How do senior leaders sustain an uncompromising work culture? By living the organization’s values in every interaction — and coaching others to do the same.
We’ve spent over 30 years studying culture leadership. We know the critical role senior leaders play in building a healthy work culture. They can’t delegate culture to anyone else. Culture traction only happens when senior leaders drive their ideal culture.
Here are five critical practices that culture-savvy senior leaders use to drive a purposeful, positive, productive work culture.
Model it. Lead by example. Senior leaders must embody the values and behaviors they want to instill in their organization. They are role models — and they are scrutinized by team leaders and team members every minute. They must consistently demonstrate the valued behaviors they want their employees to emulate.
Communicate it. Senior leaders must communicate the organization’s values and behaviors regularly. By reinforcing these “ground rules” in formal and informal ways, senior leaders ensure that employees are reminded of the valued behaviors frequently and understand their importance.
Hire it. Senior leaders must prioritize hiring employees who embrace the organization’s values and behaviors. This helps to create a workplace where employees are naturally aligned with the organization’s valued behaviors. This ensures that employees model those values in daily interactions with bosses, peers, suppliers and customers.
Reward it. Celebrate and recognize employees who demonstrate your defined valued behaviors. Senior leaders must be on the lookout for values demonstrations. Validating “great citizenship” is a powerful way to reinforce your ideal work culture.
Align it. Senior leaders must hold themselves and others accountable. This is consequence management 101: validate aligned behaviors and redirect misaligned behaviors. Don’t tolerate disrespectful treatment of anyone by anyone. If players are unable to treat others with respect, even after coaching, it’s best to lovingly set them free.
These critical practices require senior leaders’ intention and attention every day. There’s no quick fix.
Every employee desires and deserves a workplace where they are validated and respected for their aligned ideas, efforts and contributions. These critical practices are a powerful way to build an uncompromising culture.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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