Proactive Managing Does Not Ebb and Flow
Being intentional about values – taking the time to define them, model them, coach them, and celebrate them – is vital to the health your workplace culture. Making respect – how people treat each other in your workplace – as important as results is key.
Depending on the season, the weather, and a hundred other factors, no matter where you live, your enthusiasm for your work goes through ebbs and flows, where you will be more engaged at some times than at other times.
When we’re at a low ebb, we miss things. We’re not paying close attention so we make more errors, miss more details, complete a task at 80% of what’s required rather than sticking to it through to 100%.
Leaders experience the same ebbs and flows. The challenge is that when leaders aren’t fully present, results aren’t as strong as they need to be – and the quality of their work culture isn’t as healthy as it needs to be.
But you don’t have to let the ebb and flow of your energy at work inhibit your duty to proactively manage the quality of your work culture.
This is not an impossible task.
Our great bosses did pay attention to team culture, team spirit, and living our team values. The quality and health of their team culture received as much attention as their team’s results and performance.
But you don’t have to let the ebb and flow of your energy at work inhibit your duty to proactively manage the quality of your work culture.
One wasn’t more important than the other. Both results and values were equally and vitally important.
Why should leaders pay attention to their team or company culture? Because a purposeful, positive, productive work culture that demonstrates trust, respect, and dignity to every player – and every customer – creates greater employee engagement (typically 40% gains), greater customer service (also 40% gains), and greater results and profits (with 35% gains).
Those gains won’t happen if leaders leave their team or department or company culture to chance.
If leaders have defined what a good citizen looks like in your organization – keeping commitments or treating others kindly or ensuring the safety of yourself and colleagues – and those valued behaviors are modeled by leaders, coached by leaders, and monitored by leaders, your work culture will be consistently purposeful, positive, and productive.
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