purpose-driven organizational culture that boosts well-being, optimizes performance, and strengthens resilience. This workshop includes interactive team exercises and individual self-reflection.