In this episode we talked with author and thought leader Libby Gill and discussed the top 9 most important things that a leader needs to do to create a workplace culture where leaders and team members truly care for each other.
Libby is one of the top thought leaders on leading through change. After her first career heading communications at media giants Sony, Universal, and Turner Broadcasting, Libby founded the LA-based Libby Gill & Company, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm.
She guides individuals and organizations to lead through change, challenge, and chaos by deeply engaging employees in a shared future-focused vision of success. Libby is also the author of the acclaimed books You Unstuck and The Hope-Driven Leader.
Join us as we discuss with Libby how to create a culture where people truly care for one another. Hear real life stories and examples of how leaders and employees seeing firsthand the impact of their work can lead to improved results. Hear how sharing information and finding the right agents of change can make all the difference in a workplace culture.
Here is a link to Libby’s website:
Libby’s Website
Here is a link to Libby’s book:
The Hope-Driven Leader
Here is a link if you want to connect with Libby on LinkedIn:
Libby’s Linkedin Profile
Libby’s Top 9
1. Share Your Purpose
The why behind your team, division, or organization may be obvious to you, but don’t assume everyone else gets it. Look at companies like Tom’s Shoes, with its “One for One” program where they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need with every purchase. Putting shoes on kids is a purpose anyone can get behind.
2. Paint A Vivid Picture Of The Future
Feeding hope is about looking toward a better future. Your employees need to understand where the organization is heading and what that means to them individually. Communicate the vision so fully and frequently – through town hall meetings, internal newsletters, and one-on-one conversations – that everyone is crystal clear on where you’re headed.
3. Offer Information Appropriately
Information is the organizational life-blood on which decisions are made in every company. Honor people with your trust and willingness to give them the facts. Except for confidential info that can’t be shared, pass information readily up and down the pipeline that can help others make timely decisions.
4. Find The Formal And Informal Change Agents
Getting to know the personal story of each member on your team allows you to better serve and understand them. Don’t succumb to the notion that only the senior leadership team or HR can manage change. Find those influential people at all levels of the organization who others listen to, respect, and follow. Instill them with hope about the future – as well as the realities of the business – and enlist their help in easing others through change.
5. Be Open And Transparent
Have a common language around your shared values and predetermined standards. Don’t fall into corporate-speak or platitudes that would be better posted in the employee cafeteria or embroidered on a pillow. Instead, share real, honest, down-to-earth talk about what the company stands for and what is expected of employees.
6. Avoid Micromanaging
Nothing makes employees lose hope and heart like being over-managed. Hire the right people, then give them both challenge and choice. People who are charged with mastering new skills and taking ownership of projects get – and stay – engaged.
7. Warm Up Your Emails
It’s not so hard to say please, thank you, and job well done. Don’t leave employees guessing, or worse, wondering what they did wrong, when they get overly curt emails or texts from you.
8. Embrace Your Frontline
Don’t forget about the people who are out front doing hard duty with customers, clients, products and more. When you flip the conventional wisdom and think about leaders as working for their followers, and not the other way around, you are feeding hope. Recognize them with celebrations for big and small wins.
9. Know Your People
This seems obvious but, believe me, it’s not intuitive to everyone. Get to know your team not just as workers (although that’s important), but as human beings. You spend a lot of time with your co-workers so take the time to discover their passions, their kids’ names, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
