A Whole Different Ball Game

Workplace Culture

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 04:14:59 GMT

Understanding your workplace culture is a major step in the right direction for workplace happiness, and working within your zone of genius vs your zone of competence. But what really is workplace culture?

The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere", which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture.

The workplace is not just a place for you to come and work, but it should also be a great place for you to grow and learn. When we refer to workplace culture, this could be referring to the workplace language used, attitudes at work, values and the way people interact. Did you know that workplaces generally have one of four different types of work culture? This is important because sometimes this internal culture is not a match for your own preferences and you could, in fact, be clashing with the internal culture from day one.

A basic overview of the four types are:

Clan Culture: is like one big family where everyone does things collaboratively and upholds similar commitment levels.

The Hierarchy Culture: A more formal and very structured working culture with strict policies and procedures on the way things need to be done.

The Market Culture: based around winning and achieving set goals and beating rivals, so strategies and measures are all based around meeting those goals and sales targets.

And the Adhocracy Culture : is based around everyone being quite entrepreneurial and everyone is constantly looking for new strategies to improve the business.

Understanding this, could you see that, say you came from a background, for example, in defence, and you started your career loving the set structure where everyone followed policies and procedures, and everyone knew their place and who their reporting officer was, then you moved into an Adhocracy culture which is about thinking outside the box and creating new ways, with most people on the same level, that you may struggle to assimilate with that culture and feel that you might not be “clicking” with the job? Your skills could match up to the job duties yet there would be a misalignment with the workplace environment (culture) and you may not thrive there.

If you're the owner or manager of a business understanding the type of your internal culture is a powerful way to employ. If you can include more about the culture of your business in the job advertisement then you could attract better applicants who are a better match to the synergy of your team.

Hiring for a cultural fit is also, in my opinion, how you get better team dynamics and employee retention (plus fewer costs on rehiring and firming the wrong team member). However, employee retention starts with first being able to clearly articulate what the organisational culture is. What are the aligned values, beliefs, behaviours and experiences that make up the organisation's environment?

In a recent study conducted by the University of Iowa , revealed that employees who fit well with their organisation, coworkers, and supervisor had better job satisfaction, were more likely to remain with their organisation and showed superior job performance. This is especially important when the organisation is facing the inevitable changes, the volatility we are experiencing with all the unknowns of 2020. If you can build a strong team with shared values they are more nimble and can adapt more readily.

So before you look to apply for a certain job or hire the next team member I highly recommend you get a cultural audit done or do some investigating on what your “Real” business culture is and if you don’t know or can’t clearly define it then this is something I can help you with.

Good Reads

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 03:41:30 GMT

We love a good book and we thought you might like them to.

We've put together a list of some of our favourite reads when it comes to leadership, career growth and getting the best out of your team. This list is not extensive yet a great start to look back on some new and old teachings.

The best part with most of these listed, they are short yet powerful reads and now with the fantastic introduction of Audible books you can now download these books and listen to them in the car or on the way to work (turn your dead time into learning time).

Of course, once you've had a read of these books let us know what you thought of them by sending us a quick email OR share with us one of your favourite leadership books for us to add to the list.

Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy

Get more of the important things Done - Today

We like it because who wouldn't like to get more done in their day and some of these principles are tried and tested.

You can buy it HERE

Gung Ho by Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

How to motivate people in any organisation

We like it because it outlines foolproof ways to increase productivity and improving workplace culture.

You can buy it HERE

Fish by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen

Work made fun gets done! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results

We like ti because it about bringing energy and passion to your job everyday and creating a great culture

You ca buy it HERE

The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

Increase Productivity, Profits and Your Own Prosperity

We like it because its a short sharp read that gets straight to the point with great story telling and gets you really thinking about your management style.

You can buy it HERE

Being Happy by Andrew Matthews

A Handbook to greater confidence and Security

We like this because it talks about how to move yourself to a happier state if your've been worn down by your environment.

You can buy it HERE

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

A revolutionary approach to customer service

We like this because its a fast and quick read that offers innovative yet tested methods to help everyone in any workplace deliver fantastic customer service and achieve better bottom-line results.

You can buy it HERE

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson

An Amazing Way to Deal With Change In Your Work and In Your Life

Don't let it's odd name put you off this little book as sold millions of copies world wide and its a top pic of ours.

