Are you demonstrating your greatest strengths?

A few years ago, I participated as part of an examiner team conducting a site visit to evaluate an organization using the Baldrige Excellence Framework®. In preparation for the site visit, the team thoroughly reviewed the organization’s application over several weeks and identified key themes, strengths, and opportunities for improvement. We believed our assessment was comprehensive and anticipated that the site visit would merely confirm our findings. However, we were pleasantly surprised by one specific discovery.

 

When we arrived at the facility, we could immediately feel a sense of community, not just with the individuals who worked there, but with their clients, families of clients, and people providing products and services to the organization. Over the next several days, we became acutely aware of how much the organization meant to the local community. The organization provides financial support to initiatives that promote community wellness. Its employees are engaged in the community and always willing to assist residents and help their fellow neighbors. Additionally, the leadership team is recognized for its accessibility and positive reputation within the community. As palpable as this commitment to the community is, it was not a strength the team had recognized prior to the visit.

 

What struck me after the site visit was that one of this organization’s most remarkable strengths was not mentioned in their application. This led me to reflect; often, an organization’s greatest strengths are so deeply woven into its culture, they go unnoticed or

are taken for granted simply because they are part of what the organization does best and are integral to its identity.

 

When you are developing a TPE/Baldrige application, it should exhibit your organization’s maturity relative to the Baldrige Excellence Framework®, and it should demonstrate your organization’s greatest strengths. Are you telling the right story in your application?

• Are you showing processes that are systematic and aligned with your strategic objectives?
• Are you exhibiting how the organization is leveraging its core competencies?
• Are your strengths reflected in your results?
• Are you demonstrating your strategic advantages and competitive advantages in the marketplace?
• If your performance is better than your competitors, is it evident?
• Have you woven your strengths throughout your application, so they are obvious? Your greatest strengths should stand out and be easily recognized by people outside the organization.

As you consider these questions, what one action could you take to improve your TPE/Baldrige application?

 

Margot L. Hoffman, Ph.D.

President & CEO

The Partnership for Excellence