From Words to Empowerment: Embrace the Power of a Promise

Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.' — Author Hannah Arendt. In a complex world of remote work, generational differences, racial inequities, social media and a growing distrust of government — what better way than a promise to deliver predictable and reliable outcomes? Like many businesses, Toho Water Authority (Toho), a utility located in Central Florida, had a Vision, Mission, Values. This 'tried and true' set of statements highlighted what every utility is about — reliability, cost effectiveness, excellence, and protecting public health and the environment. While fitting for budgets, websites, financial reports and other official documents, statements like this are rarely remembered and often don't resonate with employees. How then, can this approach be expected to drive alignment and connection to targeted outcomes? In order to reflect the passion of public service that we strive to deliver, we retooled to adopt a succinct mantra called the 'Toho Promise' — a measuring stick for all of the utility's 350 employees. We will share the highlights of this journey. During this interactive presentation featuring specific successes and challenges, attendees will learn about transforming this simple idea into a winning strategy. Lessons learned will highlight milestones and revisions that led to the transformation through change management tools that can be adapted to help other utilities create executable plans and realize the customer value of having a company promise, beyond a company vision and mission statement. Daily Promises Kept Through the transformative journey, this Florida utility discovered that the Promise connects with its employees, reflecting the values, behaviors, and culture that public servants embody — most importantly transforming a philosophy into an actionable expectation for every day and every action. Through a methodical process, the Promise was unveiled and rewritten until streamlined — read 'simplified.' Ten words, three audiences and a powerful commitment. Undaunted by brevity, the tone was deliberate and the simplicity memorable. Employee photos further personified the intention of the words. The most powerful part of the promise was the morale building ideal that, no matter an employee's role or function within the organization, they were responsible for Toho keeping its Promise. That newfound power enhanced pride in workmanship and commitment to overall customer satisfaction that actively resides within all facets of the utility today. Principles and Priorities Added To enhance the Promise, Toho outlined four Priorities — 1) Providing safe and reliable services, 2) Protecting the environment, 3) Delivering value, and 4) Investing in the future. Our employees then defined a set of Principles they would put to work every day — taking ownership of 'how' Toho delivers on its Promise. The essentials from these steps will be shared with attendees who can takeaway lasting impacts and lessons learned using an interactive approach sure to inspire others who may be seeking similar solutions. Tools used as part of this change management process will be shared and highlighted. Toho's Promise is more than a statement. Even as our organization grows in service area, as new employees join the organization, and as our demographics change, it is who we are and who we want to continue to be. It is how Our Customers, Our Community, Our Employees Trust that Toho Cares.