While the prospect of culture change may feel daunting at first, it’s not as scary, overwhelming, or impossible as you might fear. With the right framework and process, a culture transformation can be distilled into practical steps and behaviors that get people at all levels of the organization rowing in the same direction.
Leaders are looking to get the best out of individuals and teams, but to do so they must first get the best out of themselves.
CultureTalk Partner Reynaldo Naves and his associates at Olivia Global had a big assignment: transform the culture and create cultural consistency across multiple brands underneath Brazil’s largest fashion retailer in-step with operations integration and technological advancements. This was a successful company with a great reputation and wide reach. They had already found a winning formula, so it had to be asked “How do we move around the parts and pieces of this organization without breaking anything that works?” The intervention had to be deliberate and precise.
Recently I had a strange thought. What if we stopped lamenting our tombstone, and created a LifeStone instead. What would your LifeStone say today? Over the years I have taught myself to mindfully recognize and embrace how vast the world around me truly is. I don’t always get it right, and I have a willingness to accept myself, and the joys and sorrows of life as they come. It’s been quite a journey!
Our professional brand is built carefully over time, becoming our business reputation in our industry. Instead of worrying about daily posting to the ever-downward spiral of social media, we step back and share our stories when it matters and where they can do the most good within our industry and community.
How do you find a way to present yourself that truly reflects you? One that connects the dots between your past experiences and your future plans? One you feel excited to share? Where do you begin?
Some areas of workplace culture, such as company policies, supervision, workplace conditions, job security, and even salary, are just like brushing your teeth. If these aspects are not up to par, employees will be dissatisfied; however, improvement of these factors is not what creates a feeling of satisfaction with one’s job.
Most companies “get” branding. They understand it or, at least, they’ve hired people who do. But, companies are more recently realizing the brand designed to resonate with their target audiences wasn’t designed to strike a chord with the millennials and Gen Zers they’re trying to recruit. Here’s why.
ESG is no longer a trend that can be ignored. If in the past organizations have had a ‘check-the-box’ mentality about social responsibility and organizational culture, the time to get real is here.
The moment you survey a team to ask their opinion on cultural issues, you must be prepared to share authentic results and an action plan to create change. If you don’t, engagement and morale will be negatively affected.
