Organisational Culture Starts at the Top

?? 10 Practical Tips to Transform Your Organisational Culture ??

What does an amazing workplace culture mean to you?

Every organisation is different and so is the culture.

A phenomenal culture will look and feel different to different businesses and will depend on the type of business and their people.

However, there are fundamental elements that will apply to most organisations and whilst people at all levels can try to influence the culture, the key is the leadership team. It needs to start there.

Whether your culture is heading in the right direction or you aspire to developing an amazing culture, my 10 tips will help you to keep your eye on the ball, something that you always need to do at any stage of your cultural journey.

1. Lead by Example:

You will probably have heard the saying, “do what I say, not what I do?” If you follow this command-and-control style of leadership, you are far less likely to nurture a great culture. There may be occasions when this style of management is needed, but it shouldn't be the norm.

Culture starts at the top, so you need to role-model the values and behaviours you want to see. When you do this, your team will follow.

2. Listen to your people:

It is important to recognise that your people are often the ones at the forefront of the business and are the ones that interact with your clients the most. Because of this, they are likely to be the ones who are best placed to know what your client’s want and need. ?

Regularly seek feedback from them and listen to what your people have to say, be a collaborative leader.

3. Clarify Your Vision:

Paint a vivid picture of the culture you aspire to. Make it crystal clear so everyone knows what they need to be doing, point them in the right direction (role-model what you want to see from others) and support them when they need help. ?

4. Celebrate Wins:

Whether it's a big project win or a small personal achievement, celebrate it. This doesn’t necessarily mean big gestures (of course they are nice), often a simple “thankyou” will mean a lot; or, “I couldn’t have done it without you” (thank you for the reminder, Marcel Schwantes ).

Positive reinforcement fuels a culture of collaboration and success. Encourage everyone to do this.

5. Embrace Learning:

No surprise that I encourage continuous learning and development ??. Everything changes, so it’s important to encourage your people to keep up to date, develop their knowledge, behaviours, skills and grow. The more your teams develop the more likely it will be that your culture will evolve.

6. Open Communication Channels:

Silos inhibit a great culture; they need to be broken down. Encourage communication, cross department collaboration and networking.

7. Inclusivity is Key:

By creating an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and embraced, you are building the foundations for innovation, creativity and above all, belonging.

8. Encourage Constructive Feedback:

Embracing a culture of constructive feedback is an excellent way to develop self-awareness and improve performance, which in turn positively impacts organisational culture.

This takes time, practice, openness, commitment and compassion. I would always suggest training your teams to do this well and ensure they feel they have a safe environment to enable them to do this.

9. Flexibility:

Flexibility is key, it demonstrates that you trust your team to deliver, regardless of where or when they work. It also shows them that you value what they bring to the organisation, enabling them to manage their home and works lives effectively. Richard Branson is a huge advocate - who can argue with his results?

1. Value Well-Being:

Make well-being a priority. A healthy and happy team is a motivated and productive team. Encourage a healthy work life balance and your people to take care of their mental and physical health!

This doesn't happen overnight!

Creating an exceptional workplace culture requires dedication, nurturing, and attention. First and foremost, you want to create a working environment where your people will want to work and others aspire to work.

When you put these elements in to practice the difference will become evident as the benefits will start to fall into place naturally.

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#CultureCrafter #LeadWithHeart #OrganizationalMagic