Exploring Values: Key to Building Positive Workplace Culture

Let's dig in now and talk a little bit more about what value really means.

What are the values we're talking about? We recognize that values are the cornerstone of any organization. Obviously, they heavily influence the culture, as we've just observed. And they are the guiding principles that help ensure that our decisions, our actions, our behaviors are always driven by and anchored to what our values as an organization are.

So they are important to think about because what we know when we assess workplace culture, the numbers we come up with look a little bit like this, what you see on the screen in front of you. Research tells us that employees value appreciation. They're looking for a workplace culture that will demonstrate to them that they are worthy, that their work has value and is appreciated by managers.

And in fact, 79% are saying if we don't see that value implemented in our workplace culture, we're gonna go find some place that will show us that appreciation. Leaders feel the same way in the leadership community. 44% of leaders who are feeling used up at the end of the day, depleted because of how much they put in, and aren't getting back in appreciation, will leave too.

26% will leave within the next year, of those who said that they don't feel appreciated. When you look at this from a generational standpoint, the generation that we call the millennials is saying that they do not feel in the big picture that they are being developed. So that emerges as another key value is businesses that see the need to create a bench, so to speak.

If businesses recognize that they do better when they are grooming folks to take positions and become leaders, they are the businesses and the organizations that people will want to stay with if they know they're being valued by being developed. So, from that research and from the understanding of what values are key for employees, we understand these five fundamental elements that create a favorable culture. Honest and unbiased management, meaning they're looking for management and leadership to be transparent, to be civil, to provide meaningful work, work that people can go home and feel proud of, and feel that they contributed to in a way that was appreciated.

Open communication and empathy, and that's a big one, that's a transition. The requirement for empathy as being part of an obvious part of workplace culture is definitely different in today's work environment from when, for example, the silent generation, the baby boomers, and even the Gen Xers were coming up. Empathy wasn't as important, but as we have evolved in our understanding of what makes people tick, we recognize that empathy and an understanding of the whole person ultimately do lead toward higher morale, higher investment in the organization, a higher sense of being appreciated, and wanting to do the work that results in being appreciated.

So again, we know that positive work environments will flourish when people are appreciated. We also know that they'll flourish when people are held accountable or when they hold themselves accountable as well. Positive leadership and management styles are no exception to that.

Positive management leadership styles mean that they're holding themselves accountable as well as the teams they lead, and they are prioritizing positive workplace culture. They can influence that culture by ensuring that everyone knows that, as team members, their input is valuable. So they're listening to feedback about changes, decision-making, and their own work accomplishments.

So if you're in a position where in your leadership journey, you are realizing that you've got some work to do on your workplace culture, or you've just never had a chance to do this, maybe you're new in this position, in a leadership position, and you would like to see where you are, take stock, so to speak, we recommend these as questions to help guide you in that assessment. This is your listening tour. This is when you get a chance to get out into your team and see how they feel about where they work.

Do they feel that management gives them what they need to adapt to changes, whether they're taking risks, whether employees feel that they have autonomy, or are they being micromanaged? Do they understand what the company's mission actually is and their own goals? Are they clearly defined? Do they feel as though they've got flexibility for work-life balance? That's a big one, work-life balance. Obviously, we all know, especially since the days of COVID, that a priority in the positive work culture means that we're paying attention to whether employees feel that they've got the time to invest meaningfully in their work, but also in their private lives. Another question that you're asking in this assessment is about whether management is taking responsibility for failure and choosing to learn from it.

Not being afraid of the word failure, right? We are often tempted to avoid using that word, but we can do what's called failing better by recognizing what didn't work, what we can do better next time, and being of a growth mindset that recognizes that failure can be positive. So does management do all of that and take responsibility for those failures? So, in your assessment of your workplace culture, when you get the data that you're looking for, all of the answers to those questions, you ultimately can distill the information you get into these key ways to build a positive culture. And this is the tool that you're going to use right here, taking all the data that you get from that assessment and saying, okay, I'm gonna turn this into ways that I can ensure that my team gets wins every day.

Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be monumental. It's just what we did today that worked, and how can I congratulate us? What are some triumphs and victories that we can all celebrate? What are some improvements that we can make, whether it's about safety, service, or health? And of course, workplace anniversaries and company-wide celebrations are always widely appreciated, whether it's work anniversaries, birthdays, or anything else that is unique to what you do. People recognize your willingness to hold those quick moments of celebration.

They don't have to be terribly long, but that means you're paying attention. And that's part of what people are looking for in the leadership team. It goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it, that leaders influence organizational culture.

So the more you communicate and the better you communicate, the better role model you are and the better relationships you're forming with your employees, and the more you are empowering them as well. Your goal is to ensure that everyone on your team, everyone on the staff, is aligned on the organization's mission, the purpose for what you do, and the vision, which is answering the question, why do we do this? What is the effect of our work at the end of the day? How do we show up in doing what we do and claiming success at what we do? So you have to make sure everybody knows the answers to those questions. They can talk about it at dinner when someone asks them.

They can explain to somebody who inquires about their organization, here's who we are. Here's what we do. Here's why we do it.

70% of US employees say that when they can connect their organization's culture and values, they feel more motivated because they understand how to dig in, how to connect to what they do, and why they do it. A great example of a strong leader who crafted culture during a crisis, in particular, is the explorer Ernest Shackleton. So Shackleton was crossing Antarctica in a ship called the Endurance, and it got crushed by icebergs.

So bad situation, tragic, potentially catastrophic situation. No longer was he able to focus on the original goal to cross Antarctica and get all the kudos for doing that. Now, he just had to survive.

He had to survive, and he had to keep his team alive. He had 28 men on the ship, and he had to just get home alive, even if it meant he wasn't going to cross Antarctica. So he focused on morale first because in order to get through this, he had to keep people believing that they could get through it, believing that they were going to survive no matter how hard it got, how scary it got.

And for the people who did not have as much faith as he did, at least externally, he had faith. He kept those folks as close to him as possible because he didn't want them to spread their concern and their worry to everybody else. So he had them actually sleep in his tent.

And ultimately, he got them home, and he got his team to safety. So in order to linger on this topic a little bit more, we're going to watch a TED Talk now. Simon Sinek is an organizational leadership expert, author, and speaker.

And he's got this talk here. It's about 12 minutes on why good leaders make you feel safe. So your goal is to watch the video and then answer the questions that follow the video in exercises 1-2.

This is one of those exercises where no instructor feedback is needed. You're just going to answer some questions that help you think about your reaction to your responses, your thoughts about this video. And as I mentioned in the beginning, we do encourage you to be thoughtful.

Take some time, answer these questions in two to three sentences, at least two to three sentences, or four per question. And linger in some of your responses to and your thinking about what you hear from Simon Sinek. And I'll see you when you come back.