I had the chance to sit down recently with Kevin, a business leader in Missouri, and go through the DISC communication profiles for him and his staff. It quickly became clear that creating a positive culture had to be a top priority for his business.

[column col="1/2"]One of the recurring themes that we discovered was a growing culture of dissatisfaction. The profiles indicated that although the company had been a great success recently, there was a huge disconnect within the team as many felt they were not appreciated. We discovered that some of the staff simply wanted affirmation, such as a “pat on the back” or a verbal “great job.” Others were hopeful for tangible recognition such as increased compensation, promotion, or a bonus.

Staff and management had begun to take on the “what’s in it for me?” attitude. This resulted in poor work habits, declining customer service, and an overall poor culture within the company.

If you had asked Kevin for the major reasons for his company's recent success, he definitely would have recognized the importance of his team. However, through this process, he realized that he was not doing a great job of making sure they know how valuable they are to the company and how grateful he was for their work.

Once he identified this issue, he began creating a positive culture by approaching the team with an attitude of gratitude. Kevin is now intentionally looking for ways to express appreciation. When I spoke to him last month, he said even some of his worst “what’s in it for me?” offenders had shown great progress.[/column][column col="1/2"][/column]

Creating a positive culture for your organization

Three tips to creating an attitude of gratitude:

1. Think back to someone who mentored or invested in you to help your career.Give them a call or write them a note to say thank you. Then encourage your team members to do the same for someone who has invested in them.
2. In the last week, who on your staff has done a great job?Go tell them thank you and be sure to be specific. When they know that your gratitude is genuine and their hard work is noticed, they are excited to be doing great work for the organization.
3. How, specifically, can you better equip each person on your team for success?Your team wants to be productive and successful as much as you want them to be productive and successful. When you ask them what they need or how you can help, you have the opportunity to resource them and unlock their full potential for your company.

[message_box title="Is it time to focus on creating a positive culture?" color="gray"]As part of our business coaching services, we can help you develop a plan to change the culture and increase productivity. Give me a call at (913) 254-7300 or email me at rusty@fullingmgmt.com.[/message_box]