How Do You Assist Leaders in Cultivating a Positive Organizational Culture?
To help leaders cultivate a positive organizational culture, we asked founders and business coaches this question for their best strategies. From aligning on organizational values to promoting open communication and feedback, here are the top six insights these experts shared to foster a thriving workplace culture.
- Align on Organizational Values
- Recognize Contributions and Define Actions
- Prioritize Communication and Recognition
- Practice Active Emotional Intelligence
- Model Values and Foster Transparency
- Promote Open Communication and Feedback
Align on Organizational Values
You need to make sure people are aligned on values, as these are the fundamentals of the organizational culture. What kind of words and adjectives are they using when describing the culture, and what values do these correspond to? Once you have an aligned set of words, adjectives, or values about your culture, ask about how these are reflected in their day-to-day life in the company: What kind of behaviors? What kind of posture? What decisions? Once you align people around these, you create consistency. Make sure they LIVE this culture in their day-to-day life, rather than seeing some fancy words on a corporate booklet.
Keep your communication channels open at all times. Give people the chance to speak up when things go off-track without having fear. Make sure they stay, say, and strive. Use participatory approaches to make sure every voice is heard by creating a safe space for all.
Act consciously when opening doors to new employees. Make sure there is cultural fit and the newcomers are aligned, especially from a values perspective. Keep your recruitment process rigorous.
Assign cultural ambassadors, people who would represent your positive company culture by their posture, behaviors, and decisions.
Recognize Contributions and Define Actions
The leaders I work with are currently navigating a rapidly changing culture due to the WFH environment, and older staff are retiring in larger numbers. We are openly discussing approaches to promote a culture that recognizes the history and contributions of the retiring staff and encourages them to share their experience and narratives with the younger staff. Events are scheduled to ensure that this is happening with very positive results.
The WFH privilege requires a conscious inclusion of remote staff in meetings and communication, which has resurfaced as needing attention to cultivate the positive culture that both managers and staff agree is mandatory. Recognition that a positive culture doesn't just happen by thinking about it or mouthing the words. Culture requires a definition of actions that will be taken and a review of the desired effects.
Prioritize Communication and Recognition
As a founder, I assist leaders in cultivating a positive organizational culture by prioritizing open communication, continuous feedback, and employee recognition in our legal process outsourcing company. A key strategy I employ is regular team-building workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions.
For example, a few months ago, we worked with a client experiencing low morale and high turnover. I facilitated a series of interactive workshops focused on team dynamics and leadership skills. During these sessions, we encouraged leaders to actively listen to their team members and to implement a structured feedback loop.
We also introduced a peer-recognition program where employees could acknowledge each other’s contributions. As a result, the client saw a significant improvement in employee engagement and satisfaction, and turnover rates dropped.
This hands-on approach not only helps leaders build trust and camaraderie within their teams but also creates a more supportive and productive work environment.
Practice Active Emotional Intelligence
The 3 C’s of a Healthy Organizational Culture: Connection, Connection, Connection! When striving to create a healthy organizational culture, the most important elements are related to emotional intelligence and relationship-building. People are the greatest asset, and therefore slowing down to practice active listening, asking open-ended questions, and engaging authentically, vulnerably, and transparently with the people who help to support your business organization are some of the most important skills to develop and practice in an effort to build a positive culture.
People want to know that their leaders genuinely care about their well-being, and this can’t be done in any other way than to actually engage in relationship-building activities. When a leader makes the clear effort to learn about their staff’s family, their dreams, wishes, fears, where they seek continued professional and personal development, what they strive to do and become, and many other heart- and people-centered ways of connecting, this sets a precedent and model for everyone involved.
Of course, we can’t have a deep relationship with every single person who works at our organization; however, when we set our values to include some of these psychographics in our hiring, recruiting, and training processes, we will be more likely to attract and retain team members who are kind, coachable, smart, and caring to the workplace, and therefore interactions with one another from the top down and back up again will reflect this commitment to caring and kindness.
It is important to have a commitment to those values across all stages of the experience of working for and serving within the organization, from working directly with clientele all the way through leadership. Creating opportunities for the team to learn the soft skills, such as communication, relationship- and trust-building, managing their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and other important elements will help aid in the development of the necessary skills to be successful during the process of creating a happy, healthy, and positive culture.
Model Values and Foster Transparency
I believe that a strong, positive culture starts at the top and requires deliberate efforts to nurture and sustain. I try to model the values and behaviors we want to see throughout the organization. It’s my responsibility to set a standard for others to follow. I also emphasize open communication and transparency, ensuring that all team members feel heard and valued. This includes regular meetings where leaders and staff can discuss challenges, share feedback, and celebrate successes together.
We have implemented a mentorship program where senior attorneys provide guidance and support to junior staff. This initiative not only helps in professional development but also fosters a sense of community and collaboration within the firm. The mentorship program is complemented by a recognition system that acknowledges outstanding contributions and celebrates milestones, whether it's for exemplary client service, successful case outcomes, or significant personal achievements.
We also focus on creating a supportive work environment by offering flexible work arrangements, promoting work-life balance, and investing in wellness programs. We have introduced a wellness initiative that includes gym memberships, mental-health resources, and regular wellness workshops as well.
Promote Open Communication and Feedback
One effective way I assist leaders in cultivating a positive organizational culture is by promoting open communication and feedback. Encouraging a culture where employees feel heard and valued fosters a positive work environment.
Example: In one organization, I helped implement a bi-weekly feedback system where employees could share their thoughts and suggestions anonymously. We also held regular team meetings where leaders actively listened to employee concerns and addressed them transparently.
This practice led to increased employee engagement and morale. For instance, after implementing a suggestion to improve work-life balance by offering flexible working hours, we saw a noticeable boost in productivity and overall job satisfaction. By facilitating open communication, leaders were able to create a more inclusive and positive organizational culture, directly benefiting both employees and the company.
