Culture is a two-way street.
Culture needs to be lived, breathed, walked, and talked about by all levels of leadership within a company. But it also needs to be a groundswell. A truly healthy workplace culture must be built by employees. I believe the meeting in the middle is where the magic happens.
Over the years, companies have gotten better and more sophisticated at measuring true engagement to gauge if they've successfully established a healthy workplace culture.
They ask these important questions:
Do employees recommend their company to their friends and family, putting their own reputation on the line?
Are employees staying with the company or looking to go elsewhere, essentially "showing how they feel with their feet"?
Are employees using discretionary effort? Are they willing to go above and beyond for their companies and fellow employees to make a difference?
I believe that the last question is the most important. If employees are highly engaged, customers and partners experience exceptional service, and value is driven for shareholders. I've seen many companies make the mistake of prioritizing their shareholders first, forgetting that their employees are the ones connecting with and serving customers, and ultimately driving financial performance and growth. Data shows that highly engaged employees drive successful outcomes for companies and bottom-line results.
But there's more to it. Culture shouldn't stop at just culture. It's also about providing purpose for employees.
What inspires employees to give discretionary effort? It's not just about what we do, it's about how we do it and why. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are especially discerning today. Employees are digging deeper into what makes them happy and inspires them to come to work instead of staying at home with their children or their elderly parents. COVID brought life into a different perspective.
About a year ago, General Stan McChrystal (the founder of McChrystal Group) and Hubert Joly (a former CEO of mine and author of Heart of Business) did a live interview on leadership in times of crisis and how prioritizing employee purpose can help meet the demands of a changing marketplace. I encourage you to listen to the interview and hear the insights of these strong leaders.
Today, companies must focus on driving a culture where everyone has a voice and can bring their full self to work, providing purpose, and prioritizing inclusion as a business imperative.
This is the final blog of the series on cultivating success by prioritizing inclusion, based on a recent conversation with Owen Daugherty, McChrystal Group's Communication Manager. Check out my previous posts here.