Breaking Down the “Big R Words” and How to Use Them in Your Workplace

?A successful company is about much more than hitting KPI’s, it’s about attracting and retaining talent and fostering a positive and supportive work environment. These are very important elements that can easily be overlooked.?

Michael DeSchalit , a multi-award winning Hypnotist, Magician, Speaker, Trainer, and Author brought some insightful tips to the Culture Crush Business LLC. Podcast on how to cultivate a positive work environment for all.

Respect, Responsibility, Realize, Rapport, Recognise, Replace and Reinforce?

We want to highlight these in relevant, bite-sized takeaways so you can implement them easily. This should be simple enough that you can implement them whether you are running a company or you’re an employee supporting teammates.?

Thriving company cultures make the effort to communicate and be flexible. “Do your employees feel safe to express themselves and be who they are? Flattening the hierarchy where CEO’s and employees can communicate in a safe space is key.”?

Michael cited an interesting statistic during his conversation with Culture Crush Business Podcast host, Kindra Maples: the high school freshman dropout and failure rates are at 40% nationwide. Kids were dropping out not because classes were difficult but because the students did not feel safe and included on campus. You’re spending 40 hours or more with your work teams and putting significant time and effort into someone else’s business. If you don’t feel safe to speak up or included, where is your motivation to do your best? Michael said, “high schools were missing the respect and responsibility element in the education process.” This could be missing from many of our workplaces as well. Respect and responsibility are just two of the “Big R Words” that Michael highlighted in the conversation.?

Let’s jump into the 7 “Big R Words” so we can understand how to create a stronger culture and a better work environment for all- according to one coach, Michael DeSchalit.?

Respect- Respect your employees and they will respect you. We are all aware of the need to respect others, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves how far respect can get us in a workplace.?

Rapport. “If you are not in good rapport with your employees, you have a problem and it will spread throughout,” says Michael. “Rapport creates trust. If there is no trust, suggestions can’t be given to improve.” Employees are your specialists at their jobs, and if they notice that changing something will streamline the process and ultimately make your business more profitable and efficient, wouldn’t you want them to speak up?

Responsibility- “Take responsibility for your successes as well as your failures.” Own it. Own your victories and celebrate them. Own your failures and learn from them.? Jocko WIllink and Leif Babin continuously talk about this in their Extreme Ownership books as well.?

Replace- Now, in this case, we are not talking about replacing a tire on your car. Although, we don’t think you should be afraid of that either. Within your company, you shouldn’t be afraid to replace what is broken as long as it can’t be fixed. “If it's tradition and you have always done it this way, well that does not make it right.”. Sometimes we need to replace things to grow and move forward. Don’t be afraid of the new.?

Realize- “No one is perfect BUT I realize I must evolve and I must remain current,'' Michael tells us. Remaining stagnant prevents growth (whether it be personal or company goals) and you must be willing to evolve.? Michael reminded us that “change is the only permanent thing (we) have.”?

Recognize- “Giving recognition is free.” Sharing your appreciation to an employee or fellow coworker goes a long way. Send your employees a quick thank you note, or if you can, tell them in person. Appreciate and acknowledge your employees for their work and their effort, even if they fail. Acknowledge their effort. Kindra agreed that, “we can all do it and be human.”

Reinforce- We are not talking about reinforcing a dog’s good behavior with a treat here, although that positive reinforcement is the same concept. Continuous positive reinforcement is vital in a company. Reinforce the mission. Why do you do what you do? What is the purpose? What is the primary directive??

Reinforce all of the other R’s that we listed here as well.?

Reinforce the respect you give to your staff and other employees.?

Reinforce the recognition that you give to others.?

Anyone can use these helpful tips to help grow a positive company culture. Whether you are in HR trying to support the company growth, the CEO showing leadership for the company, or an employee with a passion to encourage and connect with your fellow coworkers- these “Big R Words” should be easy for you to start using and implementing today.??

“Let’s figure this out together because we are all in it together.”

Authors: Christina Patera and Kindra Maples ?