You can buy it HERE

Good Vibrations

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 04:05:25 GMT

New research has shown the events of 2020 have jolted many of us out of our routine in search of something better.

In my recent blog A Time to Focus , the doom and gloom has given Australians a chance to reflect on their priorities and work out if they really want to return to their current job or even their previous line of work. These times are presenting new opportunities and some of these are vibrating us out of our routine and maybe into something much better.

The ING Future Focus : preparing for the digital workforce of tomorrow report, developed with futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson, backs this up with research showing that 3 million Aussies are planning on making major career moves on the back end of the pandemic.

As I said in my blog, the hard times brought on by Covid-19 and lockdown have jolted many of us out of our complacency and, with typical Aussie resilience, we are looking to create a better future.

Sure, many of you are happy you still have a job and are thinking that now might not be the time to "rock the boat" – but the research shows that hasn't stopped you thinking that once things settle down you might start looking around.

An estimated 600,000 plus Australians will no longer have a job on the back of Covid-19 – more if the "bounce back" isn't as effective as the Prime Minister would like. So the research effectively shows that a further 2.4 million of us, over and above those who have lost their jobs, are actively thinking about change; many fearful our industry is forever changed and there will be fewer jobs on offer.

A large portion of us will be unsure whether we have the skills required in a changed world.

My advice is don't be afraid of a new start. You're not starting from scratch, but from a position of experience.

The government is offering grants for study and upskilling but before you commit I urge you to ask "What's right for ME?"

That's what's missing from the plethora of information pouring out about courses, upskilling, business restructuring and repositioning, and the need for us to adapt.

So before you rush out and sign up to study or train for a new career path, do some personal career development training. Get a coach or a mentor to help you pivot in a direction that uses the good vibrations coming out of a bad situation for maximum benefit – so you end up in a job that you love.

I can help you can work out the best way to pivot or change in a way that suits your work skills, preferences and passions – the right course, the new direction FOR YOU!

Passions-n-Profits would love to work with you to ensure you take the right path.

Making great leaders

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 03:12:25 GMT

If there's a legacy I'd like to leave before I shuffle off my mortal coil, it's having empowered others to become better leaders.

And that brings me to the topic of this blog – defining what makes a great leader. I've encountered many of them in my travels. People doing amazing work, inspiring others and creating world-class teams working towards a common goal, everyone self-driven and proactive.

Alas, it is not always like this! All too often I've been hired to find out why organisations are not working effectively; why there are barriers and friction, and nobody can quite put their finger on the cause.

In most instances, the problems started at the top – and you can imagine how popular that made me, pointing out that the people who'd hired me to fix their dysfunctional teams were the ones that needed my attention first.

However, true leaders with real insight know that all of us need personal development and training to produce our absolute best – and accept there are skills they can learn that will enable them to bring their staff together and unite them behind a common goal.

There's a common saying: "A true leader is not the ones with the most followers, but one who creates the most leaders." It sums up what leadership's all about – bringing the best out in others; making sure each person is positioned to do their best each day, is equipped to thrive in their job, and is recognised for their contribution.

Great leaders see mistakes as a learning experience, not as potential building blocks towards dismissal. They talk about the lessons learned, not the mistakes made. They make the workplace a safe place to have difficult conversations – and their people feel comfortable coming forward to discuss their problems, be they dissatisfaction with their work, problems with other staff members or a lack of recognition for their achievements. And they suggest solutions, yet don't take ownership of the problem and control the outcome – because to do so would remove the opportunity for the staff member to learn from the experience.

They do succession planning and invest in personal development for themselves and their team. They even encourage staff to take up opportunities elsewhere if it is in their best interests and there are no immediate opportunities within the workplace. They empower staff to take decisions and look for opportunities to grow, even if it means the occasional mistake is made (and a lesson learned).

In an interview with TradeMutt recently (you can watch the full interview here) , I was asked about leaders who don't want to train their people up for fear they'll leave and start up in competition.

My answer will always be that great leaders look to mentor others; to build their skills honestly and with integrity, and if they move on in the world to become leaders in the same mould themselves, it can only be a good thing.

If a leader has inspired others it is unlikely those people will repay the honesty and integrity with dishonesty and stealing clients. Sure, they may end up a competitor, but there will be a relationship of respect and trust, more likely to lead to partnerships and benefits than underhand activity.

