Did I miss something on the program or is my watch having a problem? I wondered as I walked into the conference hall. It was forty minutes past seven in the morning. The room was full with the fourty eight training participants sited and ready for the day. Traditionally most full day trainings start at around nine as the participant stream in from half past eight. This means that as the trainer am almost always the first person to arrive. On this day however, the tables had turned.

I was very curious. Some of the participants were commuting from outside the city, covering over 50Kms. Did they spend the night in the hotel or was their transport facilitated by the company? Interestingly they had commuted and so had everyone else in the room. This did not just happen on the first day of training but for the next two days. For the first time, I adjusted a training program not to finish late in the day but to start earlier than planned.

This was the beginning of one of my most unique and interesting engagement. Apart from the excellence in punctuality, there were lots of other areas that I found outstanding with the team/organization;

• Every new staff gets a session with the managing director to discuss the company mission and values.
• New hires remain in head office until they get acquainted to the company culture before deployment to satellite offices.
• All the staff came into the training in branded company wear including the managing director.
• The staff shared their experiences freely without fear of ridicule or victimization.
• Every morning started with a ‘word’ from one of the staff, a song and prayers.
• They shared with a lot of fun and humor.
• The managing director was ready to clarify or give direction on any queries.
• They were vulnerable and ready to learn.
• The company mission is clear, focused and with an emotional appeal.
• The company values resonate with the people, products and processes.

Having worked with a number of organizations I know how hard it is to change culture. Every time I call a change management consultant to check on a client’s progress the answer is almost always the same; You know change takes time. This explains my excitement on seeing an organization starting on the right culture. It is even more interesting when the culture is entrenched in the company mission and values.

It is refreshing to see how the staff live the mission and values and more importantly how the senior management is committed to set the right tone and pace. According to Jack Welch, “No company small or large can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”

This brought my book knowledge on building a positive culture to life;

1. Define your ideal workplace culture – define the ideal qualities that you want to integrate to your company culture based on the vision you have for your company.
2. Communicate – Communicate the idea of ideal culture to your team as guided by your mission and vision and develop proper policies & procedures to help you get started.
3. Set clear goals and expectations – set clear goals for everyone and make each person understand how their personal goals contribute to organizational success.
4. Recognize and reward good work transparently – when employees perform beyond their expectations, as a leader, recognize what they have done and reward them.
5. Develop people – Manage for success; monitor performance with the intention of helping the person perform better. Give feedback frequently.
6. Establish trust – Keep the lines of communication open with your employees and align your behavior with your company’s values. trust is not something that you can gain overnight; you have to earn it over time with conscious effort.
7. Foster collaboration and communication – teamwork, open and honest communication is vital to creating a positive feeling in the workplace. Welcome feedback and create opportunities for social interaction.

“Culture is the backbone of a successful organization and if you get the culture right most of the other staff like great customer service, building a long-term brand or empowering passionate employees and customers will happen on its own.”

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels