At Inspirien, culture is the sum of its people. So, the way we assess the overall wellbeing of Inspirien is through the employees who drive its success.
In January 2021, the company launched Inspire Success which is Inspirien’s employee performance and rewards program dedicated to creating a coaching culture that aligns collaborative discussion in ways that challenge Inspirien and its employees to achieve their full potential. This is achieved by focusing on each employee’s personal growth while driving performance for the success of Inspirien. Ultimately rewarding the employee by supporting them in their personal growth as they work toward achieving their dreams and the dreams of Inspirien through its Mission, Vision and Values. The critical component that differentiates Inspire Success is that it is up to the employee to take accountability for their performance and not Inspirien. This allows for optimal performance to be showcased and recognized while poor performance becomes evident as well. The sphere of influence rests with all the people who make Inspirien successful instead of being focused on any one individual or a select few who “manage”.
Performance is iterative and evolving at Inspirien. It begins when an employee is hired. The intent is to get each employee to optimal levels of performance in the activities outlined within their job descriptions. These contributions are meant to bring about the profitability of Inspirien through its strategic initiatives. Experience is the other side of the equation. It is found where people and process meet. Since every employee at Inspirien is considered a leader, all employees are involved in the strategic development process through annual planning and engagement. This requires collaboration and feedback. Annual Planning includes goal setting, budgeting, and company alignment. Engagement consists of goal communication through multi-faceted coaching encounters which include cross-functional, 1-1, team, and in the moment discussions. This is where we engage verbally. We also provide written feedback through surveys three times per year. These are not performance reviews, and do not have financial compensation tied to them. They are intended to be a component of the coaching process which provides a mechanism for 360˚ performance feedback in a meaningful way that helps the employee and Inspirien.
Rewards come to those who plan and engage in Inspirien’s success. They take the form of Salary, Profit Sharing, Career Advancement, Benefits, and Exceptional Awards. While these may not appear too different than other programs in name, they have some unique elements in their intent and process at Inspirien. For example, the exceptional awards were created to acknowledge the accomplishments of those who are challenging themselves and others to be exceptional on an individual and team basis. Another example is career advancement where each employee creates their own path that looks more like a rock-climbing wall instead of a career ladder. Finally, Inspirien believes in sharing the profits with employees, but holds employees accountable for understanding how that profit is generated. This is no small feat and takes a significant amount of education through our disciplines of Innovation, Operations and Business Economics.
Inspire Success came out of collaboration and leadership training with all employees which later was delegated to a designated group of employee volunteers who make up the current Inspire Success Team. They are challenged to continue to refine the process, because performance is a journey and not a destination. If you are interested in hearing more about Inspire Success, please continue to follow us through our blog or on any of our social media channels.