Culture matters. Especially now. Here’s how to get the culture you want.

By Sandra Oliver, Impact Founder

In a recent Impact Insight, Your company culture is a two-way street, we looked at why leaders are moving toward co-creating culture with their people. And the positive results this approach can have on organizations.

The most successful leaders recognize that when everyone is happy – leaders, employees, and customers – their organizations thrive. But how exactly do we engage with our people to create this two-way street to culture? How can we ensure everyone’s happy?

We start by understanding ourselves

As leaders, we need to have a strong grasp of who we are and how we want to lead. What our future direction is and how we want to get our people there with us. We have to be aware and honest about what we’re good at and where we’re challenged. What drives us crazy, and what’s really important to us.

As employees, we need to understand ourselves equally as well. What our purpose is. How we want to be treated and spoken to.

What growth and development we want – even if the answer is none. We need to come to terms with what we want and need to be successful, whatever that definition of success is.

Next, we have to be open to understanding each other

The next step is for leaders and employees to listen, be open and honest, and really see the other person and understand their needs. With curiosity and without judgement.

So as leaders, we need to hear what our employees want personally and professionally. See them as whole people and understand what they need to grow and evolve.

Be willing to learn about them to help contribute to their success.

And as employees, we have to listen to what our leaders need to be able to achieve their goals and the goals of the organization. See them as human beings and think about how our work can help them get what they need.

As part of this dialogue, we need to thoughtfully consider and answer several questions:

• What does the organization and its customers/clients need from me so they can be successful?
• What does my leader/employee need from me to be successful?
• Do these things fit with what I would consider to be a good place to work?
• Am I willing to do them?
• What sacrifices am I willing to make?
• What sacrifices am I not willing to make?

The final step: Compromise and negotiate

Lastly, we need to come to some sort of understanding about how we’re each going to get what we want. While still ensuring the customers/clients get what they want. And the business is successful.

It means we all have to sacrifice something. No one – not even the most senior leaders or even the customers/clients – get everything they want, every day.

We need to accept these trade-offs. We need to see how we fit into the bigger context, and understand that context better.

Stay on top of the dialogue as it evolves

We can’t think of the dialogue as “one and done”. Everyone’s needs will continue to shift, so the dialogues need to continue to happen and evolve, too. As leaders and as employees, we need to continue to check in with each other and build the culture that works for us. To create the unique experiences that will contribute to our happiness – and the organization’s success.

In order to do that, we all have to get really good at dialogue. To have the courage to ask tough questions. The resilience to continually assess how we’re feeling. The time to develop our self-awareness. The space to work on our communication skills.

Which means we’ll need more leaders. To continue to co-create vibrant cultures that increase everyone’s happiness and propel our organizations forward.

The results are incredible

The leaders I’ve seen achieve this are open to and good at creating work environments where people feel they can speak up and talk about what they need. They have deep self-awareness. They excel at building strong, trusted relationships with their people. They inspire people to rally around common goals.

And the results are incredible. Higher satisfaction. Lower turnover. Greater sense of purpose. People work harder, are willing to make sacrifices – and they’re happier. And the organizations grow and succeed.

IMPACT can help

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help your organization drive culture as a two-way street and enhance performance, contact us.