6 Steps to Earning a Successful Corporate Culture
Respect the process and reap the rewards
When I think of the word respect, several ideas rapidly advance to the forefront of my mind. First and foremost is the ever popular “respect is earned, not given.”
As a child, my mother taught me lessons such as “respect was important” and “be polite out of respect.”
It also came to mind how many cultures are built upon basic dignity, etiquette and other respectful qualities.
If respect is a major contributor to the success of human kindness, societies and cultures around the world, why would it not be equally important to our workplace culture?
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me…
I recently polled my own team on the level of importance they ranked for the exchange of respect between peers and management. I was not shocked they placed it at the top of their list. Above recognition, career advancement opportunities, autonomy, and training.
They sought it. They expected it and just like Aretha Franklin, they demanded it. They had a strong realization that respect is a two way street in earning and keeping it. When asked “what is the number one thing for you to feel respected?” The answer was resoundingly clear — Honesty!
Keep it Real!
The team was quick to give a recent example. A corporate decision recently communicated to the employees, left a disrespectful taste in their collective mouths. Senior management’s reasoning for the unpopular decision, seemed invalid and weak. Suspicions went thru the roof and respect levels plummeted.
The consensus indicated, senior management would have gained more respect had they simply owned the decision. If only empathy had been exercised instead of trying to pull the wool over on employees.
I saw this took a major bite out of the corporate respect level and change would be required to repair this unfortunate incident.
Retrospect
Keeping the engagement rolling, I followed up with: “How did this make you feel? How did it effect your performance? What could be changed?”
I wanted my team to feel heard and engaged. I wanted insight into how it impacted them personally and professionally.
Not surprisingly, the responses were based on reduced loyalty, engagement, focus and productivity. Another side-effect was the negativity it created in the workplace.
On a positive note, the team was willing to rebuild trust and respect if the organization could commit to doing better in the future.
Manage Your Respect Budget
I quickly associated the benefits of organizational respect and trust to a currency and like any other financial asset, it needed to be managed like a budget. At a minimum, total credits and debits needed to balance. But the ultimate goal would be to achieve a surplus!
These 6 steps represented account staples in our respect budget. These accounts managed properly, would yield a new corporate culture of respect, trust and success.
- Honesty: “Honesty is the best policy!” It’s not always possible to have 100% honesty and clarity with employees due to corporate strategy/sensitivity. In these cases, be forthcoming and honest in the fact information cannot be shared at this time. Own it!
- Empathy: Show it and mean it! Do not sugarcoat unpopular decisions or news by making invalid or weak excuses. Employees will see you coming a mile away. Instead, empathize with the employees. Share their pain in the decision and own it was simply a corporate decision. Communicate support in working together through the effects as a team.
- Leadership: Be a role model for respect in their organization. Live it and watch it spread. The team will follow your lead as expected behaviour.
- Equality: Nobody likes being talked down to or made to feel less valued in the organizational workplace. We are all human. We all deserve respect regardless of job title.
- Time: Take the time to be respectful. Regardless of workloads, stresses and pressures. Be polite. Thank you’s, smiles and handshakes go a long way.
- Connection: Know your employees. Acknowledge strengths and value to the team and the organization. Make time to discuss their work impact on the organization. Praise the contribution and appreciate the individual.
Shiitake Effect
This is when employees feel like mushrooms; expected to thrive while being kept in the dark and being fed shit!
Sounds like a wonderful environment, doesn’t it?
I’ll take the respectful, honest, and trusting corporate culture any day! Manage your respect budget correctly and get a great exchange rate in return.
Some other leadership articles you may enjoy:
Scott Kennie is a metro-redneck. He’s worked in corporate information technology management for over 15 years. He considers himself a sarcastic realist. He’s also a Dad. He lives with his wife, three dogs and his alter ego; Bat Hubby who’s a racecar driver. His motto: live life and laugh all the way to the grave.
