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Keep it simple…

How many times have you heard or tried telling yourself that, and yet…you still overcomplicate almost everything?

For example, workplace culture. How can you create it? Sustain it? Find the time and energy to get it started and keep it going?

The list of ingredients begins with YOU and your team – employees who are people first and employees second.

Those people (you and your employees) form a team. Any time there are more than two people working together, you begin to form the environment in which everyone assimilates, collaborates, communicates, and so much more. That can and will happen organically, but the better approach is to do it intentionally – right from the beginning. This is where your mission, vision, values, and culture statements come into play.

Let’s focus on our own motivations and values and how they appear and align with those of the company. Think about how you can keep it simple, be far more deliberate about work environment norms, and create the culture you want.

Real Life

Case in point: our team at PI Midlantic has put these concepts into action.

Our team opens each of its monthly calls with 15 minutes of specific examples of how we are living our company values. We go into storytelling mode. Anyone can share and we usually run out of time because there are so many examples. (It’s so cool.)

PI Midlantic’s Company Values and Shared Examples:

• Yes…AND!
  • Offering one-hour, 1:1 coaching sessions with recently-trained managers.
  • Being flexible when scheduling training with clients’ busy schedules.
• Do the Right Thing
  • Always adhering to promises to clients, even if guidelines change.
• Winning Together
  • Team members will share their resources, exercises, and handouts amongst the team so that everyone can benefit.
  • Promoting and congratulating one another when appropriate – when one person “wins,” the team and organization wins, too.

By doing this, the company is instilling what “right” looks, feels, and sounds like by considering not only what we say and do, but how we do it. We have added several new team members in the past year and these members are understanding what “right” looks like from the very beginning. Even existing team members who may not have previously been clear about mission, vision, and values have benefitted. Now everyone on the team understands and can live the core values in their everyday lives.

The Gains from this Agenda Opener

• The picture of what “right” looks like is getting clearer
• The way you are living company core values – your culture — is simple and consistent.
• The team comes to the meeting excited and ready.
• In doing so, the team feels what other team members are doing from an emotional standpoint. It becomes more impactful this way.
• Whether you present an example or are actively listening, it invokes positive energy.
• It sparks other ways to work within the team and with clients.
• Your culture puts the guardrails up on what the company doesn’t do or tolerate; this is just as important.
• You gain a better understanding of how your behavioral hardwiring can and will show up inside of your role.
• This simple exercise can help you differentiate yourself from other companies and ensures confidence in delivering success to clients.
• Your culture helps with onboarding new team members.
• Your culture creates cohesion and highly effective teams.
• Your culture creates inclusion.
• And more…

We have a saying at PI Midlantic that “Every behavioral pattern is beautiful.” And it’s true. But understanding this also creates wins by addressing how each person fits in their roles and within the team. Knowing this can bring out the best in everyone by ensuring we are always doing the right thing. By working together, keeping it simple.

If you would like to know more about your individual behavioral hardwiring, or how to create high performing teams, improve workplace culture, foster inclusion, develop leadership, and more, contact us.

My name is Shelley Smith, I am proud to be a part of this consulting team.

Author: Shelley Smith