There, I said it. 15 years ago I was just getting started leading my first teams. Sydney, Australia, then Assisi, Italy of all places. Culture was so important to me I don't know why... I just knew that above all else, it had to feel right. The people, the (same) page, the vibe, the cohesion. I wanted people to feel like it was their team. I wanted them to feel that their performance, behaviour, attitude, and choices impacted the team. And, that the team was bigger than all of us. I made a lot of mistakes. And I skilled up fast on the other side of frustration. I recognized quickly that you only have one or two shots accelerating trust early. And a team that trusts each other, WOW! I was so so blessed to be able to work in those teams. Now, instead of facilitating CRYSTAL CLEAR CULTURE for my teams, I do it for others. Last year was a huge year. Whilst I have been doing it for the past 5 years, it really was last year (2019) where we went all in and helped a lot of teams around New Zealand distil their culture. Why am I sharing this? We have a big challenge on our hands. For some it won't be a problem for a while, for others it already is. Great team members, wanting to work from home. How will you deal with this? And not just the logistics..... but the impact. Not just on the obvious, but on the team, the vibe, the cohesion... how will we do culture in 2020? What if 1/3 of the team are working from home by the end of winter? Now what? B.A.U or do we need to re-think our approach to the concept of a team? Here is what we know for sure:
the world is changing
the status quo is shifting
some old ways are being replaced with new ways
good managers are being challenged
leadership is required
So when it comes to culture, you have to do it bloody well. You have to get really intentional about the mindset and the process that you want people to adopt in and around the culture. You have to get laser clear about your vision and how that fits into the TEAM CULTURE. And I think when you nail those foundational pieces: intent, communication, mindset, process, clarity and the execution, you give yourself the best chance possible at success... ...even with some of the team working remotely! “Wow - we came out of the day at a much better place than when we went in. As a team, we would never have been able to get there on our own. It was very skilful the way Joel took us on that journey and to now have a set of office values and an actual culture that we have created is just wow” 2019 Distil Team Culture participant
HONOUR THE KING Stay fit and thanks for leading,