Company culture is key to job satisfaction – yet it can change within a heartbeat. To maintain a healthy one, it requires constant nurturing.
As a leader, your main role is to create a kick-a!#se culture where your teams thrive. Your team co-creates the culture on a daily basis by taking their cues from you. If leaders don’t tend to their culture with TLC, a disconnect develops which may result in broken trust, disengagement, de-motivation and absenteeism.
A healthy culture relies on good communication
Humanising your team by caring who they are outside of the workplace, building rapport, and providing clear direction and communication builds trust and helps overcome challenges quickly. Expressing your commitment to your team and the organisation sets the stage for everyone else.
Great stories are at the heart of good communication
The power of connecting with others lies in our ability to empathise with their experiences. Stories can make leaders more relatable, inspiring trust and collaboration with their team. They open doors to group discussions that can resonate throughout the company.
Three compelling topics you can discuss with your team are:
- Conflict and miscommunication:
There are often differing perspectives at the core of conflict, so taking turns sharing perspectives can help define a path forward.
- What do you understand the context to be?
- What do you feel is at stake?
- What is your experience / perspective?
- What is the end goal we would all like to see happen?
By sharing a common goal and listening, those in conflict can find a way to work together for the sake of the project, team, or organisation.
- Experiences that shape us:
Sharing stories about experiences that have profoundly influenced your personal and professional journey can bring leaders closer to their team. Stories provide relatable experiences & provides capacity to self-assess. Safe spaces open up for team-members to share experiences and perspectives, when they might otherwise remain silent. As a result, you gain deeper insights into each individual – what they believe in and what they value.
- Mistakes and lessons learned:
A psychologically safe workplace welcomes feedback and encourages ongoing learning. Leaders can cultivate a learning culture by making it common practice to discuss mistakes and the valuable learnings they create. Mistakes and misunderstandings are an inevitable part of any business, and the manner in which you choose to handle them determines whether they contribute to the enhancement or detriment of the company’s culture. An environment that fosters learning and acceptance rather than resorting to blame and retaliation is crucial in preserving a healthy company culture where your team can thrive.
How can you enhance your team’s capacity to thrive today?