thecultureguide1@gmail.com

Has there ever been a time when your team or organization was underperforming? When results just weren’t up to your expectations and progress was a struggle? I’ve been there before and have felt the frustration that comes from trying to find solutions for improvement.     In moments like these I’ve tried a lot of different tactics to jumpstart performance. I’ve introduced new programs, implemented changes to current practices, developed new systems, tweaked marketing efforts, reached out for help from peers and colleagues, and I have even looked to the competition to try and learn some things from them. Though [...]

Meetings are one of the most basic functions of any organization, yet they often aren’t given the attention they deserve. Meetings play a pivotal role in the shaping and strengthening of a workplace culture. Sadly, most people disdain meetings and it’s hard to blame them. Meetings are often poorly run and poorly structured—thus participants leave feeling like they’ve wasted their time. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are three simple suggestions to help you dramatically improve your meetings. #1 Make the Purpose Clear  The purpose of every meeting must always be clear. When there is a clear understanding of why the meeting exists and why it [...]

A great strategy to improve the results within your organization is to take great care of your team. Many studies have proven that leaders who are able to establish a culture where employees feel valued, recognized, and cared about perform better than those who don’t. But how do you do it? How can a leader take better care of their people when they are so busy and have so much already on their plates? Below is a list of nine simple ideas that will help you take better care of those you lead and create a stronger workplace culture without demanding too much of your time. 1. Know all [...]

Providing clarity should be at the very top of the priority list for any leader. Why? Clarity brings certainty and reassurance to a team. It removes confusion, roadblocks, and misalignment. It contributes to camaraderie, trust, and understanding. It builds confidence, loyalty, and respect. It provides direction. The importance of establishing clarity to effective leadership cannot be overstated.     Great leaders start by clarifying three important things.     Purpose  First, they provide clarity around the purpose of work. If people don’t know why they do what they do, work will not be as fulfilling as it ought to be. When a team understand the purpose behind all the effort, it serves to motivate and inspire them.   Vision  Second, they provide clarity around where the organization is going. They share a compelling vision and paint [...]

I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with many amazing leaders throughout my career and I’ve learned there is one significant challenge that every leader faces. I like to call this universal struggle the ultimate leadership challenge.  What is the ultimate leadership challenge? It is the challenge of overcoming self. To move from being self-focused to others focused. To put our own personal interests and desires aside in order to benefit others. Only a few are able to consistently overcome this daily battle.   Why is this so hard? We are all human that’s why. We all have our own desires, wants, wishes, egos. We want what we believe will provide comfort and ease, status and [...]

Does your team understand what winning looks like for your organization? Is it super clear what results must be achieved in order to claim victory? Ensuring team members know what winning looks like is a great way to help establish a strong culture that gets results.   Can you imagine a basketball game without a scoreboard? Where the players, coaches, and spectators have no idea who is winning? Or how about an Olympic running event without a defined finish line or even a stopwatch keeping time? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it. Would anyone have any interest in such an event?     Much like a sporting event without a scoreboard, work can feel pretty dull, pointless, and uninspiring without clear goals, clear measurement on progress toward those goals, and results. Almost everyone wants to belong to a winning team, and it’s impossible if no one knows what winning means for [...]

I agree with Simon Sinek that leaders eat last, but I also believe they eat with their team. Let me explain.   One of the best ways to establish a great culture within your company is to create what I call charity within your organization. Charity is showing true care and concern for the people you lead. It’s viewing people as people and not as a number or something that is easily replaced and expendable.   Probably the best way to establish charity within your organization is by getting to know your team. One of the best ways to [...]