Is Your Workplace Culture ACTIVE or PASSIVE? Your answer will explain a lot.

What's the culture like where you work?

Many of you have already answered this question, at least in your inner voice. It's fast becoming one of the first question employees ask when seeking new employment, well at least it should be. The impacts of a poor workplace culture affect every part of the business including but not limited to: sales, profitability, company image, staff morale, well-being and staff turn-over.

We will take a look at some key points in creating an enviable culture in your workplace, but first, let's take a look at what drives your workplace culture, or what doesn't!

No two cultures are the same in any business, it can be as individual as we are human. After all, each person within a business adds to or subtracts from a workplace culture. Notice how the culture alters every time someone joins or leaves the company? This is especially true the smaller the team is.

Companies with enviable culture don't just happen - they are created. I'm going to make an assertion - your workplace culture is either ACTIVE or PASSIVE.

An active participation is necessary to create an enviable workplace culture. If you're not actively creating your environment, then by default - it's a passive workplace culture and the result is simply - anything goes. It's kind of a 'whatever' culture. Chances are, if your environment is passive, it's not the culture you really want, or worse. It's also an environment which will be prone to change with every movement and it's highly likely that it's also unstable and inconsistent.

So, the first decision to make is whether you are happy with a passive workplace culture or if you're really committed to being responsible for and creating a positive workplace environment where everyone is actively involved, love coming to work and would never consider leaving. Sounds great doesn't it! It's going to take some work - not just now, but ongoing.

Hopefully by now, you are interested in what it takes to create an enviable workplace culture. Here's my 15 essential ingredients for an enviable workplace culture.

Note: This list is not meant to be seen as a definitive list. Some points will open up other elements for you to add to your list and keep evolving your workplace culture.

