John Good Group is a company that is rooted in its heritage, and at the same time, in the future. Their philosophy brings this together by saying that “every day is an opportunity to celebrate the past and create bold new plans for the future.” This is evident in how they help businesses grow in sustainable ways, and in how they help their people in their strategic and innovative HR programs.
A perfect example of this is their ‘Living the Dream’ program, which I first heard about when Rachel Lowe, Chief People Officer, posted about it on LinkedIn. I was so impressed and intrigued that I immediately messaged Rachel, asking if I could interview her to learn more about it. Here’s what she and Chloe Lawson, Junior People Advisor, shared with me.
What is Living the Dream?
Living the Dream is John Good Group’s new people initiative that was developed as a way to show appreciation to their people by providing them with the opportunity to have a life-changing experience.
As Rachel and Chloe jointly explained, “We all have those dreams, aspirations, or unique experiences on our bucket list that we’ve been longing to achieve. At John Good Group, we want to change that, offering our employees the opportunity to make one of these dreams a reality completely on us. If you can dream it, we will make it happen.”
This special initiative takes place twice a year during our Summer and Christmas social events. During each event, one lucky employee’s name will be drawn, and they will win the experience of their lifetime. From the extravagant to the tame - flying a plane, scuba diving in The Great Barrier Reef, racing in a Lamborghini, trekking the Great Wall of China - employees enter their dream, and the company makes it happen.
The first winner was selected at their Christmas party, with their dream being to learn how to surf on Bondi Beach, Australia. And the second winner was just selected at their Summer BBQ, with their dream being to see the lantern festival and wash elephants in Bali. Brilliant!
Why did you put ‘Living the Dream’ in place?
At John Good Group, their mission isn’t just about professional success, they’re dedicated to enhancing the personal lives of their employees as well. They do this through a variety of programs and initiatives (more on this below), but Adam Walsh, their new CEO, wanted to do something more. He wanted to put in place a new form of recognition, something everyone would love, and something to create memories to associate back to the company, especially as they continue to grow.
The result was the introduction of the ‘Living The Dream’ initiative. It most certainly meets the objective of enhancing the life of the winner, giving them the opportunity to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but even for those who don't win, they have that special moment of dreaming of their experience as they all wait for their name to be selected.
How have your employees reacted to the program?
There has been a real energy about the ‘Living the Dream’ program. According to Lowe, “It’s become the talking point in the staff breakout areas, with them sharing stories of what they want to do.”
This sense of energy has also gone into how they announce the winner, not merely calling out a name, but building up momentum and excitement. For the first reveal,
“We wanted to build up the excitement in the room by not revealing the name straight away, but by announcing which business within the group the winner was from, and then revealing their dream, and finally the name,” said Lawson. For the most recent reveal, their CEO did it slightly differently, calling up to the stage everyone from group, then joked and said, “it’s none of you.” He then called forward employees from the winning Operating Company, and this time said, “it is one of you,” getting them all excited. Finally, he revealed the dream and the winner, love it!
What other initiatives and programs do you have?
The ‘Living the Dream’ program does not stand alone, for at John Good Group they have a variety of other programs to show their employees that they value and support them. Here are just a few that stand out:
Long service recognition - Their approach to long service is unique and aligns with their mission and values. First, because it begins at year 1, which is very different to many organizations. And second, because like the ‘Living the Dream’ program it also focuses on experiences and memories, with employees receiving vouchers for experience days in different ways and amounts based on their anniversary year.
Charitable programs - The Matthew Good Foundation was created after Matthew Good’s death in June 2011 during a charity marathon. Matthew was part of the John Good Group family business and had a strong desire to create a positive impact on employees and communities. The Foundation supports their employees’ charitable activities in a variety of unique and meaningful ways, including monthly draws to win donations for the charity of their choice, championing small voluntary initiatives, double matching staff fundraising efforts, and providing funds and guidance to start their own grass-roots projects.
Let me end by thanking John Good Group for sharing their story with me, and now with you. I hope it inspires you to find your own ways to support your people in creating memories and experiences.
Please contact me if you'd like to discuss how you can create innovative and effective reward and recognition programs at your company.
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