Culture Beats Strategy Every Time!

Only 1 out of 3 people according to Gallup are “emotionally invested” in their work.  Across age groups, categories, roles, positions, etc., it seems more and more that people at work are not “thrilled” doing what they do.  Only 60-75% of people at work are just “satisfied”. That means it pays the bills, but no enthusiasm.  Not good.

So, what does a “sole contributor” do in this environment?  Do you just “go with the flow” and grind it out or are there things or contributions one person can make?  If for no other reason than to maintain their sanity and try “to make a difference” however small.

So, what can you do to improve your company’s culture”?  Here are some suggestions:

1. Model the Behavior you want to see. Culture spreads through examples
2. Improve Communication. Bring customer feedback to leadership
3. Support Teammates. Stimulate collaboration not rivalry
4. Represent Customer Reality. Advocate for customer needs
5. Influence Ethics and Integrity. Sell honestly and push back against unhealthy practices
6. Bring Solutions, not only complaints
7. Contribute to psychological safety. Admit mistakes and respect disagreement
8. Lead without a title. Be an informal leader. You don’t need position to have power!

My feeling is everyone can be a “leader”. All you have to do is make it “easy to be followed”! In fact, whether leading a team, supervising, managing, directing or training, the “trick is” to marry your performance with trust, collaboration and “constructive” influence.