Whenever we have business meetings, more often than not the majority of us walk away feeling like it was time well spent.
As an organization, we are reasonably clear about how we make decisions, who owns them, and how they’re implemented.
We understand that sometimes our focus has to be on task management (the operational level), and yet at other times on business relationship management (the humanistic level).
While we may have different teams, departments, and/or subcultures, there’s virtually no “us vs. them,” fault and blame, or badmouthing.
All of us have positive, proactive plans for our professional development and we set aside reasonable time to learn and grow.
In our organization, we have a shared definition and practice of “creative conflict” (as opposed to the toxic variety!).
Anyone – whether they are an owner, leader, manager, and/or contributor – is truly open to learning what their unhelpful patterns and blind spots are without avoidance or defensiveness.
We are actively engaged in conversations and continually develop options for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion with all our stakeholders.
We understand that positive and lasting culture change does not occur by sending everyone through a training, or having a one-day off-site retreat (no matter how good the food is!).
Most importantly, we have articulated our values, we have a solid set of agreements on the behaviors that aid or constrain those values, and we practice mutual accountability in the service of our beliefs, principles, and desired outcomes.
10 – Amazing! You’re exceptional in this regard.
9 or 8 – Well done! This particular element seems to be working well.
7 or 6 – An area of focus to put some positive energy into.
4 or 5 – No blame or shame, just a real need to upgrade this function.
3 or less – There’s gotta be some pain here . . . what will it take to get this working better?
10 – There must be some mistake, since perfection is simply not possible in this regard!
9 or 8 – Wow! You’re a truly high-performing culture. Congratulations!
7 or 6 – Not horrible, but not optimal. You’ll definitely benefit from a cultural tune-up.
5 or 4 – Hmm . . . You may have folks eyeing the lifeboats. Time to right the ship.
3 or less – Don’t worry, because no one I’ve ever worked with has been hurtin’ this bad!
Want to discuss any of this further? I freely engage in conversations on these topics with no expectation because I’m enriched by the dialog myself. Please feel free to reach out. You may book an appointment by using my online scheduling calendar.
I hope you found this little exercise interesting.