Excellence to Eminence

Aligning Behaviors

Below are Ohio State’s values with aligning behaviors. Use these examples to help define what actions demonstrate the values within your role.

• Connects own work with unit and university goals and priorities, and focuses on "blue chip" items. Meets commitments using all available resources.
• Continuously gains knowledge, builds skills, increases engagement and improves productivity.
• Seeks simple solutions to complex problems and considers alternatives before selecting a solution. Overcomes obstacles. Can make tough decisions and live with consequences.
• Focuses on the customer and increasing customer satisfaction.
• Identifies/participates in opportunities to serve the university and community.

Collaborating as One University

• Develops relationships across the university to share information, collaborate, and enhance the quality of work. Overcomes boundaries to enable collaboration and success.
• Involves others from different backgrounds/perspectives in decisions/plans to avoid surprises.
• Thinks creatively about challenges and issues, seeking multiple sources of input.
• Promotes teamwork through positive attitude and encouragement.
• Commits to team objectives and stays involved when confronted with challenges. Focuses on the greater good when making decisions.

Acting with Integrity and Personal Accountability

• Attends and effectively engages in work. Sets goals and achieves results. Produces results with limited guidance.
• Acknowledges reality, owns problems, finds solutions and gets on with the work. Takes initiative to share ideas, learn, and offer solutions.
• Conducts business in an ethical manner and adheres to our values, conduct guidelines, and policies and procedures.
• Takes responsibility for decisions, actions and results.
• Practices "be here now" to maximize creativity, productivity and quality.

Openness and Trust

• Communicates accurately and honestly in an open, candid and respectful manner. Listens to understand and build rapport. Admits mistakes and seeks to make improvements.
• Organizes and expresses ideas/information clearly. Promotes authenticity and transparency.
• Gives and receives feedback and coaching from multiple sources with candor and respect.
• Assumes positive intentions even in challenging situations. Resolves conflict in a timely, respectful and constructive manner.
• Encourages others to set challenging goals and high standards of performance. Celebrates the success of others and the team.

Diversity in People and Ideas

• Treats everyone with dignity, respect and fairness. Establishes and maintains respectful, trusting, cooperative relationships.
• Applies knowledge of other work styles and personal filters to enhance the work of the team.
• Promotes an inclusive work environment. Appreciates and seeks deeper understanding of each person’s unique contribution.
• Listens as a participant/supporter/coach rather than as an observer/critic/judge. Inspires others to stretch beyond what they thought they could do.

Change and Innovation

• Anticipates and prepares for change and changing demands. Anticipates internal/external customer needs and understands the customer perspective.
• Maintains curiosity, especially in difficult situations. Pursues creative and unique solutions. Asks questions and seeks information.
• Focuses on how something can be done instead of why it cannot. Takes risks, initiating action despite uncertainty of outcome.

Simplicity in Our Work

• Strives to make work simple and efficient. Acts resourcefully to ensure work is completed within specified time and quality parameters.
• Communicates in a clear, concise manner. Prepares for and contributes to effective meetings.
• Removes obstacles to move the work forward and/or get efforts back on track. Surfaces problems and issues before projects get derailed.
• Recognizes times when perfection is not necessary and moves on with the work.

Leadership

• Lives in alignment with our values. Connects work with unit and university goals and priorities.
• Is thoughtful about influence on others as one develops and delivers personalized health care.
• Understands everyone can have a leadership role, and doesn’t have to serve in a supervisory capacity to lead.
• Focuses on the customer and increasing customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrates the expectations set for the team, and “walks the talk.”
• Encourages others to assume leadership roles, and develop new skills.

Empathy and Compassion

• Is caring, respectful, and encouraging to your customers, your team and your colleagues.
• Is sensitive to individual needs, and accommodate different needs.
• Actively listens and seeks ways to improve the OSU Medical Center experience.
• Spends extra time with patients, families and colleagues when needed.
• Listens for understanding, and asks questions that get to the deeper meaning.
• Ties all work back to taking care of customers. Focuses on taking care of people rather than completing a task.
• Understands that the team and colleagues have responsibilities and interests outside of work.