Daily reports are a necessary fact of life in most organizations—and especially so in service agencies. These reports enumerate the mistakes, accidents and events that jeopardize the health of the company. The CEO and other responsible personnel who must read this daily litany of woes may find themselves living under a pall of gloom for the rest of the day. Research has shown that repeated negativity undermines focus, creativity, productivity and personal health—conditions that do not enhance any leader’s performance.
Several years ago, Trinity Services’ CEO Art Dykstra became acutely aware of how the daily fare of negative reports affected him and recognized that he often began his work with a completely skewed view of the agency. Dykstra decided that he also needed staff to report successes so that he gained a more balanced perception of agency-wide “health.” This entailed adding a section to the daily report that provided space for recording positive events. So, he asked his staff to find an antonym for “accident.”
Staff members searched diligently and found none. Undeterred, they began brainstorming. If there were no appropriate words for positive incidents, causes of celebration or occasions for joy, they would invent one. After some time, they settled upon “happident,” a marriage between “happy” and “incident.”
Armed with the new term, staff reorganized the daily report forms to include a section for recording positive accomplishments within the agency and began to infuse the previously gloomy reports with rays of sunshine, They reported stories of achievement—great and small—in the organization and in the lives of the people they serve.
For instance, staff now relate stories about individuals supported by the organization who have gotten jobs after many months of learning and practicing marketable skills. In other cases, clients are celebrated for having achieved difficult personal outcomes: some as basic as acquiring a new skill set, some as complex as re-establishing relationships with long lost family members. Often, the reports note the receipt of letters of appreciation from individuals served or from their families.
The daily reports also include organizational achievements, such as occasions when key performance indicators have been achieved or surpassed. The success of programs which significantly enhance revenue, the successful integration of newly arrived staff or clients, and the launching of new initiatives are all cause for celebration in the report.
In addition, the reports record the honors, awards or degrees earned by staff members. An agency committed to the development of social capital will celebrate honors given to staff by other organizations in the community, value the academic achievements of its members, and take pride in assisting other groups in reaching their own goals. These accomplishments not only lighten the tone of daily paperwork, they promote happier, more productive employees.
Needless to say, the regular accounts of happidents have changed the face of daily reports, provided a more reality-based view of the agency and brightened the morning atmosphere for Trinity’s leadership team.
Needless to say, the Family Ours program has become an integral–and welcome–part of the benefits offered to employees. For more information on the program, call Trinity’s Employee Services department at (815) 485-6197.