Latitude – Navigating Business Culture

Season 2, Episode 14 - Individual Commitment To A Group Effort

Looking for an executive summary of what a dozen high-performing leaders think, communicate, and do every day to differentiate their organization from competitors and other employers? If so, then you found it! This special 35-minute episode covers Season 2's 13 unique episodes and five major themes that ran throughout it including: * The power of purpose (why does your organization exist?) * Tapping into the voice of employees (VOE) for continuous improvement * Modeling what you want more of * Serving customers with more than transactional activities * Setting your organization up for greatness through simple behaviors Whiteboard Notes: Reflection Questions: 1. Does your organization's ultimate purpose differentiate it as a provider? Employer of choice? How do you know? 2. Do employees have the ability to respectfully express ideas, concerns, and perspectives without fear of consequences? How do you know? What are your recent trends? 3. Where is status quo bias limiting individual and organizational performance? 4. What transactional exchanges with customers are building relationships? Breaking relationships? 5. Are organizational culture, values-based behavior, and employee engagement considered and treated more as an expense or investment in your organization? A need to do or nice to do? Scan this QR code and see a complete listing of all 45 episodes of Latitude: Navigating Business Culture.

Season 2, Episode 13 - Don't Walk By

How could stopping this time, instead of walking by, change a perspective, level of trust, a relationship, a challenging situation? Could something so simple help reinforce that a person and/or situation really matters? Join us as we discuss with Josiah Haken and his experiences of leading an organization that serves 50,000 'neighbors without doors' (people experiencing homelessness). Josiah shares many practical solutions that apply to any size organization, whether it is public, private, for-profit, or not-for-profit. Topics covered include: * The power and influence of words * Breaking limiting biases * Collaborating compared to Competing for limited resources * Two simple questions to move from transactional to relational behaviors Whiteboard Notes: Reflection Questions: 1. How does the language commonly used in your organization reinforce inclusion, trust, teamwork, and self-esteem? 2. Is your organization addicted to any processes that result in negative consequences for your employees? 3. How does your measurement system account for both the transaction getting completed and how it influences a relationship? 4. What relationships are currently more competitive than collaborative and hurting performance? 5. What behaviors are tolerated that hurt performance because we just walk by them?

Season 2, Episode 12 - Don't Fear The Difficult Conversations

One of the costliest barriers to organizational performance is unresolved crucial conversations. Research has found nearly 70% of employees are avoiding difficult conversations with their boss, colleagues, or direct reports. Workplace health is suffering - trust eroding – and organizations underperforming. Join us as we discuss with Joe Buchanan his experiences of taking over a 30+ year old organization that was acquired just before the pandemic hit. Joe shares many practical solutions including: * Constantly staying relevant to customers' needs/wants * The power of Dream Days and Coffee & Connect * Modifying hiring criteria to accelerate creativity * The mind shift to problem solving * Ownership of purpose Whiteboard Notes: Reflection Questions: 1. What would employees say differentiates your organization from all the others out there (competition)? 2. Is it safe to 'test boundaries' in your organization or are rules, policies, and expectations iron clad? 3. How well do your leaders define reality? How well is it understood? How do you know? 4. What specifically is done in your organization to show and tell employees they matter? 5. Who is your Listener Engagement Director for customers? How about for employees?

Season 2, Episode 11 - A Winning Combination: Transformational Leadership + Culture

According to Fortune magazine, "business leaders believe the importance of a company's culture has increased in the current business climate". In order to maximize the human potential (skills, knowledge, abilities) within any organization, both culture and leadership style must be proactively managed. Join us as we discuss with Tessa Dent her global experiences and how an organization's culture (the accepted or perceived way we do things here and why) and leadership impacts: * Strategy execution * Sustainability * Managing change * Employee commitment, effort, loyalty (engagement) Whiteboard Notes: Reflection Questions: 1. How effective is your organization in routinely gathering (formally and informally) the voice of the employee (VOE) – asking, using, and recognizing its' value? 2. Is change management in your organization treated more as a methodology or mindset that influences behavior? 3. What biases may be creating 'waste' in your organization? How can you proactively address this? 4. Do you effectively know and measure the key tangible elements of your organization's culture? 5. Does your organization have the right balance of task-oriented and transformational leaders?

Season 2, Episode 10 - Pay Attention To What You Are Paying Attention To

We choose what we pay attention to. Choose wisely because in an organization what leaders pay attention to and measure will fix firmly and deeply the way employees think, feel and act. It will drive organizational culture and ultimately performance. Join us as we discuss with Florian Kluge his vast experiences as a Financial Officer for two German companies operating in the U.S. Topics discussed include: * The power of purpose * Underestimating the importance of identifying key criteria to achieve results * Making effective decisions * Leading when things are going well – not getting complacent * Balancing business needs with customer and employee needs Whiteboard Questions: Reflection Questions: 1. Does your organization have a succinct purpose statement – the fundamental reason you exist? 2. How well do your employees understand the critical criteria to achieve key success metrics? 3. How much is lost productivity and human capability costing your organization? 4. Balancing requires holding on to or letting go. Are there cultural elements (things reinforced and/or tolerated) that are hurting performance?