Fostering the Right Culture

By: Karen Rulifson

How can a leader create a culture that fosters innovation, productivity, employee engagement and a sense of ownership? That's a million dollar question, right?!

Addressing this question, Harvard Business Review recently published an article with excerpts from a new book, The Ownership Quotient, by Joe Wheeler, James Heskett and Earl Sasser. They found key themes from companies that have created strong and adaptive cultures. Some of the themes are:

• Leadership must set a clear vision of the mission, values, behaviors, measures and actions. They must then consistently walk the talk and model the way for others to follow. I've seen many leaders document the strategy and then file it in a drawer, forgetting the important messages. Instead, be the leader who brings up the messages in team meetings and 1:1 conversations, consistently reinforcing the intended culture.

• Leaders must reinforce the culture by recognizing those who exemplify its values, behaviors and performance. Do this authentically and ensure the recognition is meaningful. Also, determine ways to recognize success both formally and informally. Perhaps you create value-based and project-based awards that are done on a monthly or quarterly basis. Perhaps you also write notes to individual employees. I've even seen a team that created a "you rock" program whereas any employee can give a rock to another as an informal way of saying thank you or job well done.

• Listen to your team's comments regarding hiring, coaching, recognizing behaviors and promotions. The comments will typically indicate their satisfaction, or lack, of the culture you are creating.

• Periodically revisit your values and associated behaviors and update them as needed. Even when the culture is positive, and especially when the culture is positive, you don't want to get stagnant. Ensure you and your team are benchmarking other areas in the company and out of the company. You don't want to experience a loss of curiosity or interest in change.

There are many benefits in creating and maintaining a strong and adaptive culture, and it all starts with the leader. Follow the tips in this article, and you'll be on your way in building a successful team where people want to work and a business where clients want to do business.

To read the full article, click here.