5 Tips to Build A Thriving Culture

Company culture has been a hot topic among people leaders in recent years. Many executives will probably say their organizational culture is their most valued asset when considering what makes their company unique. 

While many organizations take pride in their culture, the truth is not many leaders have wrapped their heads around it. Company culture is not tangible; therefore, it is not easy to understand, measure, and iterate. 

A strong workplace culture runs deeper than having a laid-back dress code, free beverages, and team-building activities. It is about shared values, goals, and principles that drive the entire organization. 

Here are five tips on building a thriving workplace culture in your company: 

Know your company's core values  

Because your company's culture is built on the foundation of its core values, it's important to take time to assess these values. Ask yourself, are these values reflected in the existing culture? And, if not, what kinds of changes need to be made? 

Make cultural fit a priority 

While it's easy to be dazzled by a candidate's skill set and work background, your company culture should stay top of mind during your hiring process. At its core, culture is about people, and assessing any potential new team members for cultural fit will go a long way toward cultivating the kind of company culture that's in line with your business's core values and beliefs. 

Recognize the power of feedback and engagement 

Communication plays an important role in the development of a culture that properly reflects your business's vision, but growing the culture you want requires more than top-down communication. Leveraging the power of employee feedback and engagement is a key step in developing the right culture for your company. 

Lead by example  

Culture is a nebulous, intangible concept. Developing and promoting culture requires a lot more than simply telling employees what the existing culture is. Leadership and top management drive the direction of your company's culture, and this means you and your top personnel must be the culture you want to develop and maintain for your company. 

Focus on creating an environment that inspires  

Many business owners are used to being the driving force behind any new initiative their company takes. But company culture is that intangible something that springs, as its name suggests, from a deep sense of community. In other words, you should not strive to be the sole source of inspiration for your employees. 

No two organizations can have the same work culture. It is the culture of an organization which makes it distinct from others. The work culture goes a long way in creating the brand image of the organization. The work culture gives an identity to the organization. 

The culture of an organization is learnt over time. It can be taught to new employees through formal training programs but is more generally absorbed through stories, myths, rituals, and shared behaviors within teams. Organizational culture will impact positively or negatively on everything you try to do whether you want it to or not. 

Leadership Requires Courage

Courage is essential in the professional realm because it allows us to face challenges and take risks, to take the next step with confidence. Leaders who have courage are those who dare to lead by example, who can make difficult decisions and act accordingly, even when the outcome is not certain. They are those who are willing to take risks to do new things, innovate, and are willing to fail. 

Leadership takes making bold and often unpopular decisions. Effective leadership requires courage - to stand up for what is right, for what we believe in, and to take the necessary risks to be innovative and creative. 

The courage of a leader will inspire commitment from their followers. Billy Graham said, "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." When a leader demonstrates courage, it encourages others to want to follow. Seeing the courage of a leader will inspire courage in the followers. A courageous leader is inspirational! 

Winston Churchill said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” 

All men and women of great accomplishments have possessed this supreme character trait. Fear does not make on a coward; failure to face fear does. The courageous achievers in every generation have confronted challenges and overcome obstacles even when they were afraid. Courage enables you to speak up when it would be easier to remain silent. We call this having the courage of your convictions. Courage emboldens you to try new ideas when you risk failure. Courage inspires you to pursue your dreams even when you risk disappointment. 

However, courage never exists in a vacuum. People are not courageous for the sake of courage. You must develop it by living a purposeful life committed to deeply held values and meaningful goals. You must strengthen it by repeatedly choosing to confront your fears. As you set goals and strive to achieve them in all areas of your personal and business life – as you face your daily challenges with positive actions – your courage and confidence will grow. When you believe in yourself, others will rally to your cause. Courage will imbue you with a leadership quality that your team will support and respect. 

An important lesson I have learned is that the entire workforce wins when everyone shows up to work each day with more courage.  With less fear and more courage, workers take on harder projects, deal better with change and speak up more willingly about important issues. In short, courageous workers try more, trust more and tell more. As a business leader and entrepreneur, your job is to put courage inside of people— to encourage them. 

