1,000+ Brilliant People Leading the Transformation

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As promised, at key milestones along the way, I’d share the NorQuest Culture journey with you. You may recall how much work we put into refreshing the college purpose and values. Well, the infusion process (we call it The Quest), which I wrote about a few blogs ago, is well underway. This is an update:

What: The NorQuest purpose and values (we call our Q’s) are being fully discussed in cohorts of approximately 50 to 60 people, from all parts of the college. We just finished part one of a two part series on May 22. See the published purpose statement and Q’s included (beautifully designed, internally in the brand/marketing shop). For 2.5 hours, using slide presentations and discussions in Zoom breakout rooms, we dug into the purpose and Q’s together. The people were highly engaged, and every cohort added to the momentum of the previous one.

So What?: As lovely as the digital design of the purpose and Q’s are, the real value is when they come off the page and ideally make a personal connection with each NorQuester. They need to be put to work daily by each of us, regardless of role or level. Otherwise they stay glued to the walls, and soon fade at best, or become dartboards for cynicism at worst. We discussed what it means to be a purpose driven college and invited participants to discuss the meaning and relevance to their work function. Stories and examples were facilitated. Additionally, we connected our brand new recognition platform, called Difference Makers, to the Q’s. People use the recognition platform to show appreciation by specifically describing the Q behaviors in action. It’s a WOW!

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Now What?: All 1,000 plus are returning, starting this week, and have signed up for part two of the Quest. To translate from awareness into action, people in smaller cohorts of about 20 are asked to bring specific examples and stories of how they personally have put the purpose and Q’s to work. It’s going to be awesome. This demonstrates real commitment by the leadership and 1,000 people are NOT waiting for the mysterious “THEY” to lead the transformation. It is NOT an event, compliance training or a marketing campaign. Everyone is off the bleachers and in the arena, making the culture transformation real, and vital to the ongoing success of NorQuest.

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now.

Lorne

Note: This past week I resigned from my role as a Chief Culture and Transformation Officer to become a Culture Advisor. This was my decision, and the right thing to do for both the college and me. I’m very proud of what my team accomplished over the year. And the culture movement has great momentum. I look forward to playing a key guiding role in my new capacity as advisor, as the movement continues to accellerate.

One Millennial View: It’s one thing to say you’ll partake in a transformation, and another to actually do it. Especially when 1,000 individuals are involved. It’s been cool to see this journey come as far as it has, and I look forward to hearing about where the momentum goes from here.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

1,000+ Brilliant People Leading the Transformation

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