It's the foundation on top of which we've developed our culture.--Maxwell Finn, Loot! So as leaders take the appropriate steps to weather this storm financially and operationally, they are also asking how they can ensure that they act in ways that are in keeping with their culture. Creating a culture of inclusion at the workplace is just not a nice thing to do; many studies and innumerable examples prove that it makes business sense to do so.While much has been said about investing in the well being of employees, fostering an environment in which employees feel encouraged to contribute and heard is equally important. We don’t need to explain that it’s an unprecedented moment. Make it informal and invite group interaction, which makes it an excellent way to get workers involved. You can't be everywhere, but your expectations should be. Our team meets at our creative room on the floor, cross-legged. Putting events down on a calendar, accessible to everyone across different office locations, leads to increased team communication and transparency.--Doreen Bloch, Poshly, We instituted a monthly lunch lotto where we draw names for a group to go to lunch on the company's dime. Use this resource to help you create themes for each week. The 'perks' that matter most are those that get your team to bond in unexpected ways. The culture meetings don't just feel like an employee orientation that everyone has to sit idly through—it's very much a two-way conversation. It is crucial to create a culture that empowers everyone within the organization to be innovative and intrapreneurial. For more examples of effective/ineffective meeting cultures, see my earlier posts here, here, here and here. We scoured the internet in search of great videos and made a list for your viewing pleasure. 1. If you haven't heard of a safety moment before, it may be because your company (or industry) more commonly calls safety moments toolbox talks or safety chats. 7) Treat culture as the company’s immune system. Employees meet with him regularly, and he attends major company meetings to offer inspiring guidance. If you've spent your time well in the meeting, you have some outcomes and next steps. Internally, a healthy company values and celebrates everyone’s contributions — which directly impacts retention and … The idea is, whoever uses the word in … 37 Company Culture Quotes That Will Inspire Your Team. We often don’t think about staff meetings until we’re about to lead them. Below are three simple ways to make learning moments part of the every day culture of your business. Some key elements of an effective safety program include the following: Employee involvement The strongest message about how you want your culture to perform is embedded in how you conduct your meetings. In short, culture can determine how meetings are structured with various consequences. Our solution: Installing two Ping-Pong tables and running monthly tournaments with a variety of prizes. We are a small company with a remote workforce. Having an agenda means you have a specific meeting agenda and outcome in mind. We've accomplished this with Slack, which has become our team's virtual office. It includes activities ranging from team meetings to employee birthdays to fitness challenges. Let employees take a crack at explaining how they would solve it. Here are four ways you can develop more efficient and productive meetings that will, in turn, drive the right culture in your organization. In the midst of our busy schedules, we need something to jump-start our preparation. It helps to take three specific steps. Including a Safety Moment at the beginning of your meeting can help bring safety issues or topics up in a timely, clear, brief, and non-threatening way. One company culture doesn’t fit all. For example, if you give a … Here are a few guidelines for new leaders who want to change the meeting culture. Try one of the following prompts to kick off a small group meeting or a one-on-one to set the tone for openness and vulnerability. Let's just say that the competitive spirit is alive and well at VideoBlocks.--Joel Holland, VideoBlocks, We believe strongly that as consultants and advisers, we must push the thinking in our areas of specialty. We scoured the internet in search of great videos and made a list for your viewing pleasure. Ninety-two percent of meeting attendees value meetings as an opportunity to contribute to the organisation. Having an agenda doesn't mean it needs to be printed and distributed prior to the meeting. Beyond work Assign tasks to individuals, not teams or functions. Any effective leader knows his or her company’s success depends upon not just a vision or product, but the people who carry out the vision and build the product day in and day out – their employees. A great culture video shows yours in all its unique glory. With monday.com you can cut sync meetings by up to 50% and save 3 hours per employee every week. Sometimes team members will highlight interesting notes from the work of other colleagues during the week. Eventually, looking forward to food day will be a major bonding moment for the whole team. If you start late, spend a lot of time chitchatting, and wander around in your meetings with no specific outcomes, then your business likely runs the same way. They have what they call a “moment of Zen”. 