It takes courage to be a change agent, to rise up and lead the way when others are filled with fear. It takes courage to walk in a different direction when others walk along a contrasting path. Most important, it takes courage to drive persistence to overcome resistance…to find comfort outside your comfort zone when the promise of reward is ambiguous. 

The courage of true leadership is revealed while still standing in the midst of controversy and challenging circumstances. It is relatively easy and requires little effort to stay in your comfort zone or to do what is convenient. Courage is not required to stay comfortable. Leaders need essential people skills to get people to work together smoothly even if some compromise may be needed. However, it also takes courage to make a stand on what you believe to be right. 

Are you courageous? Are you willing to take risks for something you believe in? Are you ready to endure hardship for the sake of a cause? Are you able to make sacrifices for the sake of your values? 

Lean Quote: Retaining Talent

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Hiring and retaining talent in the tech industry is expensive and vital. Those people have real power over their bosses, especially because it is often fairly easy for them to find work elsewhere …"   —  Hank Green

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on retention and employment are undeniable, with the rate of job quitting in the U.S. labor market hitting never-seen-before numbers over the last year.

In 2022, more than 50 million people had quit their jobs. The year 2022 had more than 2x the average of quitting workers compared to 2009.

While COVID-19 did spur the Great Resignation of 2021 upon the U.S. and global labor markets and brought about a record number of workers quitting their jobs voluntarily, this phenomenon has been on the rise for quite some time.

The trend started over a decade ago. According to Harvard Business Review, the Great Resignation is not a pandemic-driven, short-term turbulence, but rather the continuation of the trend of rising quit rates.

The Harvard Business Review provides six suggestions for retaining talent:

1. Incentivize loyalty

Pay and overall compensation is important, but also consider ideas such as one-time bonuses, helping pay down student loans, and providing work-from-home stipends (or return to the workplace stipends)

2. Provide opportunities to grow

Ask each employee what it takes for them to stay and whether their job utilizes good use of their skills; 68% of workers around the world are willing to retrain and learn new skills

3. Elevate your purpose

Make your organization’s purpose clear (vision, mission and goals) and how they can be supported

4. Prioritize culture and connection

Connect and build relationships; social connections have a significant positive impact on productivity

5. Invest in taking care of your employees and their families

Provide health resources (physical and mental) as needed

6. Embrace flexibility

Provide a flexible work environment ex. Location, work hours, paid time off, career options, ask about worker needs, and assess if a four year degree is truly needed (or other job requirements)

Retaining employees is a challenge for any company. Employees are constantly looking for better opportunities and tend to leave a company if they don’t feel valued. So, to retain employees, companies need to focus on the employee’s needs and keep them engaged. This can be done by providing them with challenging work, growth opportunities, and a fulfilling work-life balance.

3 Tips for Learning From Mistakes

Nobody likes making mistakes. It is human nature to make mistakes. If you go through life afraid to make a mistake, you’ll spend most of your life doing absolutely nothing. There is no harm in making mistakes, it is an essential part of learning. If you feel the need to avoid mistakes at all costs, it becomes a psychological barrier to taking risks.

Learning from your mistakes is one of the greatest personal achievements you can make. From your own mistakes you can gain wisdom and accelerate self-improvement. Mistakes, because of their relationship with risk taking, are essential to success. The important thing is to view mistakes as a useful stepping stone to a higher confidence and a broader perspective.

Here are 3 tips for handling mistakes:

1. View the mistake as another attempt to the solution

Don't let mistakes depress or discourage you. We must realize that depression and discouragement are negatives that limit the future. Instead let it help you to be more determined to solve the issue.

2. Admit the mistake

Now this takes courage, but recognition of errors is a sign of maturity. When we don’t recognize them, it is denying them. The reality is that denying the mistake only allows the mistake to take root and grow, it's something that will limit your future.

