Photo Credit: Arizona Diamondbacks
If you’ve ever considered bringing in leadership training to your organization and wondered if real returns would be realized, then we want to share recent news of the Arizona Diamondbacks (our client) recognized yet again for their success in the areas of workplace culture, social responsibility, customer opinion, innovation and leadership excellence. The most recent award given by AzBusiness Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ recognized 10 Arizona companies excelling in each of these areas and honored them with the Spotlight Award. “We are proud to be named among the best in Arizona once again,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “Workplace culture is very important to me and our entire leadership team at the D-backs. Our Team Players (employees) always come first, and a strong company culture is imperative to prevail both on and off the field. Our D-backs family bond is unmatched and has proven to be a competitive advantage for us in our industry and allows us to better serve our surrounding community.”
A WINNING TRACK RECORD
It was the seventh time the D-backs have been honored as a Most Admired Company at the 10th annual event that recognizes the contributions and impact Arizona companies bring to the state of Arizona. In 2013, AzBusiness Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ awarded the D-backs the Workplace Culture Award as the top company that excels in workplace culture and in 2011, the D-backs were given the Leadership Spotlight Award. The latest honor follows other similar awards bestowed upon the organization, including a spot among the Valley’s “Best Places to Work” for 12 consecutive years by the Phoenix Business Journal and named among the Top 3 in “Best Places to Work” by Ranking Arizona (2015-2017). In 2017, the D-backs were named among the Top 100 Companies by BestCompaniesAZ for their 15th anniversary of the award. Forbes magazine also named the D-backs as one of the best sports franchises to work for across the country.
THE CORE VALUES FOUNDATION
D-backs Team Players operate under core values established by the leadership team that provide a true framework for effective decision-making. Those values include investing in the people who work for the organization, cultivating and enhancing relationships with employees, establishing integrity by accepting individual and collective responsibility, foster learning throughout the organization while considering outside points of view, and expecting positive results from the organization both on and off the field. Culture is also one of the five areas of focus within the organization’s Circle of Success.
Photo Credit: Arizona Diamondbacks
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Last season, the team incorporated a yearlong Leadership Academy program facilitated by Joseph Walsh, VP of People and Culture that provides growth and development opportunities to selected Team Players throughout the organization. The D-backs Leadership Academy provides each Team Player with the time and resources (internal & external) to continue his/her leadership development and collaboration skills specifically around: leading self/individuals/teams, connection, reflection, inspiration, strategy, tactics, assessments, skill-building, and D-backs Business & Baseball Operations. The Leadership Academy concept is something Derrick Hall, President and CEO, has been working on for many years as a way to develop talent and differentiate the organization. People & Performance Strategies is grateful to be part of this incredible leadership development program providing assessments and facilitation focused on increasing communication skills. The Diamondbacks continued to focus on much more than just the product they put on the baseball field, is setting an example for other sports organizations and can inspire companies in any industry. We could not be happier for their success and wish them many years of high performance and high reward.