11 tips for changing the meeting culture Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself if a meeting really necessary. You define your values and mission, but ultimately, it's up to your team to live by them. This helps create a culture of collaborative, collective intelligence.--Dusty Wunderlich, Bristlecone Holdings, At the end of every monthly team meeting, we put up a slide listing all of our company values. 16 Ideas for Creating a Stronger Team and Better Culture The 'perks' that matter most are those that get your team to bond in unexpected ways. It's a great way for everyone to publicly recognize each other--and it's free!--Bhavin Parikh, Magoosh, We recently introduced a culture calendar that is viewable by all team members. The top pop culture moments, milestones and memories of the past ten years were not exactly easy to decide upon. With over 20 million people tuned in, America watched as two prominent professionals—first Dr. Christine Blasey Ford , then Brett Kavanaugh—divulged deeply personal … Team members are also able to suggest new activities in a shared document. Reflect on your purpose and values. Meetings are a necessary evil. We encourage people to chat about personal and work life, and they typically take a longer lunch than usual.--Angela Harless, AcrobatAnt, Our company's biggest cultural win was the addition of three-time boxing world champion Paul Vaden, who is our Champion-in-Residence. However, that doesn’t need to be the case. Try one of the following prompts to kick off a small group meeting or a one-on-one to set the tone for openness and vulnerability. When you don't start your meetings on time, you're sending several messages as a leader: Are those the messages you want your team to believe? Are you seeing those beliefs pop up in other areas of your business? What makes Yaro’s company culture great: Clarity, intensity and community are key characteristics of their culture — in that order. When you start your meeting, kick it off with a “culture moment.” It’s a simple way to make the session more enjoyable while aligning expectations for how you want invitees to think and act. Hold your people accountable for their assignments. This strengthens our culture because it directly aligns with our values and strategy, and benefits employees.--Chris Cancialosi, gothamCulture. Organizations that proactively manage their cultures do so in every meeting. But remember, keep it positive, not what you don't like seeing. What Is a Safety Moment? We discuss project statuses, current challenges, brainstorm creative and development solutions, define workload action plans, and socialize. This allows the employees to connect on a personal level outside of work, which helps them relate and connect with each other. I’m OK with you sitting around doing nothing. By Bob Pothier, director for Partners in Leadership and a former GE exec who works with leaders to create greater accountability across the work force and facilitates enterprisewide culture change. Workers involvement is critical to a strong safety culture because safety is a team effort. 48. A great company culture comes down to one thing: people. Organizations that proactively manage their cultures do so in every meeting. We encourage a team lunch every Friday afternoon outside of the office. Safety Moments are designed to reinforce safety knowledge and everyone’s commitment towards a positive safety culture. 1. Have I invited the right people to attend? Everything you do drives your culture. Your people are always looking for clues as to what will please you. Here are some suggestions for how to start those meetings: When you talk about what you expect people to be doing, you will see more of it. For example, if you give a team player recognition for going above and beyond, tell the story — like how two departments collaborated on a project together — or ask others to share a … Here's some guidance on those to-do lists: Meetings are only productive if they lead to timely actions that achieve results. How you manage your meetings says a lot about how you're managing your organization. State ground rules up front and make sure they explicitly foster inclusion. Greet each meeting participant warmly, by name, so everyone feels welcome. However, warns Farley, safety moments only work “if you have the leadership engagement and culture for it to be effective.” That is, your organization needs to back up these brief nods to safety with a strong safety culture. Safety moments are usually conducted at the beginning of a meeting or shift. If it gets off track on something more important and necessary, then you know how to adjust the agenda. Diversity and inclusion: 8 best practices for changing your culture A strong diversity and inclusion strategy can help your organization attract top talent and drive innovative results. Safety moments are brief meetings that take place at the start or end of the work day or at the beginning of a meeting. During this moment they take time, as a group, to learn something new or reflect on their day. This normalizes safety and helps strengthen the workplace's safety culture. Ideas range from new products to ways we can streamline or improve our current processes. Last week I was running a culture mapping session with an organisation when one of the participants said, “If we’re going to develop culture, then we need to dedicate a few days to it. Examples of some of the best company culture videos. Culture: the way we do things, including the way we meet. Teammates will bring their family, dogs, significant