Culture Reset Pt. II - Electric Boogaloo
Hello again!?
Over the holiday weekend, I was reading Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and there was a beautiful quote that read:?
"Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life. Frankl [the author] saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times."
To the outside world, some people think Confetti is just a company that sells team-building experiences, but as you get to know more about us, you’ll find that the true vision is to help people (you) find meaning in their work — with whom they work with.?
In your life, you likely spend more time with colleagues than with friends or family. Shouldn’t you get along with them? Shouldn’t it be meaningful?
In part 1 of this piece, I showed you how to do a culture reset. In this 2nd part, I’ll give you a handful of tips and tricks following your reset.
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?? 30 Tips for Showing Up for Your Team After A Culture Reset ??
1. Lead by example ??
It all starts here. Not to be corny, but in the words of apparently-not-Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”??
2. Remind leaders of their responsibilities to their direct team members ??
I remind the managers at Confetti that part of their goal is to make their employees/team happy. I’m not talking about artificial joy – I’m talking about deeply getting to know them and ensuring they’re set up to succeed (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.)
3. Be aware of your ego ??
We’ve all got an ego that’s hard to tame. Throughout the process, it's healthy to ask yourself questions, like:
4. Practice transparency ??
Make space and time for real talk (personal or professional), but the point is to share authentic, non-judgemental vulnerabilities.
5. Set your values as a team ??
And reference your company values regularly. (Here’s ours for inspo). I’ll make a whole blog post of this soon, but if you want to figure out a good way to do this in the meantime this article is a great start!?
6. Work on active listening ??
You know the saying, 2 ears,1 mouth… No phones, Slacks, emails – give your undivided attention.??
7. Follow the new rules and procedures ??
Call people in, privately, if they’re not paying attention or following the new rules. Do this in a fun and supportive way, not in a way that knocks someone down!
8. Create a TBD together ??
A running list of things you want to discuss with your manager or direct reports.
9. Similarly, have a weekly check-in ?
One written place, once a week, where you can cover high-level items. This is what we currently are using:
10. Write department blogs and progress ??
In my opinion, cross-departmental communication is one of the hardest and where friction can come into place.
You’re not part of another department’s culture or day-to-day, so you’re always left wondering, “what the heck are those folks doing?” This is why departments need to communicate their projects and progress cross-departmentally.?
11. Build a feedback culture ??
That way, everyone can always share how they’re feeling (don’t forget to listen!)
12. Build better conflict resolution habits ??
Every side has two stories; this incredible podcast does a great job of showing how little things just end up being misunderstandings. See other people’s perspectives.
13. Play devil’s advocate ??
Don’t accept opinions as is — speak up! Even to the ideas you agree with, try playing devil's advocate to better understand other perspectives. Make sure all items get a discussion so that you can come to a conclusion more confidently.?
14. Never complain via text ??
If you have a concern, complaint, annoyance, etc., jump on a call with someone. Never write it out unless it's for yourself/you don’t plan on hitting send!
15. Allow people to be their authentic selves ??
We write it on our job descriptions: “Come as you are.” Allow people to come to work as their whole, quirky selves.
16. Don’t accept passive-aggressive environments ??
A whole blog post of mine is coming out for this, but it's super important not to tolerate this in a work environment.
17. Give people the benefit of the doubt ??
Come to situations in a positive mind frame! When it's work-related, it's rarely malicious, and it's usually a misunderstanding — especially if you’ve got a good group of people working for you!?
18. Conduct Town Halls ??
Department-wide and company-wide get-togethers to make sure everyone stays on the same page!
19. Give people the opportunity to take action ??
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” — George S. Patton
20. Grade team members during performance reviews ??
Side by side, top to down, down to up.
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21. Pave people’s path to success through structured goals and incentive programs ??
People want the room to grow, and it’s your job to help create this path!
22. Switch it up ??
Different performance review questions (regularly), different connections.
23. Give room for failure & discuss failures openly ?? ??
Give people a rubric to go and make decisions for themselves by helping them decide what an ‘easy/medium/hard’ decision is.
24. Learn ALL THE TIME ??
Grab a book. Keep an open mind. Listen to a podcast. Evolve. Grow. Learn.?
25. Repeat yourself and be ok with repetition ??
Honestly, this might be my #1 rule. I have to constantly repeat myself in order for the message to sink in. I like to compare it to saying “I love you” — you can’t just say it once… you need to say it multiple times to reinforce the message.
26. SOPs & Documentation ??
Write everything necessary down. Processes, policies, communications – you name it.?
27. Show up for one another ??
Personally and professionally. Be there for each other.?
28. Fight for a great HR / PeopleOps team ??
These people should be an advocate of yours. Someone who will help challenge you to see other perspectives while always striving to see yours, too, and share your side of the story to others.
29. Have a little fun ??
Slack channels, ice breaker questions, team building experiences… allow each person’s fullest personality to shine.
30. Remind people you’re on the same team ?? ♀?
One team can’t maximize its full success if the rest of the team/departments/company isn’t.
Back to the book I mentioned in the beginning:
“Suffering in and of itself is meaningless; we give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it.”
Many aspects of work are ‘painful’ and challenging. Different dynamics, challenges, perspectives, etc., but how we respond to these aspects is still within our control. It’s just up to us to seize it.?
The above tips are just a few ways to do just that. A starting point. But, no doubt, there are millions more — ones I may not even know about!?
If you have any ideas yourself, please, reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!?
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Lee’s Content Recs ????
Here are 3 content recs on par with what I was speaking about above!
What’ve you found this week that’s been helpful or otherwise inspiring? Reply and let me know. Always looking for more good stuff. ??
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Confetti Updates ??
Remember when I said we’re not just a team-building company??
We’ve been working hard on bringing you more Professional Development experiences to strengthen & empower your teams — in communication, leadership, empathy, and so much more.?
It’s been a super exciting project and I’m so thrilled about the official launch.?
But since we’ve got a good back-and-forth going, it feels a little silly not to give you first access to experiences we’ve just launched:?
Creating a Culture for Mental Health
We love that mental health & wellness has rapidly become a priority for many companies. But it’s a recent movement, and even if you’re on board, not everyone is set up to approach these changes and conversations. This workshop aims to help you do just that.
Navigating Tough Conversations
This experience blends DE&I with Professional Development! Participants become an ensemble with the power to transform their workplace dynamic for the better. We help your team reflect on solutions to conflict and misunderstandings by using exercises, games, and role-playing scenarios.
Asking Better Questions
Asking questions is hard. Asking “the right” questions? Even harder. This interactive workshop aims to help your team develop better questioning techniques to build more meaningful connections & have better conversations!
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Talk Again Soon ??
Thanks so much for reading. Writing to you all has been an absolute joy for me so far – I’ve especially loved chatting with some of you about your ideas and answering questions you’ve had for me.?
All-in-all, I love getting to know you.?
So, keep it coming! And I’ll do the same. ??