Looking back over the columns I have written in the past few months, a reader could get the impression that I put the majority of responsibility on management's shoulders for productivity, profits and to create the right type of work environment for employees: allowing them to have flexible schedules, not forcing them to come up with excuses for being late, adding levity to the workplace and having policies that aren't overly strict. This impression is, in fact, largely accurate. But I am also very much pro-employee.

Not only is being pro-employee the humane way to conduct business, but there is also a compelling business case for creating and maintaining a work environment that leads to happy, engaged employees: increased productivity, innovation, and profits, to name a few. I expect a lot of management (which in my case also means that I expect a lot of myself), but that does not mean that I do not have any expectations of employees.

My first expectation is that employees understand that simply showing up is not enough. If showing up were equivalent to a grade in school, it would be an F. No company is going to perform well if it gives employees too much credit for simply being there. Especially in knowledge-worker based work environments, even showing up on time is not necessarily a big cause for celebration. Employee A could always be the first one in the building and the last one to leave but provide awful customer service and deliver lackluster work.

Employee B could come and go with less consistency but provide outstanding service and incredible work. In many companies, it would be Employee A who would get rewarded, while Employee B might be chastised for not being on time.

Showing up is not what employees should get credit for. The bigger question for employees is: what are they actually doing when they are at work and how well are they doing it?

If just showing up equates to an F, then doing the bare minimum level of work would be a C. Companies that employ a lot of "C" level employees are going to gravitate more toward mediocrity than excellence. Whether for-profit or non-profit, to be successful companies consistently need to innovate and find ways to do more with less. This requires that employees give more than an average amount of energy, creativity, and passion to a job.

I expect the employees that work for our company to treat their job as more than "just a job." If they cannot get excited about the work they do, then there is no reason for them to work for us.

At my company, we take those basic expectations of employees a step further - 12 steps further in fact. As our organizational culture evolved over the past couple of years, it became clear that we were developing a strong value system around which our employees naturally rallied. Taking a cue from Zappos.com, we decided that we needed to formalize those values and write them down. We asked our employees for input on our core values and using the Zappos.com core values as inspiration, we came up with a list of 12 core values that all employees (management included) are expected to live by.

We expect every employee to: Deliver "WOW!" Through Service; Create Fun and a little Wackiness; Drive and Embrace Change; Be Creative, Open-Minded, and Adventurous; Be Passionate and Determined; Be Curious and Motivated to Learn; Add an Ounce of Sparkle to Everything; Build Open and Honest Relationships; Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit; Do More with Less; Be Generous; and Be Humble.

To demonstrate our commitment to our core values, we've now integrated them into our hiring and interviewing processes, our employee management and annual review processes, and our daily work.

Every employee, from the receptionist to the CEO, is expected to follow those same 12 values. Like anyone trying to live and work by a set of guidelines, we are not always perfect at it, but it gives us something to strive for and align around.

At least we know that we do not settle for just showing up.

Jessica H. Lawrence is the CEO of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, a non-profit serving 15,000 girls and 5,000 adult volunteers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. She can be reached at jlawrence@gssgc.org.