Have you ever wondered why some companies thrive while others struggle? Often, it boils down to how people feel about working there. Do they feel appreciated, respected and valued?
Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets for creating a positive corporate culture, but several approaches are worth considering.
Answer Three Key Questions
At its core, each activity is a means to an end—a series of actionable steps aimed at producing a desirable outcome. Each action has a purpose. The more people understand the purpose behind a project, task, or event, the more likely they are to support it. Ideally, they’ll take ownership of certain tasks or steps.
To effectively begin any project or task, it’s important to answer three key questions, in order, for your team: Why? What? How?
The "Why" Question
Understanding "why" a particular plan or project is being undertaken is crucial and often overlooked. Without it, the "what" and "how" become less meaningful. The "why" should describe the purpose in detail. For example, if your team is tasked with building a table, they need to understand its intended use. Why do they need to build it? Does it solve a problem, like providing a place to eat or hold discussions?
The "What" Question
Next, provide a detailed description of the project or task, including specific outcomes and the metrics used to measure success. Is the table a dinner table, a conference table, an end table or a coffee table? If the "why" is to hold a formal meeting for two groups of 10 people, an end table won't suffice. The "what" may also include details like the type of wood, the color and the dimensions.
The "How" Question
Ideally, the person responsible for the task should determine how it’s completed. This encourages ownership of the deliverables, quality and outcomes. Invite your team to brainstorm and have a role in creating the action plan. For example, how the table will be constructed—whether it will have hand-carved legs or a solid wood base—should be determined by the people executing the task.
Explain First, Then Understand
It’s important for a leader to explain "why," but equally valuable is understanding "why" from your team members’ perspectives. Ask your team members for their take on the project. If you’ve already built trust with them, they’ll be open with their responses. Once they’ve responded, paraphrase what they’ve said to show you’re paying attention. Follow up by asking, "Did I understand you correctly?" This simple act is very complimentary and can encourage better understanding.
Be Aware of How You Present Yourself
Be inspired and be inspirational. An inspired leader demonstrates belief and commitment to the company and the task at hand, breathing life into the organization. Such leaders are obvious to their teams—they maintain a positive attitude, offer compliments and take time to explain why the company exists and why the team’s work is important. Most importantly, they do this with enthusiasm, not sarcasm.
While inspiration creates excitement, its effects quickly fade if the team doesn’t trust the leader. When leaders demonstrate trust in their workforce, the workforce will slowly begin to trust them in return.
Look for a Change in Attitude
How does a leader know whether they inspire their team? People will start to feel relaxed around them and engage more openly. Team members will seek opportunities to interact positively with leaders.
Take this opportunity to tell your team members how much you appreciate them. A simple "thank you" can be incredibly powerful.
Signs of a Positive Corporate Culture
These simple indicators can reveal a lot about your corporate culture. Monitor them regularly.
- You look forward to seeing your team members, and they look forward to seeing you.
- Your leadership team greets team members with a smile and eye contact.
- Team members make eye contact, smile, wave or offer kind words, rather than avoiding contact.
- Team members bring problems and errors to leadership confidently, knowing there will be no negative consequences, rather than hide problems.
- Team members look forward to sharing their successes with leadership (both personal and professional).
- There is excitement in the air, rather than tension.
- You are proud of your team, and you have told them.
- Your team is proud to be part of the organization.
While it’s easy to check the health of your culture, addressing challenges takes time. Investing time and resources in creating and maintaining a positive culture will yield outstanding returns.
Basic Human Habits for Building Culture
As our parents often told us, treat others the way you’d like to be treated. A few basic habits go a long way. I recently read an article by Dr. Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence Habits, that resonated with me. In his article "8 Habits of Considerate People," Dr. Bradberry highlights the following points:
- Empathize with people and let genuine empathy influence your reactions.
- Apologize when appropriate and be sincere.
- Be on time for meetings and work—being late is disrespectful.
- Smile often—watch your team members smile back at you.
- Be polite—focus on others’ feelings and emotions, not just your own.
- Demonstrate self-control—don’t overreact to situations.
- Look for the win-win in every negotiation, dispute or tense situation—compromise where possible.
- Trust your gut—your intuition is right more often than it’s wrong.
When a positive corporate culture is present, the team sees it; they feel it deep inside. There is a positive emotional response that signals this feels good; it feels right. The reverse is true also. The absence of a positive culture is chaos and insincerity. A positive culture requires attention and maintenance, but the return on investment is very high.