To do all the things listed above really well, leaders need to be masters of communication. They need to not only enable two-way, safe communication within their own teams, but may need to communicate upwards to a Board, the Government or a funding body; or with leaders of affiliated organisations.

As I mentioned earlier, I've met many fantastic leaders doing all these things. You leave a legacy greater than yourself for your consistent efforts and for the leaders you've shaped and moulded each year, many of whom would have gone on to their own leadership positions, carrying with them the skills and integrity they've learned.

I’ll leave you with these challenging thoughts.

How can you be a better leader for your team? And what is the one thing you can do today to communicate better with your team or with those above you?

If you're not sure of the answers please reach out. I'm here to help.

Plan now for the Covid-19 recovery

Wed, 06 May 2020 05:26:41 GMT

For all the disruption and loss it's caused, Covid-19 has given many businesses an opportunity to review, realign and reset.

So if you're a business leader, now's the time to do your planning and restructuring – and to ask yourself whether you can't make a change for the better. In the often quoted words of Cinderella: Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done.

In effect we're saying, take a good, hard look at what you were doing before the lockdown. Was it the best business model? And even if it was, is it going to be a workable model after the recovery?

Has the experience of the past few months added an on-line dimension you can take advantage of? Will your mission and values remain the same, or do you want to make changes.

What about staffing? Were all your staff working well, their strengths matched to their jobs? Will their skills match the business model you're planning after the recovery?

The "clean slate" presented by lockdown and layoffs gives you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start again – to do it better. It's a great time to focus, as we mentioned in our previous blog called "A Time to Focus" read it here .

And at Passions-n-Profits we can help – whether it's planning for change, restructuring or hiring in new skills that match your new-look business.

Think of it as re-booting and rebuilding in difficult circumstances. The key is having somebody who can help you find those people with specialised skills. And, make no error, there will be lots of really good people out there.

Some super-stars may have been laid off by businesses forced to close, others may be doing exactly what we're recommending for you – reassessing! In their case they'll be looking around for jobs they really want to do; jobs that better match their skills and passions.

We can help you snaffle those that are a perfect match for your organisation.

With the potential to hire new staff, it's a good time to look at your "onboarding" processes as well. If you've had high churn in the past it could be because your recruitment and induction processes weren't everything they might have been. We can help you get them right.

Now's the time to get it all aligned, before you actually start recruiting.

Likewise issues of retention, motivation and performance management can be addressed before they happen – by planning forward for when you come out of lockdown.

We've spent far too much time in the past rebuilding businesses struggling with a toxic culture, staff churn and misaligned teams where people's skills didn't match their jobs. We'd far rather work with you to take advantage of an opportunity for a "re-do" and to get it right this time round.

At Passions-n-Profits we not only have experience working in remote areas that traditionally have a high staff turnover, but we've seen the advantages of using different dynamics and multicultural workforces for the benefit of the business.

This is the way of the future. It's up to you to grab hold of it and make it your own.

A time to focus

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 00:54:11 GMT

It may not seem like it but now, amid the chaos and uncertainty of the Covid-19 lockdown, is the perfect time to stop and focus on what's really important.

Break free from the downward spiral of watching the gloom and doom of a pandemic crashing the world economy (and possibly your job with it) and focus on preparing yourself for life after lockdown.

It's not enough to survive – you need to thrive!

That's why I'm recommending our recently-launched Thrive @ Your 9-5 program to all those experiencing stress of uncertainty.

The program was under development when Covid-19 was nothing more than a bug in a meat market, and is all about taking a hard look at where you are in your working life and making sure the work you're doing is aligned with your passions and skills.

It's exactly the type of Personal Development you should be doing in preparation for the recovery – development on yourself, looking at all the options and getting ready for change!

Because, make no error, the working world is going to change after lockdown. Dramatically.

At best your job will be done differently. At worst it might not be there at all – in fact the whole industry you work in might not be there.

Some of you, the lucky few, can't wait to get back to a job you love. Others are dreading going back to a job they hate. Even those still in regular work (and grateful to be there) are reassessing whether it's really what they want to do.

Many have been laid off or are in limbo waiting for Job-keeper payments – some of them secretly aware they're not really suited to the work they were doing and that when the time comes to re-hire, they might not be on the list.

The reality is the pandemic and the flood of bad news that goes with it is pushing many into a mental and physical downward spiral. Loneliness and confinement at home isn't helping either!

