S. Chris Edmonds's Blog, page 5

Culture Leadership Charge – A Great Place to Work

Here’s a hypothetical situation. One of your good friend’s oldest child is looking for a new job. This friend tells you that his daughter is considering applying to a number of organizations, including your company.

The friend asks you a vital question: “Is your company a great place to work?”

For many of us, we’d have a tough time giving our company – and our company’s culture – a “great place to work” rating. It might be an “OK” place to work – but not great.

The problem is that far too many companies are lousy places to work.

SHRM’s 2019 Culture Report found that, over the past five years, the cost of turnover due to workplace culture exceeded US$223 Billion around the globe.

This study of over 1,000 American workers found that:

Only 38% of respondents are “very satisfied” with their jobs. That means 62% are not very satisfied.20% of respondents have left a job due to workplace culture.Of those respondents, 58% said the main reason they left was due to poor people management.36% say their manager doesn’t know how to lead a team.30% say they don’t trust their manager to treat them fairly.

Your workplace culture may not be this awful – but you probably know of people issues across your organization.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I explain how you can improve the quality of your work culture by changing the rules – and making respect as important as results.

This is episode seventy-seven of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – Vadim Guzhva. All rights reserved.

Is your workplace a great place to work – where results and respect are equally rewarded? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – A Great Place to Work appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – The Gender Happiness Gap

Does your workplace treat men differently than women?

Your initial reaction might be, “My company pays women less than men.” Pay inequity is an issue that is gaining attention, though too few organizations are taking aggressive steps to solve that gap.

Our challenge is that women experience greater workplace gaps than just salary.

TINYpulse’s new Gender Equity Report examines data from over 200,000 employees in 488 global organizations to understand the female experience in today’s workplace.

The results are powerful – and disappointing.

53% of men rate their work environment as very good. Only 41% of women believe the same. That’s a huge gap – and it may explain the loyalty divide: 52% of men say they’ll be working at their current organization in one year while only 40% of women commit to that.

When examining the degree to which women are valued for their work contributions, women report receiving 17% less recognition than men.

It’s not surprising that women feel more insecure in their current roles than men do, 40% to 33%. And it’s not surprising that women are more inclined to be job hunting today.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I describe the single most important thing to fix in your company’s efforts to demonstrate full equal treatment.

This is episode seventy-six of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – flamingo images. All rights reserved.

Does your company have a gender happiness gap? What is the impact of that gap today? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – The Gender Happiness Gap appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Do What GREAT Partners Do

Are you a great partner, at work and in life, to those around you?

Relationships with our work peers, friends, family, neighbors, or even strangers are not always healthy. Yet research studies like this one and this one provide indisputable evidence that positive relationships lead to greater well-being and longer life.

Most of us humans realize that we could serve others more effectively. Often, our selfish desires quash our ability to see opportunities to serve – and to act on those opportunities.

What we need is a simple model to guide how we interact with others daily. Here is my best thinking on a GREAT partnering model.

In 2013 I published a book on how to be a GREAT boss. Those recommendations are still important and relevant. Whether you’re a formal leader or not, though, you’re a colleague, neighbor, and partner with many people each day. What each of us need to do is BE a GREAT partner as well as surround ourselves with GREAT partners!

GREAT partners demonstrate and inspire these five characteristics. “Demonstrate” means we model these qualities daily. “Inspire” means we generate others’ demonstration of these qualities, daily, as well.

Generosity
Respect
Encouragement
Aspiration
Trustworthiness

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I share the positive impact of these qualities in action.

This is episode seventy-five of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – flamingo images. All rights reserved.

To what degree are you a great partner at home, at work, and in your community? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Do What GREAT Partners Do appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Refine Your Desired Culture

I am often asked about my three-phase culture refinement process. Today I’ll share how the third phase – “refine” – ensures the effective evolution of your purposeful, positive, productive work culture.

My approach is founded on this hard fact – senior leaders must drive and champion their organization’s culture. They are ultimately responsible for clarity of the organization’s servant purpose, values and behaviors, strategies, and goals. They can’t delegate this responsibility to anyone or any other function – they must model and coach their desired culture daily.

The refine stage happens about every two years. This stage offers business leaders and senior leaders the opportunity to update portions of their organizational constitution. Which portions stay the same? Your servant purpose and values don’t typically require updates.

