Culture - more than dinners and ping pong
Company and team culture is something I think about a lot. Last week my interview with the Institute of Excellence was released and in that, myself and host Despina Karatzias talked about culture and what makes a successful business and thriving team.
I had a conversation recently where we talked about culture and we talked fiercely together about how so many companies get culture so wrong. So many think that by setting up culture committees thinking it’s all about socialising and connecting. But, it’s more than that. It’s the care and consideration we put around the needs of each team member to thrive and it goes beyond the surface level perks of dinners and team offsites.
It’s about ensuring that everyone has the best tools and resources available to them that the business can provide. It’s providing a welcoming and safe environment every day for our people to bring their best to their work day. It’s about the collective values, behaviours and practices that shape the way employees interact and how work gets done.
Each morning before I kick off my work day I do five things:
Keep our company values front of mind.
Read over our Sparrowly Group Leadership Principles.
Ask myself how I am going to show up today for myself, my team, my clients and my network.
Stop to think about each of my employees, where they are at, and if there is anything that I can do to smooth their way and if so, go ahead and make a plan to make that happen for them.
Centre myself as I know the energy I give as a leader can have a massive impact on the team energy and their response - this is not to say you have to be high energy or happy every day but it’s about checking yourself and being aware of your own behaviour and how it affects others.
In the spirit of giving, I am sharing with you all the Sparrowly Group Leadership Principles. Like emotional intelligence, you can’t manufacture these, but you can develop ones for your own business or team that best reflect your company culture.
Wishing you all well on your team and company culture. Remember it’s not about being this amazing leader every day, that doesn’t exist but rather showing up with intent, honesty, integrity and care for others and yourself.
