G’day Boston
Before I set off to join my team on the lofts program, a man, infinitely smarter and better looking than me, mentioned that the best thing I could do over in Boston, is to be generous with my time. I thought about it a lot on the 20hr flight.
These first few days, I’ve had a lot of it. Time. It’s a luxury. To think, to listen, share, and observe. The view is not bad either.
I must confess, my first impression of the Village in Boston was that it felt very different to my own in Sydney. A much larger space. Bigger teams. More process. Lines more clearly drawn in the sand.
The similarities, however, is what makes Havas the place it is. And I’d like to spend the rest of this article elaborating on one aspect of it. Culture.
What is culture?
A uni dimensional interpretation, and often the first to come to mind, is defining the culture of an organisation based on the social and “non-work” related aspects. How often do teams get together outside of work? What are the perks? Do you wear suits or t-shirts? Is it formal, informal? All of these are pertinent questions. We almost expect that the social aspects of workplace culture is positive.
Workplace culture, in terms of how we operate in our professional capacities. How we deliver work. Manage expectations. Commit to quality. Hold ourselves accountable. Encourage debate. And become better together. This is even more important. And I understood today, at our team meeting led by Noah King, the value of having discussions with your team about business or professional culture. And why moving it from an abstract concept to actionable behaviour is critical to personal and organisational success.
Some key takeouts for me when it came to defining professional culture were (and my apologies for the blatant plagiarism here, I could not have said it any better),
Knowing our Main Thing
- What is our single thing on the delivery vector?
- What is our single thing on the leadership vector?
Defining our Brand
- What is our department’s brand?
This is not a top down view but a definition that is the bedrock for how a team or department operates, a guide for how it filters and makes decisions, and a barometer for how it measures quality of service.
How we Communicate
- Are we clear? And do we set expectations on timelines?
- Do we take the time to understand our internal stakeholders?
- Are we accountable? Or defensive?
And finally, are we owning the problem, as this is the prerequisite to owning the solution.
On a slightly different note, I’m signing off with a picture of a mildly irritated Clint Eastwood. Just one of the dozen things I already love about Boston. Made me giggle. You can find him at Yvonne’s. The Espresso Martini is to die for.
