How to Succeed at Work

Illustration from Valve Handbook for New Employees

Last month the successful game software design company Valve posted its Employee Handbook on the Internet. For an unconventional firm, perhaps the document isn’t so unusual. However, what I did find unique is the clear, creative, and informative manner in which Valve leaders share the necessary information about how to be successful working in the culture of their organization. Not very "corporate" in the traditional thinking about an Employee Handbook. Yet, the information and underlying principles are helpful and timeless for individuals interested in, or engaged in, a career with Valve.

As you will note if you read the booklet, it’s a quick and interesting read. I found myself comparing it to a book I was given when I began my career with CH2M Hill: Jim's Little Yellow Book. The book was a small, pocket-sized booklet designed and written by Jim Howland, one of the firm’s founders, to share the values on which the firm was established. CH2M Hill still continues to honor the messages captured in Jim’s Little Yellow Book by giving every new employee a copy. The messages are brief, real and quickly reflect the values CH2M Hill expects in workplace relationships, behaviors and decisions.

Considering the Value Handbook principles and reminiscing about the power of Jim’s Little Yellow Book in making you feel part of the organization also got me thinking about a client, who I now consider a friend, who often mentions, "One day I’m going to write Bob’s Little Red Book on Management." Jim’s and Bob’s desire to share insights into behaviors important for an employee to succeed is a wonderful legacy to leave any organization, as well as a strategic component to any on-boarding process. I’m so thrilled to know that Jim’s book still is honored by CH2M Hill, as the values he shared transcend time. I do hope one day Bob will find the time to get his book written; what a fun project that would be to collaborate on.

On-Boarding with a Balance of Regulations and Reality

I know that in order to be in compliance with employment regulations and legal counsel advice, the traditional messages need to be conveyed to employees. These include important philosophies such as: we don’t support harassment of any kind, we offer a variety of benefits, and we support and embrace practices that align with equal employment opportunities. But perhaps we should start thinking about how to offer the regulations as well as insights about the culture - the real key to successfully fulfilling the expectations of the organization.

Creative designs of on-boarding programs certainly need to include the "official company process book information," but just as important, the program should include the stories and insights of organizational leaders and colleagues relative to the "handbook for success." And let’s not forget the importance of owning the career roadmap.  The Valve approach includes a six-month plan along with mentoring and performance feedback. The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins offers some great strategies for mapping out a plan for getting new employees started on the right foot. 

A Holistic View of On-Boarding

On-boarding isn’t an orientation exercise. The philosophies of an on-boarding program should be integrated into the entire employment cycle. Along with the philosophies, the organization also needs to provide employees with meaningful metrics. To ensure fit throughout the cycle of sourcing, hiring, on-boarding, career development, performance management and career advancement functions, employees need a yard stick by which to measure their values and alignment with those of the organization. Nothing really stays the same, so a periodic alignment check-in is a valuable exercise. Change provides growth, opportunities, and more change. So taking the time for a ‘self-check’ to examine how he/she is contributing to the organization’s mission, as well as the organization assessing and updating employees’ about what it takes to succeed is a valuable process. In both assessments, a big piece of the reflections should be about fit – both cultural and technical.

For Valve, growth and development squarely resides in the hands of each employee. According to the Advancement vs Growth section, "We believe that high-performance people are generally self-improving." Valve is clear they are striving to cultivate teams of talented people who are curious about learning. Not only learning what is needed for a promotion, but learning about what others do so they can be more effective in producing products for their customers. To fit in this culture an individual must be dedicated and committed to driving their own development and not shy about making things happen to get the experience and education required for future success.

HR’s Role in Communicating Culture

From the perspective of an employee looking to get re-energized or a candidate thinking about joining a firm, offering a window into the organization’s culture is priceless. As HR professionals we do a lot of talking about ‘fit,’ but are we doing everything we can to ensure that the values and work culture are also shared, discussed, and evaluated in the ‘fit’ conversations? Perhaps a review of current recruitment and on-boarding materials, processes and mentoring options is called for. Examine what is being offered with an eye to:

• Illustrating the culture
• Providing guidance for successful performance
• Ensuring it is presented in a format that resonates with the culture as well as the communication styles of the generation of new workers

Reflect Your Organization’s Values

I hope I have tweaked your interest about the learnings to be gleaned from this non-traditional handbook. Are you curious about what they’ve included? I think what Value has produced, and is open to sharing with others, provides a great example for all of us to think outside the box. When it’s all said and done, Value’s handbook beautifully illustrates a culture expecting self-motivation, risk-taking, teamwork, innovation, creativity, open communications, work/life balance, fairness and the importance of customer relationships.

What would the employee "handbook for success" in your organization contain? What kinds of stories, advice and illustrations could you use to quickly transfer the appropriate insights for success? Take a few minutes to check it out.

As always, I welcome your comments to my posting. Please click below. If you found this article helpful, I’m very happy for you to pass it along to others. Have a great week.



This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and OD/HR Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are passionate about designing and developing creative "people programs" such as on-boarding programs which foster engagement, successful performance, productivity and customer satisfaction. Contact Debbie for more information at Debbie@evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.