Though values rarely change, you may find that you need to tweak the language in your values definitions. Your organization evolves once you set high standards for results and for values. As your work culture evolves, you may find you need to revise those definitions.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I describe what elements do require regular updating and revision.

This three-phase culture refinement process works. It has helped clients create purposeful, positive, productive work cultures for the last 25 years.

This is episode seventy-four of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – deagreez. All rights reserved.

Is your company’s work culture formalized in an organizational constitution? Do senior leaders update and refresh elements of your work culture regularly? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Refine Your Desired Culture appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Align Your Desired Culture

I am often asked about my three-phase culture refinement process. Today I’ll share how the second phase – the “align” stage – creates commitment for your purposeful, positive, productive work culture.

My approach is founded on this hard fact – senior leaders must drive and champion their organization’s culture. They are ultimately responsible for clarity of the organization’s servant purpose, values and behaviors, strategies, and goals. They can’t delegate this responsibility to anyone or any other function – they must model and coach their desired culture daily.

In the align stage, I help senior leaders ensure that every player’s plans, decisions, and actions align with their defined organizational constitution. Every player means everyone in the organization – senior leaders, next level leaders, and on, including frontline team members.

This is by far the most demanding stage for senior leaders. In the first stage – define – senior leaders formalize their desired culture by crafting and publishing their organizational constitution.

However, announcing new rules doesn’t ensure alignment with those rules. Senior leaders must generate credibility for their desired culture by being proactive champions and role models.

The align stage is also the longest phase. It takes 12-18 months of focused intention and attention from senior leaders.

There are three key elements of senior leaders’ responsibilities in the align stage. They are modeling, mentoring, and measuring.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I outline exactly how leaders create alignment by implementing these three “M’s.”

This is episode seventy-three of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – pressmaster. All rights reserved.

How well do leaders and team members in your company model your organization’s defined values? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Align Your Desired Culture appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Define Your Desired Culture

I am often asked about my three-phase culture refinement process. Today I’ll share how the first phase – the “define” stage – creates a foundation for your purposeful, positive, productive work culture.

My approach is founded on this hard fact – senior leaders must drive and champion their organization’s culture. They are ultimately responsible for clarity of the organization’s servant purpose, values and behaviors, strategies, and goals. They can’t delegate this responsibility to HR or any other function – they must model and coach their desired culture daily.

In the define stage, I help senior leaders formalize their desired culture through an organizational constitution – which includes the four elements noted above.

First, it describes the organization’s present day servant purpose. This statement describes what the company does, for whom, and to what end – how what they do for customers improves customers’ quality of life.

When I interview team leaders and team members in an organization, I ask, “What’s the purpose of this company?” 95% of the answers fall in two categories – to “make cars” (or sell insurance or build buildings – whatever the company’s tactical output is) or “to make money.”

The reality is that most employees are not deeply inspired by the tactical output of the company. Nor do most employees receive a direct benefit when the company makes money. However, most employees are motivated by the opportunity to serve others – and to work alongside trusted team mates to serve others.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I describe the other three elements of an organizational constitution – and share why those elements are so critically important for a healthy work culture.

This is episode seventy-two of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
Click To Tweet

Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – Jacob Lund. All rights reserved.

Have your company’s leaders formally defined your company’s organizational constitution? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Define Your Desired Culture appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Have a culture problem? Don’t hesitate to fix it.

When leaders find undeniable data that their work culture is bent or broken, they must address the problem immediately.

In recent days, two highly-regarded work cultures have been faced with such undeniable data. In one case, 16 US Marines were arrested on their Southern California base, on suspicion of drug offenses and smuggling of undocumented migrants.

In the second case, Rear Admiral Collin Green communicated to all SEAL team leaders and members that, “We have a problem.” In response to an entire SEAL team recently being sent home from Iraq due to allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse and members of a second SEAL team allegedly having abused drugs while stationed in Virginia last year, Green said, “I don’t know yet if we have a culture problem. I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately.”

Green has asked SEAL commanders to detail the problems they see and provide recommendations on how they will ensure team members are engaging in ethical and professional behavior.

Both of these fine organizations – the US Marines and Navy SEALS – have formalized the values and behaviors they want all members to demonstrate daily. What they’re seeing with these recent incidents is a lack of disciplined alignment to those values and behaviors.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I describe how leaders can ensure disciplined alignment to desired values in your workplace.

