– Practical, human ideas for leaders who want their teams to thrive.
Culture isn’t what hangs on a wall. It’s how your team feels on Monday morning, how they act when things go wrong or welcome new members, and how they celebrate success or respond under pressure.
Building a solid culture and a solid team isn’t easy. It is worth the time, however, and it is worth the investment … every time. Here are some proven ideas to consider; they have worked for others, and many of them can be done quite easily and inexpensively.
“How to begin and how to strengthen what you already have … “
Take the time to define what culture means. As leaders, we understand that culture is the collection of habits, shared values, and relationships that make work feel meaningful. It is built moment by moment, reflected in what leaders encourage and what they tolerate.
“Have a Culture Leadership Mindset” – Building culture can start small and only really needs to be consistent. Culture also depends on how leaders think and behave. Leaders should listen twice as much as they speak. They should always give credit publicly and give feedback privately. Leaders know their team reads their mood before their memos. Bridging the gap between cultural “actions” and cultural modeling depends on leaders who model vulnerability, leaders who say “I don’t know” or “I was wrong” when needed.
Surprise your associates with a free lunch after hitting a tough goal. Affordable options like pizza or sandwiches are popular. Don’t forget drinks.
Give associates their birthdays off with pay or a substitute day. If not, offer a local business gift certificate.
Post a daily inspirational quote. Find a person-centered quotation for someone who might need a boost without identifying the intended person. You will be surprised at how many people will appreciate the effort and think that they were the person the quote was intended for.
Allow the associates to create staff music playlists. Many organizations play music in the background; consider allowing associates to create playlists and choose the music. As long as the music is appropriate, you could have “Country Day,” “Jazz Day,” “’80s rock day”, as a way to make the work environment just that much more personal and enjoyable for everyone.
Celebrate staff anniversaries. Simple acknowledgements of your associate’s contribution to your organization should be fundamental in every workplace. For 5 years, 10, 15, etc., perhaps more significant recognition is appropriate. Always try to incorporate a few person-centered words of thanks from the owner or board of directors. Have a snack like coffee and donuts for all associates; and always display sincere appreciation for the associate’s contribution to the success of the organization.
Have a party for departing associates. For most associates, leaving a job means leaving their social circle; having a staff get together is a nice send off and can be done formally or informally.
“Ideas and beers.” Your associates may have many great ideas that die in people’s minds because there is no mechanism to encourage or develop them. Often, we’re too busy with day-to-day tasks to explore all the new ideas people have; even something as basic as having a regular, dedicated time to discuss suggestions in a relaxed, non-structured way.
Have tennis balls by the door. Have a stack of tennis balls by the exit, and each day ask your associates to throw the ball into one of two buckets. One bucket is for “I’ve had a good day today;” the other is for “I’ve had a bad day today.” By asking your associates to anonymously reflect daily helps them appreciate the good days and passively vent about the bad.
Send “1Ups”. Have a whiteboard in the lunchroom and encourage associates to write a “thank you” message to colleagues who have helped them recently.
“Dress up” Days. Instead of the typical dress-down Fridays, why not throw in a dress-up day once a month and encourage people to wear suits or dresses?
Pay a living wage to your associates; your people need to be able to afford to live in your community. Living wages are different in each region, but you will build a loyal and hardworking group of associates if they are not always living from pay cheque to pay cheque.
Have paid sick days. If there is an overarching lesson from the pandemic, this might be the most important. The long-term cost to your organization is far greater if you do not have this available for your associates.
Use full-time associates. Part-time or contract associates may save the organization money in the short-term; however, building our organization around people with good full-time jobs with benefits will reduce turnover, costly recruiting, and training expenses, and contribute to the growth of the community.
“Building connections – Next Steps in the next month or two”
Run a staff contest at least once per month. Contests can be work-related or person-centred. The key is to get as many people to participate as possible. Teams of three or four people work the best, and pair new people with your veterans.
Once a month or once a quarter, have a staff outing after hours. For example, some organizations enter teams in a local trivia night contest; others have a staff bowling night or softball game; staff “potluck” supper nights are a great way to bring people together outside of the work environment and share in culinary diversity and awareness; taking the “potluck” idea one step further to plan a “cookie crawl”, where each associate brings in two dozen cookies, and then the cookies are divided amongst all of the associates who joined in; and, try to involve the spouses and partners of your associates. Too often, most organizations forget how important it is to make them feel part of your team as well.
