Every business needs a captain, a person that sets the stage for all actions and all relationships that take place within the work environment. If you, as a leader, do not set the stage by defining and aligning practices to clear performance standards and values expectations, people will be left to “figure it out on their own.” This leads to widely varying practices – not aligned, proven practices. That lack of clarity and alignment erodes consistent performance, service, and results.
Since joining a dog-fostering organization about a year ago, we’ve fostered and helped bring many dogs to a successful new start with a loving family. The dogs have all moved on to a wide variety of new settings, too. Some immediately become the presence in the home that adds a wonderful new companionship and sense of security.
Why do we still remember the fallen and all who served, 100 years after the guns fell silent? Indeed, why celebrate Independence Day on 4 July or even Martin Luther King Day?
The answer is simple. All of these events are comprised of people who have left a legacy for us to honor and remember. We value those who fought to defend our freedom and indeed fought for our independence. We value the people who have contributed so much to our world, that we are still the beneficiary today. Simply put, they left a legacy!
If you have never experienced successful culture change personally, as a team member in general or as a leader, you may not be prepared or know how to proactively manage your team’s culture. The culture of your team (or department or division or plant or region or whole company) is the engine that drives your team’s success – or its lack of success.
The first thing to consider is a change in mindset. Very little will change, if the mindset that has been driving the imbalance remains unchallenged.
In 2018, flexibility is king. If you want to attract and retain millennials (not to mention Gen Zers), companies need to readdress their office processes and performance management systems.
“Every time we are asked to help, we need to flip through the rolodex of our experiences to get to an idea of what we can offer…”
Sometimes people choose very distinct personas – that is, they choose to play a particular role for a period of time (or even their whole careers)
But I always like to keep my hand in on a few smaller projects at all times too. They keep me grounded. They bring me out to real people, living real lives, with real housing issues. No matter how small their individual project may be on the global scale, for them, it is the biggest project in the world.