Culture cultivation: the art of mindfulness through mindfulness

Written By: Melanie Lavoie

In recent years, you may have heard the term workplace culture in one way or another. The concept has also become more prominent in recent years with major companies, such as Google, Disney and EA Sports, leading the trend.

Workplace culture is an environment cultivated to improve productivity, teamwork and employee engagement, but most of all, every team member plays a crucial part.

In December, Chic Geek had the pleasure to collaborate with CultureSmith as part of the quarterly update meeting.

Shane Wallace, CEO of CultureSmith kickstarted with a presentation on the fundamental elements of emotional intelligence, followed by an insightful exercise to breakdown behavioural triggers and bias that it depicts.

Foundation of CultureSmith

Cultivated by unconventional methodologies and colour indicators; CultureSmith emphasizes on the importance of emotional quotient (EQ) and the part it plays in employee engagement through a behavioural awareness chart.

Awareness chart

Divided into three core categories, the awareness chart summarizes your personality like a mini-encyclopedia.

Bias: Traits you require in order to buy into anyone or anything.

Motivators: What captures your attention in order to remain consistent and engaged.

Triggers: Characteristics that may compromise your emotional state when someone or something you cherish is disrespected or wasted.

As a participant, I discovered that my colour is predominantly yellow. People with this colour rely heavily on the bias of credibility amongst other traits. In other words, people with this bias cannot and will not buy into any idea or person they do not find credible. Not to mention, if and when money is wasted or disrespected along the way — this is when the bullet shoots out the barrel; you’re triggered.

Upon reading my report after answering a few survey questions provided by CultureSmith, I had a few “aha” moments that further convinced me of my bias and trigger point.

One particular experience was when I worked as a producer for a local network in Calgary. As a producer, your job is to find not just the best guest for your show, but also credible on the topic of discussion.

I remember pre-interviewing for a particular story and the other person on the phone was on a constant loop, dodging questions rather than answering with factual points. At that point, my bias was apparent as I had to cut the interview short, as the conversation was no longer productive for either party.

Key takeaways

The Chic Geek team gained valuable insight into recognizing the strengths and emotional triggers of each teammate by the end of the night. Based on this newfound perspective, Chic Geek recently adopted the colour model as part of its workplace culture. The integration is believed to raise awareness of each person’s trigger points, well as mindfulness of our own emotional state throughout the day.

We all have experienced moments of stress where we may or may not have accidentally released it at the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly you feel guilty for your action. Whether you are a start-up or an existing company, nothing kills culture quicker than disengagement. Our every cause whether it started with ourselves or ended with someone else, our every action has a cause and effect.