Inside my mantra that ‘culture is how people do things on repeat’ sits a secret. While every person’s choices and behaviour matter. Not everyone carries the same influence. And before you jump to leadership. Which, yes, leaves a mark. There are others in less visible roles who, whatever room they...
The question of how to help people get better at their work is front and centre when organisations think about culture, yet many concentrate on the wrong things. In his ground-breaking classic “Now Discover Your Strengths”, Marcus Buckingham calls out how “most organisations take their employees’ strengths for granted and focus on...
On a Thursday evening in April 2020 the sounds of banging pots and pans, claps and cheers echoed around empty streets across the United Kingdom. On doorsteps and leaning out windows people acknowledged the health workers and others on the frontlines of the pandemic. Recognising that by doing their jobs,...
“I have to believe in the place where I work.” Bam. There it was. In a neatly turned nutshell, my client had revealed how to improve a culture. Not motivate me with a world-changing mission. Not inspire me to great feats or pay me a gazillion dollars. Simply show me I...
Commonly recommended practices for how to 'do' culture often include the idea of champions. I’m not a fan. Because it suggests there's a special set of people responsible for it. So now, I don’t have to do anything. Instead, I advocate that everyone should champion the culture. And the distinction is...
No surprise. When people can rely on a good experience interacting with you, you get a brand bursting with value. Yet, how much do you control? Because an experience is always in the now. Yep, the moment right then. And here comes another one, in a constant, unstoppable stream of...
There’s a quote from mathematician Jim Simons talking about beauty in work, "You might think 'building a company that's trading bonds, what's so aesthetic about that?' What's aesthetic about it is doing it right. Getting the right kind of people, approaching the problem, and doing it right it's a beautiful...
Have you ever seen the term ‘values-based policies’? A company using it meant a policy that determined people’s behaviour, for example, a code of conduct. Yet, more broadly, all policies exist to shape and guide activity and decisions. Meaning if your values are genuine, they should form the foundation. Turning...
The benefits of remote work for individuals are dissected, costed and covered as almost fait accompli. So much, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a privilege afforded to everyone. But it’s not. And not because the organisation doesn’t offer the choice. If you’re on the frontlines of teaching children, fixing roads,...
First used in Bruce Schneier’s book Beyond Fear, “security theatre” means implementing measures that provide a veneer of security but do little or nothing to deliver it. Enter culture theatre. An activity that makes a splash or delivers a high while doing nothing meaningful to change how people do things. Genuine values are how...