1. People make the culture - they also break the culture as well. You need to become an excellent recruiter. Choosing the right team has a great deal to do with how your company culture forms. Author Jim Rohn once said in his book Good to Great - 'first, you must get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus, then make sure the right people are in the right seat...'. Before you start firing your team... consider you might not be getting the most out of individuals in your team if they're in the wrong role. Find out what their strengths are and what they are good at - and have them doing that! Your star players will not be motivated if they're not doing what they love - they may still be performing nonetheless but nowhere near their potential.
2. Clarity - what's my role in the team? It's no surprise why a business has problems when you start to look under the hood or behind the curtains. If your team members do not have a clear and updated role description (it can change over time) then you're effectively sending them the message that they can do anything, and surprising or not - at times they may be doing or achieving nothing (the art of looking busy). Ensure everyone knows exactly what each and every team member is there to do and achieve. This is the foundation of collaboration - your team will NOT collaborate if they are not clear about who is who and what is what. Actively create a collaborative environment. Some of you might like to add this as a 16th ingredient - it's that important. Clarity is also important in forming the culture, the code of conduct and code of honour.
3. Purpose - why am I here? Another way to say this is... The reason for our existence. Purpose or meaning is a fundamental human need and imperative for survival, even in the harshest, most challenging environments. This should be the fabric of your business and at the core of your teams' heart. Don't forget - every person has their own purpose as does the company - these should be aligned in order to create great success, especially if you're committed to extraordinary results. You'll need this to create your mission statement shortly.
4. Vision - Create a company vision statement. This essentially sums up the future of the company's existence and ties directly into the purpose. If you don't create a pathway into the future, you have no clear road map and therefore no clarity within your team. Again the individual and company visions must be aligned.
5. Mission Statement - This is the core aims and values of a company and team. It will set out what the priorities are - what's important and what's not, allowing your team to develop laser sharp focus and filter out distractions. Take some time to research how to create these documents best, the time spent will pay off in multiples.
6. Code of Conduct - Essentially these are the rules of operation. Kind of the do's and don't. We all need to know what the clear boundaries are. However, don't make the mistake of plastering this on the wall and expecting everyone to follow it. A code of conduct should be created as a team whereby everyone buys in, adopts and owns it. Of course, new team members will need to align to the existing structure once it is in effect. If this is done well, they will want to own it when they can see and hear it working.
7. Code of Honour - Another way to say Ethics and Morals. Don't assume everyone things and acts like you - they don't. A Code of Honour takes your Code of Conduct to a powerful new level. eg. Your code of conduct says, don't make a mess and if you do clean it up. Let's be realistic - no one is perfect and mistakes do happen. The code of honour says, if I see some rubbish on the floor, even though I didn't put it there and it's not technically my responsibility, I would be dishonouring the team if I don't pick it up and put it in the bin. It's the glue that says: 'I've got your back, I'll always be there for you!' A workplace culture that get's stuck in a 'good, bad, right or wrong' context is a declining culture.
8. Communication Flow - There is a Golden Rule for communication that every successful team knows or should know: Negative goes up - never down! Positive goes... well, in every direction - up, down, sideways and inwards. In other words, create and encourage a positive culture. Whenever you have a problem, complaint or any such negative comment, it should only go upwards to your team leader or supervisor - never down or sideways to your team. This especially includes gossip - there's no place for gossip within a successful team environment - this alone will rot and eat at the core of your culture.
9. Connection - In the words of leadership guru John C Maxwell - People communicate, few connect. It's important to get to know your team and allow them to get to know you too. This ties directly into the emotional intelligence of your team. It's the bridge between knowledge and value & meaning. If you're committed to extraordinary results, become a master at connecting with people. To do that, you must allow yourself to be vulnerable or don't expect the same from your team.
10. Compassion - Leadership expert John C Maxwell says, 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care'. Genuinely caring for the wellbeing, interests and aspirations of your team is one of the most important ways of increasing performance and sales. Notice, I said genuine - there is no strategy or tactic anywhere in any part of this article. Caring involves careful thought, foresight, consistency and even reflection. It's a two way street that begins with you.
11. Employee / Employer feedback - If we touch on the fundamental human needs again, humans need to feel both heard and understood. One of the most effective ways of changing organisational culture is to implement an effective employee feedback system, whereby all employees or team members are able to provide feedback to the organisation’s leadership team without fear or repercussions or victimisation. The feedback is heard, acknowledged, and responded to appropriately and with respect. Employee feedback systems meet both of these human needs quickly & effectively and counteract distractions, allowing your team to get back to what they're committed to.
12. Recognition and appreciation - If you don't already know this, every person wants to feel appreciated when they come to work. Just because they don't tell you that does not at all mean they don't want it and even expect it. People spend many hours at work, giving-up time with their families and friends, or doing activities they enjoy. When they feel recognised, and appreciated for what they do at work, workers are more inclined to feel satisfied at work, and more motivated and engaged to work harder. Appreciation can be shown in many ways through awards, promotions, pay increases, and internal communications. These formal ways of showing appreciation are important. They cannot, however, replace daily acts of gratitude and appreciation from leaders. Regular and sincere “thank you’s” create positive relationships and cultures within the workplace.
13. A Sense of Humour - Have fun! Create a fun environment and make sure your team know and understand it's ok to have fun provided it is appropriate. Create activities where the team can unwind, connect and collaborate. These should be both internally and externally - get out of the office together sometimes and switch off. If you want a team who will bend over backwards for the company, then you have to care for them whilst they are spending the greater part of their working hours working for you and your company. It's like their second home - make your team feel welcome and comfortable.
14. Consistency - One of the hardest things to achieve in a workplace is consistency. Mostly it's because many workplaces are divided into silo's and teams are (often deliberately) separated. This leaves the team with a sense of 'us & them'. There's no connection and the environment lacks consistency. It also requires integrity from all parts especially from above. One sure way to destroy morale and sabotage culture is to create rules for the team but make it ok for the leaders and bosses to break these rules. Your team watch and listen all the time - don't create inconsistencies and reasons for authority to be challenged, sabotaged or ignored.
15. Responsibility - The best way to create trust is to give it. Trust in your team. Give them responsibilities, even in light of your fears and concerns. Give them reasons to trust in you - set the example, lead by example and allow them to succeed or fail. A culture where it is NOT ok to fail is a false and toxic environment - a ticking time-bomb. Every company wants those staff who treat the company like their own. These team members bring a much higher level of responsibility from their core.

If you have any questions or contributions relating to this article, please take the time to comment below and share your thoughts or opinions for the benefit of others reading this. No doubt this topic commands interaction, innovation and collaboration. The more answers that are delivered, the more questions that will arise. If you have any personal questions or queries, please feel free to contact me on 0434 455 225 or email: [email protected]

About the author:

John Maxwell is founder and Senior Finance & Business Strategist at Cocalex Consulting. John has over 16 years' experience in the financial services sector, and has owned and managed 9 mortgage franchises and has developed a background across the holistic financial services realm. He has particular focus and passion for: Leadership Training and Development, Franchise Development and Business Networking.