If we're to avoid wellness and mental health issues we have to move forward – use the down-time to look beyond Covid-19 and make sure that when isolation is over we're not just recovering into the same old rut but moving forward – Thriving!

Thrive @ your 9-5 is all about doing just that. Looking at where you are now and moving forward into a better place.

The program will give you the tools to analyse where you were before lockdown, where you are now, and where you'd like to be when the lockdown is over.

And that's the PD you need! Personal Development that focuses beyond the present, on the new, better life you're going to have after Covid-19

Turning to employers and leaders:

You're under every bit as much pressure as your staff, if not more so. The responsibility for many people's wellbeing rests squarely on your shoulders. Check our our blog called "A Whole Different Ball Game HERE where we dig deeper into Leadership during this time.

Not only do you have your own pressures planning a way through the economic mess. You also have the complexity of working with staff remotely.

You have to change your leadership style, develop new skills and be able to judge the performance and the mental wellbeing of people you can't call into your office or share a coffee with.

It's tough, you're under pressure and some of you will be wondering whether you really want to continue doing this . . . or whether your industry will even be viable post Covid-19.

You may be thinking of a leadership role elsewhere. Or perhaps you're looking to pivot and find the path back into doing hands-on work, free of the pressures of leadership.

Thrive @ your 9-5 is designed to help you answer questions about yourself – and to work out what help you need and show you where to get it.

It can also steer you on a completely new path, if that's what you choose.

A Whole Different Ball Game

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 02:00:31 GMT

A whole different ball game

You may have been doing okay as a leader, or even a leader of leaders, before Covid 19. You had it under control, your teams were strong…

But even leaders with the strongest teams are playing a different game now. Your teams are at home, playing individually, spread far and wide, perhaps scared and uncertain of their future, distractions at every turn.

Gone are the opportunities to pop into your office for a spot of advice, chat to a colleague during a coffee break, have those incidental conversations with you where you realise they're not doing well, recognise their discomfort and can provide reassurance; give them confidence. That's what good leaders do!

It's like having a probationary employee. They can seem okay for a month or two, and can hide the fact things are going wrong. But a few months in it becomes apparent they're out of their depth. Working under Covid-19 is like having a whole team on probation with screens and email filtering communications in a way that hides the cracks and gives a delayed reaction. Your team leaders may be worried about their jobs, feel cut off from casual communications with their peers, or with you. And when they're not coping, how do they control a team; all stressed, all working outside the framework of those easy office communications.

Research has shown that conversation in the workplace is an essential component of a healthy, dynamic and connected workforce. Talking creates trust, understanding and empathy. Tom Rath, in his book Vital Friends records that those with a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their work.

So what happens when we're in lockdown, deprived of those everyday work conversations and the casual friendships that go with them?

We're about six weeks in now and some of the little stress cracks I mentioned earlier will be widening – and if you're not on top of it, major meltdown could be on the way.

When people are anxious – and who isn't during this crisis – they don't see things through the usual lens. And you as a leader, or leader of leaders, need to give them some extra stuff. Something to replace those incidental conversations when you sensed their problem and gave them a life-line; let them know they were appreciated.

Group meetings on Zoom and conference calls just don't cut it! Unless you're incredibly good at that stuff you're going to miss the small inferences and the self-doubt you'd pick up when you worked beside them.

Sometimes you have to make the time in the virtual world to sit back and have a private "coffee break" with them; structure conversations to check that everyone's doing okay.

Remember, your whole team no longer has the structure of the workplace. Distractions can range from the kids underfoot to household chores. Covid-19 is putting you in second place.

It's time to think differently. Covid 19 is different and the rules have changed. Match the help you need to yourself and seek out somebody who's used to working remotely; understands the technologies AND their shortcomings. Somebody who's helped businesses grow through difficult times.

And a final thought for those who were already struggling before Covid-19 – who were realising they didn't like their jobs very much. The bad news is that it's not going to get better!

It's time to get some coaching so you can get through this without losing your job – but it's also a time to look at your strengths. You can read more about this in our Blog called "A Time to Focus by clicking HERE .

Do some different stuff. If you haven't done professional mentoring, do it now. If you haven't used a coach, get one.

Sure, self-help is good, but chances are you really need the help of somebody whose been a leader or leader of leaders – and you need it more than ever in the Covid-19 "remote office".