3. Know that it’s only when you ignore the mistake that it is negative

When we confront mistakes, when we look it square in the eye, we can take full advantage of it as "positive" and you will benefit from the mistake.

Remember, mistakes are a part of life. If you cruise through life avoiding risks, you’ll likely never grow in meaningful ways. Mistakes don’t halt your momentum; they help you figure out a better path. Progress won't be a straight line but if you keep learning you will have more successes than failures, and the mistakes you make along the way will help you get to where you want to go.

Lean Roundup #173 – October, 2023

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of October 2023.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

From Punishment to Improvement: Transforming Workplace Culture – Mark Graban explains why it is important create a culture of learning and innovation instead of fear and punishment.

 

The Strategy of the 14 Points – Christopher Chapman makes the case that Dr. Deming’s 14 Points are in fact a strategy any management team in any industry may use to become more effective and competitive.

 

Improving Coaching Skills in the Workplace – Steve Kane shares 9 practical steps you can take to enhance your coaching skills.

 

Harnessing AI Large Language Models for Process Improvement – John Knotts outlines five areas where AI could enhance or streamline your processes.

 

Why is Business Transformation so Hard? Lessons from the ‘Back Pain Industry’ – Pascal Dennis shares 5 lessons from his experience in the back pain industry for lean and business transformation.

 

The Toyota KPI Dashboard—Safety, Quality, Productivity, Cost – Christopher Roser shares a series of posts overviewing the Toyota KPI dashboard.

 

What Can We Do Instead of Appraising People? – Christopher Chapman shares some excerpt from Deming and Peter Scholtes on why appraisals are misguided and what can be done instead.

 

The Recipe for Being a Top Leader – Bob Emiliani shares pattern or recipe of 10 characteristics that stand out from most top business leaders over 30 years of studying them.

 

Cultivating Psychological Safety: How Leaders Can Encourage Openness About Mistakes – Mark Graban explains that you can’t just tell people to speak up, you need to create a culture where the benefits of speaking up outweighs the perceived risks.

 

Catchball: The Lean Approach to Streamlining Collaboration and Feedback – Maggie Millard provides an introduction to the Lean concept of catchball and why it’s important to success.

 

Continuous Improvement With Lean Systems in Manufacturing – Noah Paratore explores the concept of continuous improvement within the framework of lean systems in the manufacturing context. 

 

     

Lean Quote: Unity is Strength

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."   —  Mattie Stepanek

Once there lived a farmer in a village. He had four quarrelsome sons who used to quarrel with one another. The farmer was utterly sick of their cat-dog life. He tried his best to create harmony and unity among them, but all his efforts proved fruitless. His sons always turned a deaf ear to his took to his advice. This grief told upon his advice. This grief told upon his health and he took to bed. He wanted to unite his sons before his death.

“IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH.”

One day he hit upon a plan to materialize his dreams. He had in his hand a bundle of four sticks. “I wanna see which one of you can break this bundle of sticks quickly,” he said. The eldest one tried first. The eldest son was the strongest, but he could not break it though he used all his strength. After that, each of his sons tried hard to break the bundle. None of them could break it. At last, they gave the bundle of sticks back to the old farmer, saying, “We cannot break the bundle at all.”

So their father untied the bundle and gave each son one stick. “Now break the sticks,” said the farmer. They all said, “That is very easily done,” and they held up the broken sticks. ”Now tell us why you asked us to break these sticks,” said the sons. “Do you not see,” replied the old man, “that if you all stand together, none can harm you; but if each of you stands by himself, you may easily be ruined like sticks”

The farmer had succeeded in creating a suitable situation to teach them a lesson. He advised them that strength lies in unity. As long as the sticks were united, they could not break them.

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world.”

If they were united like sticks, they would be strong and undefeated. But, if they kept on quarrelling, they would burn their fingers and opponents would crush them. They got the point and promised their father never to quarrel again.

Unity Story Morals:

United you stand, divided you fall.

The union is the strength.

Unity is Strength.

