People Matter Most - My Why
🌎 “58% of workers surveyed felt the pandemic forced them to rethink the balance between their work and personal lives.”
-- Bain's report; The Working Future: More Human, Not Less
I’ll chalk this up as a positive outcome of pandemic. Considering disruptions of the past two years, did you rethink the balance between your work and personal life?
In 2020, after deep reflection, I decided to pivot like many of you.
As a cancer survivor, I am acutely aware that time is finite and precious. We are guaranteed nothing, much less another day on this earth. Not to be a downer (bear with me), this realization on a regular basis can help us sift through what’s most important in our lives and shake out the waste.
How do we want to spend our limited resource of time, and who do we want to spend it with?
💡 Boiling down to its purest essence; Who and what matters most to you?
Getting clear on that answer can set your daily intention and vision ahead. My own personal reflection revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt where my value lies and what priorities I focus on: PEOPLE MATTER MOST.
COVID was extra-tough on healthcare and caregiving organizations where I was when COVID hit. In watching my co-workers experience increased overwhelm and burnout (and feeling it myself), I wanted to HELP with the unsustainable levels of stress. 😩
Turnover, burnout, and stress…. are at an all-time high. You know this. We must not normalize these circumstances. Extreme burnout is crushing to the soul, so our choices are to A) succumb to the status quo 😔 or B) do something about it. 🥰
Option B is for us – we do something about it. We don’t let people suffer unnecessarily.
Where do I turn when I’m not sure of the best direction to help others? 🌟 Books! I took it upon myself to study the dynamic impact of company culture on the health of employees by reviewing dozens of culture leadership books.
💡 A few of my favorites: Culture Catalyst by Samuel Chand, A Great Place to Work for All by Michael Bush, and The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety by Timothy Clark.
Based on my increased expertise in culture success, my career path evolved from VP, Digital Strategy to a Chief Culture Officer, was truly my dream role. 💫
In this newly created role, I was responsible for ensuring executives, senior leaders and managers operated with a strong culture strategy, roadmap, and the tools necessary to create the healthiest work environment. The framework I developed is called the Culture CARES model, and it is a 5-pronged strategy that empowers executives to lead with confidence and commitment.
❣️ 99% of your success depends on your people.
As the Great Resignation continues, how are you supporting your leadership to navigate culture in this unpredictable world. With unwanted turnover a major epidemic, one constant remains; taking care of your people is employee retention strategy #1.
By “taking care” of your people, it’s crucial to double-down on ensuring you have a safe and trusting environment. Psychological safety should be every leader’s top priority today.
Some of you may know my college degree is in Organizational Psychology, the study of business structure and the ways people within this structure interact, all to improve the organization’s performance.
I have always been fascinated by the intersection of people and business. My career has led me through various sectors of our service economy which all still fascinate me today - travel, technology, and non-profit organizational development. I’ve experienced sales, marketing, service, member support, revenue operations, HR and executive leadership. I founded a non-profit in 2007 and then led the merger with an international partner in 2018.
With so many competing priorities - Why Culture?
Because culture impacts daily performance, innovation, and financial success. It is the collection of unspoken beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that drive your business outcomes. Culture can attract and retain your people– or it could repel talent.
💗 Use culture as a force for good. In 2022, the hybrid work revolution is accelerating. Rather than resist the wave, let's learn how to surf. As we adapt, let’s give ourselves and each other grace.
My goal is to stay curious and continue learning with you. Please join me. We can’t navigate these times alone. Let’s band together.
Employees have the leverage, so let’s lean into building happy, healthy environments where people are achieving your organization’s mission of health and well-being for all.
Join me on this journey of self-discovery. You will become part of this community as we learn together.
❤️ MY WHY: Culture is transformational. Yes, a healthy company culture is proven to improve financial results and innovation, but it’s MORE than that. When your people are happy & healthy at work, they bring the good vibes home to family and kids, and then out to friends and strangers, neighbors and ultimately – our society is a kinder place full of respect. By generating an understanding and appreciation of each other’s differences, we will have less violence and create a safer place to raise our children. They deserve this. Everybody wins.🏆
Recommendations based on what I’m doing now:
💙 LOVING: Docu-dramadies based on real life i.e. That Thing about Pam on Peacock
📖 READING: The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron – I’m on week 8 of journaling 3 handwritten pages a day - and it’s somewhat life-changing
▶️ WATCHING: WeCrashed on Apple+ - whoa to Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway acting out GREED gone wild as WeWork founders
🎧 LISTENING: "HR Superstars” 15Five Podcast because people & culture functions are evolving so quickly – need to stay current and future-focused 🌟