This is episode seventy-one of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a ~three-minute video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
Click To Tweet

Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – Monkey Business. All rights reserved.

How quickly have your leaders responded to a work culture issue? What was the impact of your leaders’ actions? Share your insights or questions below or engage me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Have a culture problem? Don’t hesitate to fix it. appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Learn your real work culture

How healthy is your work culture?

The reality is that senior leaders can’t improve their work culture unless they understand the real condition of their current work culture.

Here are three ways to solve that problem.

First, ask. This is an informal way of gathering information about cultural health. One of my clients spends three hours a week to “stay connected” to team members and team leaders across the organization.

Second, measure. This is a more formal way of gathering information about cultural health. I recommend Human Synergistics’ Organizational Culture Inventory to my clients. It provides a valid assessment of the health of one’s work culture across the organization and within sub-units.

Third, refine. After listening and learning in the first two steps, begin making small changes to improve respect, relationships, and cooperation.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I share details about these three ways for senior leaders to learn the condition of their real work culture and improve it, daily.

This is episode seventy (!) of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a short (two-to-three-minute) video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
Click To Tweet

Have you responded to this month’s culture leadership poll? Add your perspective to two questions – it’ll take you less than a minute. Then click the “results” link to see what others from around the globe think!

Photo © Adobe Stock – WavebreakMediaMicro. All rights reserved.

In what ways do you learn about your workplace culture’s health? What did your best bosses do to stay connected to culture sanity? Share your insights or questions on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Learn your real work culture appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – Create an Inclusive Culture

Creating an inclusive culture requires shifts in thinking, recruiting, hiring, and operating. Our biases are not obvious to us – yet these biases inhibit the creation of truly diverse and productive work cultures.

I’m always looking for unique, healthy work cultures. I learned about Five Points Academy through an insightful TechCruncharticle by Ken Kao.

The academy’s owners focused on creating a community where everyone was welcomed. One owner, Steve said, “By not having the right culture, you might turn away a person – not just women but also other men – that can potentially improve your gym.”

He added, “We don’t want an a-hole culture – not just because women might be turned off, but men would, too.” As new members joined, they consistently asked, “What environment would be welcoming for him or her?” They’d then do their best to cater to a broader range of members needs.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I examine how Five Points Academy modeled my three-step culture refinement process – and even addressed members that didn’t “fit in.”

This is episode sixty-nine of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a short (two-to-three-minute) video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Photo © Adobe Stock – flamingo images. All rights reserved.

How inclusive is your work culture? How does your organization attempt to remove biases from recruiting, hiring, recognition, and operations? Share your insights or questions on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – Create an Inclusive Culture appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.

Culture Leadership Charge – The Leader’s Most Powerful Tool

The leader’s most powerful tool boils down to two compelling words: “Thank you.”

Before you dismiss this idea, let’s look at the science behind the expression of gratitude – in our homes, schools, communities, and workplaces.

Author, professor, and scientist Robert Emmons shares research that found people that practice gratitude enjoy significant physical, psychological, and social benefits. Some of those benefits include a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, higher levels of positive emotions, higher alertness, more compassion, and less isolation.

Gratitude doesn’t come as naturally to us humans as crankiness. We notice and talk about things going badly more than we notice and talk about things that are going great.

In order to act from a place of gratitude, we have to train ourselves to be on the lookout for good things around us.

We have to pay attention – we have to observe good things, notice good things, and express appreciation for those good things.

The cool thing is that people are doing good things all the time – at home, in our communities, at work – everywhere. We just don’t notice them.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I share how to ensure your “thank you’s” have positive impact.

This is episode sixty-eight of my Culture Leadership Charge series. Each episode is a short (two-to-three-minute) video that describes proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, companies – and even homes and neighborhoods.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and my iTunes channels. If you like what you see or hear, please subscribe!

Make respect as important as results in your workplace with @scedmonds' #Culture #Leadership Charge videos & podcasts. #WorkPlaceInspiration #PurposefulCulture http://drtc.me/ytube http://drtc.me/pcast
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Photo © Adobe Stock – fizkes. All rights reserved.

How often do you express gratitude to others around you? What is the impact of your “thank you’s” on others? Share your insights or questions on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The post Culture Leadership Charge – The Leader’s Most Powerful Tool appeared first on Purposeful Culture Group.