Breaking My Silence on Corporate Culture
Welcome to November! (Photo taken on a fall drive in New Hampshire last month)
🍁Recently, on a colorful October Sunday, I went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's “More than Pink” event located in downtown Denver. I was there to support a close friend who had been diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
As we walked and admired the bright red, yellow, and orange leaves on tree-lined streets, our conversation turned to the upcoming election.
My friend believes the economy is the #1 issue.
💰Which reminded me of the popular, enduring quote, “It’s the economy, Stupid”.
If you're like me, you feel buried in relentless emails, mailers, and online ads. I'll admit it. Ballot propositions are often clutter as many issues do not impact the quality of our daily lives. For example, selling wine in grocery stores is on our Colorado ballot. Honestly, I could not care less!
As mid-term elections approach, leaders are busy with budgeting, finishing the year off strong, and 2023 business planning.
When there are significant competing priorities, how do we know - What’s really important?
➽ Whether or not we agree with the famous “it’s the economy, stupid” quote, I admire the clarity.
In the spirit of clarity, I help leaders prioritize and lead with confidence despite an unpredictable job market, changing employee expectations, and a chaotic economy.
Let’s identify the root cause many are struggling with recruitment and retention. Only then can we target the solution.
🙏🏼 It’s the culture, my friend. (It’s not my style to end with “stupid”).
Sometimes culture takes a backseat as so many leaders have great intentions but wonder, “When I going to have time to focus on culture?”
🎤Last week, I did a keynote at the Colorado Nonprofit Association conference where I compared culture to your lawn. When you care for and water your lawn regularly, notice how green and healthy it is. When we don’t mow the lawn, then nature takes its course, and weeds get out of control.
Think of culture like your lawn and give it lots of water and nutrients.
➽ In my opinion, The Great Resignation is a result of many neglected lawns in corporate America.
When culture, engagement, and employee well-being are not tended to, then performance derails, turnover skyrockets, and productivity declines.
🙋🏻♀️ There is a better way. To find inspiration, I study what companies with award-winning cultures do. The research is clear – companies with the best cultures have higher performing teams, better financial outcomes, business growth, and a much easier time to recruit and retain the best talent.
Leveraging decades of organizational research, I architected the Culture C.A.R.E.S. framework to help executives with aspirations to build extraordinary companies – made possible with an extraordinary culture.
📰 Newsflash: A healthy culture is what people want in this tight job market and uncertain economy.
Where to start? Getting intentional and proactive with truly listening and acting on your employee’s needs will keep your best people with you.
😰There is higher than normal compensation competition now. However, data finds that pay is not top of the list for what people want. They want to make a great living, yes, but not at the expense of health and well-being.
🚀Given today's challenges, make your organization a Destination Employer.
If you cannot pay the highest salary, then sell candidates (and current employees) on your vision (and action plan) to foster an empowering, inclusive, healthy work environment.
🏆To win in the competitive job market, culture should top your priority list.
Here are 8 no-cost or low-cost solutions to get the business results you want:
Make health and well-being the top priority for all
Create a safe, trusting atmosphere where you can have open, candid conversations
Offer flexibility and autonomy around work-life balance
Really look at whether you want to force people back into the office who feel they work best remotely
Make diversity and inclusion key parts of your overall business strategy
Appreciation is personal – ask people how they like to be appreciated and celebrate milestones
Accelerate intrinsic motivation by creating learning and development plans that help people grow in their career
Proactively foster deeper connection and friendships throughout the organization
💡When you focus on uplifting employee experiences, you spark commitment and shared accountability to reach your financial and business growth goals.
When you’re struggling with retention and recruitment, look no further for the answer:
“It’s the culture, my friend.”
If this seems overwhelming, and you need more bandwidth to build and execute a plan, I can help. The Culture C.A.R.E.S. framework can be customized to your vision, values, and mission.