Making a small shift in how you communicate with others can yield big results. A simple change from “no” to “yes, and…” will reframe your conversations in a positive light and open up new possibilities. Today’s post is by Chris Dyer, author of The Power of Company Culture (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Back in 2008-2009, when we were all struggling with the great recession of our age, I was also struggling with my company culture. Fewer orders, and a dismal economic outlook had forced me to reflect on every part of my business. Along the way I made some important discoveries about my services, and it began my fascination with company culture. Quickly I discovered some difficult truths. Somehow, I became a bottleneck to the entire company, and had earned a reputation for saying “No.” Nothing kills innovation and enthusiasm faster! After learning how to stop saying “No,” and making some important changes to my company’s culture, we began to see incredible results. Since “Positive Revolution,” PeopleG2 has been twice named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies, and received more accolades for growth and for the best places to work than I can even keep track of. Although I am proud of these accomplishments, what I want you to know is how many awards and recognitions we had prior to this change. Zero. None. Not a single highlight from any outside group. We were a good company, and treated our employees well. But, we were far from great. Very far! So I embarked on a journey to radically change my company. I was determined to figure it out, or blow it all up. As I devoured business books, blog posts, and every bit of thought leadership I could digest, a clear answer on how to […]

Culture is the sum of daily actions. If leaders are able to make small daily interactions into positive moments, a positive culture can emerge where people perform better and the organization generates more impact than anyone thought possible. Today’s post is by Marcella Bremer, author of Developing a Positive Culture where People and Performance Thrive (CLICK HERE to get your copy). “A positive culture? This is a workplace, not a happy hour.” For some leaders, working with culture can be a stretch, let alone developing a positive culture! Maybe you’re too busy raising the bottom line to have time for culture. Understandable, but what if you were a lumberjack harvesting wood? Wouldn’t you stop at intervals to sharpen your saw and, eventually, achieve a bigger pile? Culture is just like that saw. It’s your cutting edge, and if it gets blunt, you’ll sweat more but cut less wood. In the nineties, Kotter and Heskett proved that an effective culture could add 20-30% to corporate performance. Today, the latest research on positive organizations shows that a positive culture makes both people and performance thrive. Positive Deviance A positive culture aims to achieve positive deviance (high performance). It has a focus on what is working well and what people could do even better. A positive culture creates an upward spiral. When people feel positive, they are resourceful, productive, and open to new ideas and collaboration. Thus, they achieve amazing results, and that reinforces further positivity. Instead of solving a problem and going back to normal, positive cultures move their “normal” to extraordinary. For that to happen, positivity is a must. Positivity means seeing what is working well and amplifying that. It draws inspiration from a shared organizational purpose. It includes developing the positive potential in situations and people. It requires being authentic, […]

If leaders want to solve the challenges of the 4-generation workplace, they need to look in the mirror. Leadership is not generational, it’s relational. Today’s post is by Kelly Riggs and Robby Riggs, authors of Counter Mentor Leadership (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Generational conflict in the workplace is an almost universal topic of discussion. Typically, it goes something like this: “What is wrong with these [expletive deleted] Millennials?” Usually from a Boomer manager who is oblivious to the real issue at hand. The truth is every “new” generation is perceived by the older generation to be “different” and likely to lead the world off a cliff! Imagine what managers must have thought when later Boomers (born after 1950) began to enter the workplace. The Woodstock generation made the word “different” seem inadequate! The challenge is not that there is something wrong with Millennials (or Gen Z, now entering the workplace). The seemingly Herculean challenge is how to adapt as a leader to a changing workplace in order to create a culture that will allow anyone – from any generation – to thrive. That requires that leaders look in the mirror. Translation: You need to transform. #truth The alternative, of course, is to continue wondering what is wrong with Millennials. Let’s see… Change and thrive, or whine and complain? And you’re thinking Millennials have issues with entitlement?! Of course, those Millennials are going to have to adapt as well. We’re not talking about the tail wagging the dog, but, if you’re interested in transforming the potential of your younger workforce into serious results, you will have to initiate the change process as the leader. You are the leader, and YOU define what the organization (or team) will look like. You are responsible for how your team performs. After all, you […]