December 9, 2021
What About Culture
Culture can be an amorphous term. I think about culture as the beliefs that shape behavior. This is true in any country, company, organization, or family. Most of the time, how someone acts reflects their belief about what action is appropriate. So the way individuals or groups behave is a reflection of their mindset.
If you want to work on culture in your company, you need to focus on the following:
Values - You probably have values that are completely underused. Dust them off and make sure they are still relevant to your company today. Explain what they mean in detail (instead of just compiling some terms with taglines).- Beliefs - Define the beliefs that reflect each of the values. Determine what beliefs get in the way of the kinds of behaviors you want to see. If being customer centric is a value, write out what beliefs come with it. Maybe it's the belief that the customer has a valuable perspective and that what they are trying to accomplish is important.
- Behaviors - Decide what the values and beliefs look like behaviorally. If you value respect for each person on your team, you might consider the policy of returning emails and calls within 24 hours (unless there’s an emergency) as an action that backs up the value. Or create the expectation that critique must be focused on a situation, behavior, or issue, not an individual.
To develop and maintain a healthy company culture, start by defining your values and determine the attached beliefs and actions.
Inoculate Your Team From The Great Resignation
Most leaders have been treading water for the last 18+ months to keep things going. But as the pandemic evolves into an endemic, it’s time to start thinking about how to engage your team in a more meaningful way. The alternative? Risk losing them to the Great Resignation.
While most of what is written on this topic focuses on those who are leaving, I suggest you pay close attention to those who are staying!
There are a few critical factors that contribute to retention:
Give your team the autonomy needed to influence the outcome of their work. Let them determine how they are going to achieve the objectives you define.- Inspire them to consistently grow as professionals and create opportunities for them to do so. When people see leaders investing in their growth, they are willing to tolerate a lot.
- Make sure they understand and believe in the vision and strategy of the company. If they see the role they play in the bigger picture, they will feel a more meaningful connection to the work.
There are no substitutes for these things. And while they may not protect you from losing everyone, they will increase your chance of keeping most people you really need.
Read more about how to keep remote workers (and really, any workers) engaged in my Harvard Business Review article “Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged.”
Unexpected Innovation
How did it take me over 50 years to learn this is the best way to eat a cupcake. Perfect proportion of cake and icing in each bite. My ten year old daughter did this when we had cupcakes. My 17 year old daughter suggested this was old news. How am I the last to know?
Current Read
Wherever you land on the political spectrum, you’ve likely had an opinion about Twitter and/or Jack Dorsey. The role that Twitter plays in the flow of information around the world is undeniable. But whatever you think, I’ll bet this article by Mike Solana will at least cause you to pause and reconsider your position on the platform and its leadership. It’s thoughtful and well written.
Quotable
“There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists”
--- Forest Ranger at Yosemite National Park on why it is hard to design the perfect garbage bin to keep bears from breaking in to it.