Create a library of self-help resources. Many people will take advantage of such a library, and great books, podcasts, videos, and webinars are available for very little cost. For example, many second-hand bookstores have excellent books available.
Help local charities and community organizations that are important to your associates. Incorporate suggestions into your company events, for example, at your Christmas party, ask those attending to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to the food bank or to make a $10 contribution to a local charity. Consider providing a “paid day” for your associates to volunteer at a community meal program and/or to deliver meals. Asking for $20 donation/attendee to support a local “toy drive” at Christmas. Associates who have children that are fundraising for sports or schools should be encouraged to solicit the staff or to have a small display for customers or staff to contribute.
“Culture grows through small daily acts.” – The next 6 months.
Sponsor local events and/or sporting teams that your associates are participating in. Many local groups are usually underfunded, and their volunteers are overworked, and your even small contributions are very welcome. If your associates volunteer for these groups, modify your schedules to allow them to leave early if necessary; even 5 or 10 minutes can make a difference. Consider posting your support on social media will help publicize your associate’s event and help your customers know that community involvement is very important to your company. Finally, many companies post pictures of the children’s teams they support to build awareness of how important contributing to the local community is for the organization and for the associates.
Have special Day celebrations that are fun for your associates. Finding ways to celebrate the seasons and special days like Easter, Halloween, Groundhog Day, the first day of spring, the first day of baseball or hockey season, the first day of school, and decorating the stores. There are many unique ways of doing this, from having a “sports jersey” day to handing out “tree seedlings” for Earth Day to having a draw for a “box of wine” for mothers on the first day back to school.
Create a Rewards program for your associates. Rewards don’t have to be expensive, but genuine recognition and appreciation is one of the best ways to build a vibrant culture. For example, recognize associates for having perfect attendance for the year. Reward associates for achievements at work or in the community that may or may not be seen by everyone
Encourage Healthy Lifestyles. Offering fitness trackers like Fitbit is a fun way to encourage health and wellness. To encourage company-wide adoption, hold a competition on who could walk the most steps in a week. Also, offer assistance and encouragement for associates who want to quit smoking.
Embed the “right of first conversation” for associates who are thinking about leaving.Organizations with a healthy culture thrive on open relationships with their associates. Encourage all associates to speak to their manager if they are even thinking of interviewing elsewhere without repercussions. If the reason has to do with the company, there may be something that could resolve the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. Leaders understand that a job isn’t a life sentence, if someone wants to leave, we understand, it happens, and it is okay; and having a reference from your current employer always helps.
Performance Conversations at least once per quarter. Reviews should not be a once-a-year exercise. Performance Conversations are interactive, and they should also “open the door” to have associates evaluate their manager’s performance and that of the company. To succeed, building an organization based on a culture of transparency and feedback is vital. Keep people in the loop. Transparency builds trust. Share the ‘why’ behind decisions, not just the ‘what.’
Do walk and talks. Have discussions away from offices to remove stigma, so instead of having one-to-ones in your office, go for a walk and talk instead. You’ll find that the fresh air, movement, and relaxed nature make people open up more easily.
Lunch and learns. Invite speakers into the office to teach life skills, inspire people, and educate. This doesn’t have to cost much. Why not ask your associates to talk about something they’re passionate about?
Introduce a ‘Dared to try’ award. I believe in creating a culture where failure is acceptable, allowing experimentation is critical to letting people and ideas grow. Having an award to celebrate an idea that didn’t work out is a great way to let people know that new ideas are encouraged. It is important to remember failure is never the goal of a company, but failing and learning is better than not trying in the first place.
Create an internal mentoring program. Mentoring has huge benefits for retention, training, and development. Not only will your team learn from the best, but your high-performing experts will get even better. Your organization holds so much knowledge; you should always want to make the most of it. Always remember many associates find role-playing awkward and difficult; however, fostering collaboration between just two associates will be more impactful.
Culture isn’t built in meetings. It is built in moments – every minute of every day and in every action – culture can be nurtured, strengthened, and lived. The way we treat people when no one’s watching determines the strength of every business. Start small, stay kind, and keep building. It isn’t easy, it can be hard work, frustrating, fraught with setbacks; however, it is worth the time, and it is worth the investment … every time.
Good luck,
Paul
Final note: When people feel seen, safe, and supported at work, they bring that same energy home, and that’s how culture quietly shapes not just companies, but communities.