Working the Robertson Way outlines the behaviours that everyone in Team Robertson should demonstrate to achieve effective individual performance and contribute to a high performing, successful team.
It’s based on our five guiding principles: we listen; we are professional; we take responsibility; we are determined to succeed; we are one team.
These describe your attitude and approach to work, i.e. how you go about tasks and activities, rather than what you do. By defining core and leadership behaviours we can set the benchmark for effective performance and future success.
The five principles support our organisational purpose and vision – the Robertson Way – and reflect how we should all go about business and interact with our colleagues, customers and communities each day.
Our core behaviours help us communicate what’s needed to successfully work the Robertson Way, in ways that can be observed, measured and supported.
The behaviours reflect our organisational principles and how we want everyone in Team Robertson to work, regardless of the role you perform. With clear definitions of expected behaviours, it’s easier to identify, assess and develop skills needed for specific roles, both for you and us.
In June 2019 we launched the Robertson Way, our organisational purpose, vision and five principles. Working the Robertson Way sets out how we can reflect our principles at work – the behaviours that have brought us success so far and make us Team Robertson.
Working the Robertson Way gives clarity about expectations and consistency in our approach to work, recruitment, performance and talent management, and learning and development.
By setting clear expectations around successful behaviours and empowering people to take charge of their own career goals and development, we believe we can retain and recruit the best talent for Robertson.
With the right people, we have the right team to support our organisational purpose, to assure a sustainable future.
Working the Robertson Way is not role specific. With core behaviours clearly linked to our principles, we believe that everyone in Team Robertson should be able to demonstrate many of these now, and go on to develop any further skills needed in their current or for a future role.
You don’t have to be in a leadership role to reflect leadership behaviours, so we encourage you to read through Leading the Robertson Way and agree with your People Leader the behaviours most beneficial in your role.
There was unanimous agreement across focus groups that this would be the best fit for the business: core behaviours which are relevant across Team Robertson and leadership behaviours which are optional and for employees who want to progress their personal development and career with Robertson.
Leading the Robertson Way encourages leadership at all levels – everyone in Team Robertson can engage in leadership behaviours, even if they don’t hold a formal leadership role.
The leadership behaviours build on core behaviours outlined in Working the Robertson Way. These should help you understand more about your individual strengths and identify skills to underpin performance in your current role or develop behaviours for success in a future role.
These leadership behaviours will also support us in developing a common leadership approach across Robertson, setting out the behaviours you can expect from your People Leader that will support the Robertson Way.
“You manage things; you lead people”
A manager is responsible for the management of resources (including people) and predictable tasks such as allocating workload, organising employees, evaluating output and giving direction.
Leadership is defined as the capacity to influence people to achieve a common goal, inspire employees, and create positive outcomes for individuals, teams, organisations and wider stakeholders.
At Robertson we expect our People Leaders to be able to both lead and manage their teams. You should be able to lead your team to achieve our purpose whilst ensuring the day-to-day operational activities that underpin our vision are completed successfully.
By utilising Leading the Robertson Way you can ensure that you’re developing and demonstrating leadership behaviours that successfully support you, your team and Robertson in assuring a sustainable future.
By using a behaviours-based interview approach, we can identify people who share the same principles and behaviours, and will be a good fit for Robertson.
The behaviours in Working the Robertson Way are both realistic and aspirational, so some you’ll achieve easily while others need more effort. We hope they’ll encourage you to self-reflect on your performance and take ownership of your development.
Use the core and leadership behaviours to help you prepare for your 1-2-1s and Performance Development Reviews (PDRs) with your People Leader and use these as a chance to talk about any skills gaps or development opportunities.
Working the Robertson Way is a guide and not prescriptive – there’s room for flexibility. If there are behaviours you think are important to your role but not listed, discuss these with your People Leader and agree how you can incorporate them into your development plan.
As a People Leader you have a responsibility to ensure that Working the Robertson Way forms part of the people management processes you’re involved in, including:
Recruitment
Performance Development Review (PDR)
Learning and Development
Career Development
