Once again, the end of a year is closing in. Recent snowfalls and colorful lights on houses remind us of the season. And now that the year is coming to a conclusion, it’s time to reflect on your business year and ask yourself: “How did we do?” Did you bust through your strategic plan and move your business forward exponentially? Or, did you kinda just settle for the status quo and manage to get the job done?
As someone with a financial background (and please don’t hold that against me), I know first-hand how stressful December year-ends can be as you push through to meet your annual targets. However, they’re also a time in our workplace where there’s lots of giving. Some organizations arrange internal pot luck lunches and fun gift exchanges. Others raise money or collect food for those less fortunate in our communities.
Employee gifts
Additionally, this can be an occasion to think about the gifts we can give ourselves and our employees, and I’m not talking about fruitcake or bonuses, for achieving good business results. I’m talking about making a meaningful commitment to the best gift of all – a happier and more productive workplace. Life is just too short to be passive passengers or worse, miserable members at work.
Gift #1 – Commit to being mindful for the next month by monitoring how your behaviours are shaping the workplace culture around you. Every one of us can influence our culture. With awareness comes the power to grow and create. For mindfulness tips, click here.
Gift #2 – Share the information you’ve received during the year with others who could benefit. Pay it forward so together, we can aid more organizations in achieving their full potential. Can you think of 3 people in your network who could benefit by receiving these monthly Fuel for Thought tips?
Gift #3 – Become an ambassador for aligning strategy and culture within your organization. Don’t be afraid to ask the question “Are we really set up for success with our existing culture?” Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, says “A beautiful question shifts the way we think about something and often sets in motion a process than can result in change.”
Gift #4 – Engage your leadership team in a 2017 corporate culture exercise – take them from assessment to action! Take yourself out of the leadership statistical groups who say some form of culture change is needed in their organization (96%) and that their culture is not being effectively managed (45%). Having a strong positive culture is the secret to competitive advantage.
Gift #5 – Connect with your team through an assessment of personal values. Find out what’s important to each team member and how you can access these motivations to power-up your team’s results. Use my FREE Leadership Impact Guide to facilitate your discussion.
Gift #6 – Help someone else understand the importance of culture in the workplace by leaving a copy of my book on their desk. (I’ll even gift wrap it for you!) Use the book to initiate a dialogue with your colleagues at work and in your network. When we can start talking about it, we can start changing it.
Gift #7 – Personal shopper available if you’re not sure where to start. Okay, I’m not talking about doing all your holiday shopping for you. But do give yourself the gift of a complimentary consultation for tips on how you can start energizing your workplace. Just click here and enter “I’m In” in the comments field.
I offer all these suggestions as my gifts to you and your workplaces. As one of Dr. Seuss’s most beloved characters, The Lorax, once said “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This year, give the gift of caring about corporate culture and releasing the potential of your people. Which gift will you be putting under the tree?
One Comment
It is very useful and informative. Thank you for sharing