Knowing that most new businesses fail, any founder who sets off on a new venture expects to face challenges. What comes as a surprise to many leaders, however, is the source of these challenges—which often have more to do with the organization’s internal growth and evolution than with product design or market fit. It is […]
Culture is Key to Zoobean’s Success Read More »
In a world of constant change, where most work environments are now of the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) variety, the role of leaders is evolving. Rather than being central sources of vision and knowledge, leaders must increasingly become conveners, facilitators, and power grantors who leverage their teams to gather the insights that will
Four Ways Great Leaders Create Trust with Teams Read More »
It seems that everyone recognizes the pivotal role of leaders in setting the culture. Some believe that organizations begin as a reflection of their leaders, but then take on a life of their own as the organization grows and the leader can no longer be involved at every level. They later lament that the culture
How Much Can Leaders Really Influence Culture? Read More »
How many of us have started a new job by spending an absurd amount of time filling out paperwork and “acknowledging receipt” of policies and procedures that would, if read in full, make for good insomnia treatment? Among the policies and procedures, we almost always receive the “employee handbook”—a tome that has long been misnamed.
Down with Employee Handbooks! Read More »
In Judaism, this time of year is an intentional end of a cycle. In this period, we reflect on the year that has passed (and perhaps also the many years before it) and we specifically shine a spotlight on the people we have been to ourselves and to others. We evaluate the grudges we may
Forgiveness Is A Key Change Leadership Skill Read More »
When it comes to work, we all want to be part of a team that we can trust and be confident in. But what does it take to build that kind of team? What qualities do you, as a leader, need to cultivate in yourself and others?
Five Questions to Ask Yourself to Build Team Trust and Confidence Read More »
To be clear, building and repairing take time, and often an excruciating amount of time. It’s nevertheless possible to repair broken trust and to build the kind of bulletproof trust that can transcend the inevitable ups and downs of an organization’s life cycle.
Organizational Trauma Part II: How Relational Trust Comes into Play Read More »
When people go through an organizational trauma, they find themselves asking “how could I have let this happen?” or “how could I have tolerated this for so long?” These questions directly implicate their own self trust. For those sticking it out through tumultuous change moments, self-trust is the first step in the journey of repair.
Organizational Trauma Part I: A Case Study and What to Do About It Read More »
Culture is manifested through actions, especially the actions that impact peoples lives and responsibilities. You can’t f*ck up a reorg and fix it with a movie night. If you want a culture of integrity, love, and hard work, for example, you darn well better make sure the reorg exemplifies those culture aspirations.
No Faster Way to Tank Culture than with a Poorly Managed Reorg Read More »
What is typically a frustrating but manageable aspect of work life in the era of carrying a computer in your pocket can balloon into an outright culture killer when your team is in front of their primary work device nearly all the time.
Email is Eating Your Culture Read More »
