The Culture+ Blog
Insights to help you create a compelling and connected culture
High-performance teams come from high-performance cultures
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First day of the rest of your life or all downhill from here
"Every day is better than the next." I missed it the first time I heard this line in the movie, "There's Something About Mary." This time, I got it. After laughing I realized something. I have spent years of my life on the wrong side of the equation. "Every day is better than the next" ≠ "Every day is better than the last." Then a more dreadful thought emerged. During those years, why was I living on the left side of the equation? Was it a sense of duty? Was it ego? Was it ignorance? Was it...
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A simple “why” is more authentic
The "why" is simple. I was at a middle school open house the other night. The teachers seemed to be following a prescribed playbook. Instructed from on high to "share your why with parents!" They worked hard on their answers. A good thing! But I heard long winded...
The “be first” philosophy
Be first. It's not about first place.Be the first one to congratulate the winner. It's not winning the argument.Be the first one to shift to positive energy and real solutions. It's not about being right.Be the first one to admit when you are wrong. It's not about...
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...
Be patient with us nonexperts
The more expert you become, the more patience you will need when dealing with nonexperts. Experts move quickly through an analysis in their topic area to find the subtle problems. Nonexperts will take more time and may still miss the subtle problems. Experts see way...
The U shape of employee engagement
Engagement over time is not static.
“How can I mentor if everybody is remote?”
LinkedIn Micro-Poll Key Insights: More than half of us are back in the office in a meaningful way.A strong third of us are keeping it 100% remote. This info from a micro-poll I posted last week on LinkedIn. The biggest objection I hear about remote work is how it...
Why we should give
We don't throw quarters They are not always in the center of frame or at the center of our attention. But they are there. Everyday there are people around us who set their ego aside and--for whatever reason--ask for something from us. They might ask for our money....
You get just 3 hours per day
You get about 3 solid brain hours per day. That's it. So, what are your best 3 hours? Might be right when you awake. Might be in the evening. It's probably not just after lunch. The limited brain up-time limits what we can do. But that limit is not a bad thing. If we...
The dark side of company culture
The dark side of company culture is that it can change you. Culture is shared beliefs and consistent actions that dictate how the work gets done in any particular organization. The key to that definition is the word "shared." Shared means that the belief or the action...
Tuesday Tactic: Reduce turnover by identifying the full path of promotion
"Where do I go from here?" By the time the question is asked, it's too late. Several organizations I have worked with haven't clearly identified their pathways to full promotion. By failing to do this, you are inviting turnover. What do I mean? You might have a job...
A motto for this Monday
"Never miss a Monday." A member of a fitness group I am a part shared that nugget a few months ago. But what does it mean? The sentiment is about showing up even when we aren't motivated to show up. It's Monday morning, 8 am, and a few weeks back somebody scheduled a...
Leaders: Share the promise not just the business case
The deep breaths were getting louder. I was sitting nearby. I could see his feet fidgeting under the curtain that separated us. The breathing continued to get louder. The medical tech finally entered. "We've got five to do. Which arm would you prefer?" I could feel...