Shane Michel Hatton* says leaders should be focusing their attention on a few key things to help strengthen team culture.
A strong culture is not only your organisation’s greatest attraction strategy for top talent but also the key to retaining your best people.
So as a leader, where should you focus your attention to help strengthen the culture you have or to build the culture you want?
In a McCrindle study we commissioned of 1,000 Australian managers, we asked them to tell us about the most important ingredients for creating a healthy culture in an organisation.
If you’re looking for a good entry point, these five might just be a great place to start.
Strong collaboration and teamwork
Not surprisingly, over half of the people leaders we surveyed told us that collaboration and teamwork were an essential part of a healthy culture.
People want to be part of a team that can rely on each other to get work done.
As a leader, pay special attention to learning how the people on your team connect, collaborate and contribute best.
What makes each person a valuable contributor to the team? Consider how you can leverage the strengths and diversity of your team as you work together to accomplish goals.
Visible and approachable leadership
The second most popular ingredient for creating a healthy culture was senior leaders who are visible and approachable.
You can’t follow an invisible leader.
While you might prefer to be a leader who is behind the scenes, your team wants to see you.
You don’t need to be extroverted or charismatic but you do need to be present and engaged.
They want to know that you are available and approachable when they need you.
One of the top five culture killers in our research was ‘an absent or disconnected leader’ (48 per cent).
Explore with your team what it means to be present.
Explore what are their expectations of you around being visible and approachable and then ensure these are grounded in reality.
Open communication and feedback
Fifty-two per cent of Australian managers say open communication and feedback are critical for creating a healthy team culture.
Many of our biggest issues at work can be traced to a communication issue and can be resolved with a communication solution.
Each person on your team will have preferences around the way they like to communicate and the frequency in which they like to receive feedback.
Having a conversation about the culture of communication in your team can help you set realistic expectations early.
In our research, a ‘lack of accountability’ (45 per cent) in the team was seen as one of the top five culture killers.
Work towards fostering a sense of shared accountability because a team where people are not empowered to speak up will eventually break down.
Ask your team how often they like to be communicated with, what they want to know about and in what way they like to hear it.
Your communication does not need to pander, but it can be personal.
Trusting relationships
A lack of trust is the number-one culture killer, according to our research.
Half of people leaders told us that they identify a healthy culture by the trusting relationships that exist.
How trust is built looks different for each person.
Take time to explore some of the areas that help establish trust in your team.
Do team members describe the relationships on the team as dependable, honest and caring? Do people follow through on their commitments, say what they mean and lead by example? Do people feel safe sharing their ideas without the fear of judgement or humiliation? Healthy teams and strong cultures are built on the foundation of trusting relationships.
Clear and realistic workload expectations
People want to know they are doing a good job, which means having clear and realistic workload expectations and clear measures of success.
Forty-nine per cent of the people leaders in our research told us that clear and realistic workload expectations were a key ingredient for a healthy culture.
Ensure that the strategy and priorities of the organisation are clear.
Do people understand what matters to the business and is that attainable? Communicate how each team member’s role contributes to the most important priorities of the business and then empower them to speak up when these become unclear or the expectations become unrealistic.
Strong culture starts with an intentional leader and that leader is you.
*Shane Michel Hatton, author of Let’s Talk Culture – The conversations you need to create the team you want, is an expert in leader communication, blending his experience in business and psychology to help leaders communicate, connect and collaborate more effectively in order to bring out the best in those they lead.
He can be contacted at shanemhatton.com
