Team members who believe deeply in what a company stands for and in the talents of their colleagues generate a feeling of organizational pride. When people feel pride they experience a boost in self-esteem and confidence and work harder to achieve the outcomes central to the organization or team’s mission. Pride is the rocket fuel of superior performance.
Fostering the pride of team members is something good leaders are purposeful about. They encourage colleagues to first build personal pride through the quality of their work. Building a reputation for great work is what prideful people do. That means putting their names and reputations behind everything they produce or contribute to. When great work is recognized by leaders, this pride creates a personal accountability to perform to the highest potential.
Once prideful about their own work, team members are quick to become prideful of the organization or team when they understand how that work contributes to the larger mission. Getting others to know why what they do matters is the job of effective leaders. Showing team members the impact of their work on colleagues and customers turbocharges pride.
When team members feel pride in themselves, their colleagues, and the organization, they experience a feeling of deep pleasure and satisfaction when collaborating on work. Those who are proud of what they do take a more active role in making others better. They naturally take ownership for everyone’s work product, as they believe it reflects on their own.
Leaders who find new and novel ways to foster a deeper connection between team members and the work they do together enhance pride for everyone. Engagement and performance rockets up as pride grows. Great cultures are always prideful cultures. You can’t get to great any other way.