10 Qualities of Strong and Successful Teams

Teamwork is the often underestimated tool that drives every successful business. Without a well-managed team, a company might not meet its full potential.

Each person on your team has the ability to bring their unique skills and talent to the table, but teamwork is required to truly take advantage of that.

Putting your employees into groups won’t help you if the team doesn’t have clear goals. They also need to have precise objectives and definite individual responsibilities.

When your team is aligned, it can be an incredible win for your business. In fact, employees who collaborate often at work are shown to be more engaged, more successful with their goals, and less fatigued.

Teamwork also has the power to improve your employees’ well-being because they’ll have a greater sense of connection with each other. And when your employees are happy and productive, your business will be bound to grow as a result.

Teamwork drives employees to think of the big picture they want to achieve. With that goal in mind, they’ll choose to work together instead of against each other. Teamwork can also break down silos between departments and smaller teams.

Finally, teamwork is important because it offers great learning opportunities. Junior employees can learn by collaborating with more experienced employees. Senior team members can get the opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills and learn how to build an effective team.

Here are a few qualities that a successful team possesses.

1) They know what is expected.

A new team needs to know what's expected of them, so you should establish the company culture you want to uphold from the beginning. This will show your team how to behave and how to approach their work.

Don’t forget your job as a leader either — being a good facilitator of these team values will ultimately ensure that everyone stays on the right track.

2) They communicate well with each other.

They communicate openly with each other, sharing their thoughts, opinions, and ideas with members of their team;  as well as taking into consideration what others have to say. Communication is essential for keeping track of progress and working together efficiently on tasks. Poor communication can lead to crossed wires, which can mean work is left incomplete/incorrect or conflicts can arise.

3) They focus on goals and results.

They agree on and set team goals based on outcomes and results, rather than just on the amount of work being done. A clear plan can then be set about how they are going to achieve these objectives, as a group, as well as each individual’s contribution. This provides them with clear direction and gives them something to aim for collectively.

4) Everyone contributes their fair share.

Each member of the team contributes their fair share of the workload and fully understands what their responsibilities are and where they fit in with the running of the business. They feel a sense of belonging to the team, are committed to their work, and really care about the success of the company.

5) They experiment.

Although teams are often most productive when they have well-defined roles, consider experimenting with new ideas. The most successful teams tend to accommodate informed risk-taking and allow ample opportunities for learning, especially if these experiments have the potential to generate better results.

6) They offer each other support.

Team members are always happy to assist others when they need a helping hand with work. Teams are often more productive when they are also offered support from the organization and access to the required resources.

7) Team members are diverse.

Everyone is unique and will be able to offer their own experiences and knowledge that others may not possess. Diversity is needed so that all of the required skills are covered by somebody in the team and each individual can be assigned a particular role on the basis of their strengths and skills. A variety of personalities, age groups, cultures, etc. can also bring creativity and a broad range of ideas to the table.

8) Good leadership.

A strong team usually has a leader that they trust and respect. This individual essentially works as the glue holding the team together and should be responsible for setting the pace, offers encouragement and motivation, and keeps all members of the team updated.

9) They’re organized.

The organization is essential for the smooth running of a business. Without it, the workplace can become chaotic and goals are unlikely to be achieved. Though each individual should be responsible for organizing their own workload, management should ensure that everything is running to plan and each member of the team is getting their work completed efficiently. Holding regular meetings can help to make sure that everyone is on the same page and deadlines are being met.

10) They have fun.

It shouldn’t be all work and no play! This can lead to burnout and a lack of productivity, so it’s important to inject a bit of enjoyment into working life. Teams who work particularly well together enjoy each other’s company and get together outside of the office from time to time to socialize and have some fun! Building a positive relationship with your colleagues can make for a much more relaxed environment and reduce conflict.

All team dynamics are different. Teams depend on the personalities of the members, as well as the leadership style of managers. However, the ingredients for what makes a successful team are similar across the board. Having mutual respect, common and aligned goals, open communication, and patience can all help make for a successful team.