We spend so much time talking about business strategy, but aren’t happy workers the best strategy? Happy workers are more loyal, more productive, and attract more of their superb ilk to join your happy, loyal, productive team.
Anyway, culture eats strategy for breakfast. And there’s plenty for culture to chomp on with all the BS that companies are spewing out as their espoused values and forced mission statements. After all, actions speak ridiculously louder than words.
Your job as a leader—either a leader identified by your job title or as a leader identified organically by your team—is to work with your team to identify the emergent values of your organization. Not what your organization is telling them, but what natural values arise from your team and what values they have that they hope to help growth within the organizations.
Start by asking your team:
- What do we care about?
- What do we want to be?
- How do we want to act?
And if there’s something I’ve learned, this is a group exercise, this is not where the C-levels get together and then, again, force their desired values down our throats.
A great leader and a great company creates the social and cultural framework that fosters those values that go into both the day-to-day and the overall decision-making, from the top down, from the bottom up, at the water cooler, and at the remote teleconferences.
As you develop this organizational culture based on values, it’s important to maintain consistency, and to proudly display and promote this positive energy and focus throughout your workspace, throughout your website, and throughout your interactions.
But this is certainly a situation where it’s easier said than done. That’s OK! We’re here to help!
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