others, and friends. We are introducing a new short-form format: The Culture Moment.Every clip is around three minutes long and contains a complimentary intercultural nugget, presented by Christian Höferle. The four-lettered word ‘Guys’ can make many of the female team members feel excluded from a conversation, and unhappy about it. Embracing a healthy culture of competition is a great way to feed this fire. Be purposeful about it. Meetings are not one-size-fits all, and neither is your culture. Curious about the ways entrepreneurs help their employees connect--to the company's mission, but also to each other--we asked 16 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to share the perks, products, and processes that have helped the most. Examples of some of the best company culture videos. Napping is a huge part of our company culture here, and I have found that a well-placed nap will make my already-gritty employees even more hardworking, creative, and happy when they wake up.--Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep, We cover the cost of books for our team, so there's zero friction in the process for anyone who wants to learn something new. Their best answers are below. I'm OK with you sitting around doing nothing. Culture also influences discussions, decision-making, even meeting location. Wait for me and my direction before acting. People learn to compete. Reading Time: 9 minutes The word “icebreaker” will usually elicit a round of groans and eye rolls from employees. There is already plenty of negative information floating around in most organizations. Use the start of your meeting to … Meetings are no exception. Then, team members have a chance to give shout-outs to each other based on those values and based on each person's work in the past month. Everyone takes a different approach to problem-solving. 11 tips for changing the meeting culture. Schedule meetings where you reveal a big problem facing the company with complete transparency. 2. Adapt with growth. We invest in developing our staff members as thought leaders because it not only helps strengthen our brand, it also provides opportunities for team members to shine. In the inclusive culture, the way we address a group matters a lot. Teaching. We don’t need to explain that it’s an unprecedented moment. It sounds simple, and yet 95 percent of meetings don't start on time. Including a Safety Moment at the beginning of your meeting can help bring safety issues or topics up in a timely, clear, brief, and non-threatening way. He also adds to the level of fun in the office and hosts departmental boxing classes off site, too.--Jason Kulpa, Underground Elephant, As the CEO of a mattress company, I always try to emphasize the benefits of adequate sleep to my customers and clients, as well as my team members. Take our quiz to test yourself with 20 pop culture themed questions from 2020. During each interview, they ask candidates what those terms mean to them to ensure new hires are on the same page when jumping into their communal team. -Jayna Cooke, EventUp, At least once a month on a weekend, a teammate or co-founder will cook dinner for the team at their home. What information do I need to make a decision? time is more valuable than yours. You view each other in a different light as well as learn about people's families. An inclusive and respectful team culture impacts employees in a number of ways, ... Have each employee present these moments to the team, and share their story to whatever degree they feel comfortable. Schedules and deadlines are flexible. It can take place at any time: the beginning of a shift, in the middle of the day to break up work, or before or after a non-safety meeting or event. We're extremely family-oriented as a team and treat building our company as a team/family effort, not just as a job.--Nanxi Liu, Enplug, I'm not lackadaisical about the culture I build, and I've found major success with software and apps that allow employees to give each other kudos for just about any job well done, then allowing the employee to pick from a variety of rewards THEY want (headphones, time off, casual dress days, cash, etc.). Some have taken swimming lessons, gone to a play, taken karate lessons, and the list goes on.--Tamara Nall, The Leading Niche, We have a process called "campfire" every Monday and Wednesday morning with zero electronics. It becomes more and more robust with examples we live each day as we progress. Regardless, you should be operating as someone who has a specific plan for the time spent with your people. I'm OK with you being late and starting your meetings late. People in many workplaces talk about organizational culture, that mysterious term that characterizes the qualities of a work environment.When employers interview a prospective employee, they often consider whether the candidate is a good cultural fit.Culture is difficult to define, but you generally know when you have found an employee who appears to fit your culture. Check-in along the way with those who have assignments. We hold a semi-annual event, very similar to Shark Tank, where employees come and pitch their ideas. Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself if a meeting really necessary. Because of programs like YouEarnedIt, I'm able to let my employees cultivate real culture.--Darius Mirshahzadeh, Endeavor America Loan Services, Seeing each other sweat and compete together in an organized sport (like soccer or running) does wonders to build team cohesiveness. 