What a Positive Workplace Culture Should Actually Be About
Positive culture isn’t about table football or pizza. It’s fixing what’s broken, owning mistakes, celebrating success, and offering help.
Positive culture isn’t about table football or pizza. It’s fixing what’s broken, owning mistakes, celebrating success, and offering help.
Our marketing director said I was aggressive and pushy.
It was a big slap in the face – mostly because I knew it was true, but thought I’d hidden it by being ‘nice’.
Once I got over the shock, it became one of the best bits of feedback I’ve ever had, starting a great period of personal growth.
But lots of barriers can get in the way of personal growth. Which is a shame, because all the important developments in our professional lives are built on it. It can be a practical, useful way to achieve what we want. Whether that’s a big promotion, more balance so that tasks and working relationships are easier and not such a slog, or the delivery of a significant project.
Here’s how to overcome the barriers to personal growth:
How about you? What personal growth are you looking for - and what barriers are you finding? Click To TweetThe key to overcoming the barriers to personal growth is to risk being vulnerable in order to discover something helpful.
A while ago in preparation for some volunteering, I took one of the best training courses I’ve ever experienced, the Outdoor First Aid course at the UK’s national outdoor centre at Plas y Brenin.
Amongst other things, we learnt the Dr ABCDE structure of first aid.
And during a recent coaching session we used that structure to help manage a seriously high-pressure decision that my client was facing.
First, here’s a reminder of my notes from that course:
Dr ABCDE:
If you need to manage a high-pressure decision at work, here’s my first-aid guide, using the principles of Dr ABC and applying them to great leadership:
D – Danger – assess first before acting:
R – Responsiveness – ask others for their response, seek allies and advice:
A – Airways – open up your choices about how to deal with the high-pressure situation:
B – Breathing – monitor the progress and vitality of the decision-making process:
C – Circulation – take decisive action and stay committed to the chosen course:
D – Disability – evaluate the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of the decision:
E – Exposure – identify hidden risks and protect against unfavourable external influences:
How do you manage high-pressure decisions and what can we learn from a first-aid approach? Click To TweetWhat else comes up for you, when you’re faced with managing a high-pressure decision at work? What do you need to take into account?
Some interesting academic research on the impact of coaching techniques on team performance.
I know I’m a convert, but the findings of this research really do make a strong argument for using coaching techniques to significantly boost a team’s productivity and satisfaction.
Here’s my summary and the link to the actual research study is at the end.
The study, conducted by Aldrin & Utama, revealed that the application of coaching techniques significantly improved team performance.
The team performance score (a composite measure of the quality of work, efficiency of task completion, and level of collaboration and communication within a team) was used to quantify this improvement.
Before the introduction of coaching, the average team performance score was 58.67. After coaching was implemented, the score rose to an impressive 68.53.
This shows the transformative power of coaching in a team setting, leading to:
Effective communication is a critical component of successful teamwork, and coaching techniques can help break down barriers, create a sense of belonging, and foster a deep empathic understanding among team members.
Coaching, as the study explains, is about building relationships that foster personal and professional growth. It’s a process that encourages individuals to find solutions to their problems through increased self-awareness, with the support of a coach.
In a team setting, coaching can help to:
Moreover, the study found that coaching techniques can enhance respect for others and provide solutions to problems.
However, it’s important to remember that the effectiveness of coaching techniques depends on their practical application in daily work.
I think that the findings of this study are a powerful reminder of the potential that lies within a teams. By implementing coaching techniques, you can unlock this potential, improving team performance and satisfaction, and driving success.
Click here to see the research paper itself.
What’s your experience been? Please use the ‘click to tweet box below, or just click here to tweet me .
How have you used coaching techniques to improve your team's performance and satisfaction at work? Click To TweetIn the world of work, the strength of a team is often the factor that decides your success.
A cohesive, effective team can drive innovation, foster creativity, and above all, deliver results.
But how do you build such a team?
In this article, I set out the top 10 strategies for building effective teams. These strategies, backed by research and expert opinion, provide a solid foundation for leaders looking to cultivate a high-performing team.
Don’t feel you need to do all of these, all at once. But please do reflect on any that you’re not doing or are avoiding. Those are often the ones that have the most potential to grow your own leadership skills and understanding.
Building an effective team is continuous process of commitment, patience, and the right strategies.
By implementing the strategies I’ve set out in this post, you can grow a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, and shared vision. The strength of your team lies in its members, and as a leader, your role is to guide, support, and inspire them.
I’m also interested in hearing from you. Share your experiences by tweeting me using the button below or by visiting my twitter feed.
What strategies have you found effective in your team-building efforts? Click To TweetAnd if you found this post valuable, please share it with your network. Together, we can all learn and grow.