6. Make sure your meetings are productive and a good use of time. This was started in efforts to build interdepartmental relationships between people who may not work together regularly, and break down silos that may exist between some departments. The four-lettered word ‘Guys’ can make many of the female team members feel excluded from a conversation, and unhappy about it. 1. Oftentimes meeting leaders will share an inspiring quote or a fun news tidbit. A great culture video shows yours in all its unique glory. The following are some of the questions you should ask yourself as you prepare your agenda: As you get in the habit of asking yourself these questions, the answers will come more quickly and naturally. Any effective leader knows his or her company’s success depends upon not just a vision or product, but the people who carry out the vision and build the product day in and day out – their employees. We reimburse our employees to participate in an adventure or try new things on the company's dime. Effective meetings are good for morale, company culture and the overall performance. Have problem-solving meetings. The idea is, whoever uses the word in the wrong context has to put a Euro in the jar, everytime. Safety Moments are designed to reinforce safety knowledge and everyone’s commitment towards a positive safety culture. Paul has had a big impact on our company culture. Some are dreaded, others are valuable. Diversity and inclusion: 8 best practices for changing your culture A strong diversity and inclusion strategy can help your organization attract top talent and drive innovative results. Unfortunately, icebreaker games have earned a negative reputation for a variety of reasons: they tend to feel forced and awkward, aren’t always inclusive of all personality types, and can make people uncomfortable. 37 Company Culture Quotes That Will Inspire Your Team. The structure of a meeting should facilitate accomplishing the goals of that meeting, just as your culture … While remote work has been steadily increasing over time, our current situation is a whole new ballgame with entire workforces going remote overnight. No matter what side of the divide you found yourself on, the Brett Kavanaugh hearing was a major 2018 pop culture moment the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Anita Hill hearings. Culture is built in moments, not meetings. Make sure your meetings reflect the culture you want in your organization. Every single one takes a slightly different approach. Here are a few guidelines for new leaders who want to change the meeting culture. In order to strengthen our corporate culture, we needed a tool that allowed all of our employees to share ideas, work through problems, and socialize just like they would under the same roof. Once you go through this list, you can repeat it, or chose a couple of staff members to help you plan the next eight meetings. 3. Culture is built in moments, not meetings Last week I was running a culture mapping session with an organisation when one of the participants said, “If we’re going to develop culture, then we need to dedicate a few days to it. Safety Moments are designed to reinforce safety knowledge and everyone’s commitment towards a positive safety culture. You spend more time with the people you work with than your own family, so it is important to enjoy your time around them. In addition to our audio program, The Culture Guy Podcast, you can now also get cross-cultural insights from us in the form of v ideo content. Wait for me and my direction before acting 4. Catering to a culture built on learning and continuous self-education is the key to our successes.--Emerson Spartz, Spartz, We implemented an adventure reimbursement program to instill the concept of "work hard, play harder." Use the start of your meeting to get your team aligned with your expectations for how people should be thinking and acting. A safety moment is a brief and concise chat about a specific safety topic or issue. A company with a highly developed culture of quality spends, on average, $350 million less annually fixing mistakes than a company with a poorly developed one. Beyond work While remote work has been steadily increasing over time, our current situation is a whole new ballgame with entire workforces going remote overnight. During meetings, we then talk about it. Including a Safety Moment at the beginning of your meeting can help bring safety issues or topics up in a timely, clear, brief, and non-threatening way. As you come up with next steps, ask "Who's going to take this action and when should you report back?" It's something we will continue to expand on in the coming years.--Kofi Kankam, Admit.me. Our full team is deeply integrated into the company with an enthusiastic understanding of the global workload.--Dalip Jaggi, Devise Interactive, Great companies have a passionate drive to beat competitors and help customers win. If the meeting gets off track, you bring it back to your agenda. Include “culture moments.” When you start your meeting, kick it off with a “culture moment.” It’s a simple way to make the session more enjoyable while aligning expectations for how you want invitees to think and act. One company culture doesn’t fit all. And that starts with having a cohesive team in the first place, one that's willing to trade ideas, praise, and even lunch recommendations.