Leadership, Culture, Values & Trust – Part 2

Written by: Simon Haigh, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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‘Amazing things happen when you make people feel they are valued as individuals”. – Herb Kelleher, President of Southwest Airlines

The leader is the crux of the culture in an organization and sets the tone and dynamics of the culture. But, to filter through the organization the culture must be understood, simple, prioritized, and, as said before, measured. Methods for achieving this include ramping up engagement and stronger relationships between co-workers, setting ongoing challenges, and availing staff of constructive training and educational facilities. To appreciate this and enable an organization to commit to these “cultural fostering tools”, leaders need high levels of emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Self-awareness.

As said before, a climate of trust is crucial. Trust can be measured through results, retention, and relationships. Trust has a direct and very potent relationship with a company’s bottom line.

Workplace psychology is increasingly complex. People want to be recognized as important and be in a place where they are doing something meaningful and be seen as meaningful in their roles and important as an individual. It is a big mistake for leaders to think that “one size fits all. In fostering a culture of success, a culturally astute leader must:

1. Recognise that an employee’s contribution involves asking what the employee really needs to get the job done and providing him/her with the equipment, training, and support to get it done.

2. Recognise that it is also important to demonstrate that the employee is important and that the organization cares. This can be as simple as asking the employee “how’s life”; “how’s the family” etc.

A good way to start what I call the “trust circle” is for a leader to make a promise and keep to it. Trust is a two-way thing; both parties must be clear about their expectations of each other.

Factors for good corporate culture:

• Recognize all employees are different, each possessing unique talents and abilities;

• Hold intense core values and ensure they are simple and measurable;

• Celebrate success and consistently review both formally and informally;

• Be open and communicate effectively to increase morale and productivity;

• Empower employees to solve their own problems;

• Embed mutual confidence and trust;

• Foster Teamwork, Respect, Enthusiasm, Integrity, and Honesty.

Proficient CEOs in organizations, which demonstrate good corporate culture:

• Build a genuinely unified team through collaboration (combined skill base and knowledge) and cooperation (aligned attitudes);

• Create a genuinely enjoyable environment;

• Foster a philosophy of “Do your best”, accepting that certain mistakes happen;

• Develop an enduring culture – not just one for a certain occasion;

• Produce an exemplary dynamic and competitive workforce;

• Define and live the cultural values to filter them through and propel the company forward;

• Ensure the employees are sufficiently compelled by the vision that they “believe” in, and enforce them;

• Equip their company with all the programs, processes, structures, and systems required to uphold and continuously improve the culture;

• Communicate and celebrate success;

• Embrace ideas;

• Take risks;

• Keep information flow high;

• Engage frank, open, and honest performance evaluation.

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Simon Haigh, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Simon Haigh, known as The Growth Strategist, helps organizations and leaders unlock, build and sustain business, leadership, brand, and mindset growth through his coaching, consulting, training, publications, speaking, and e-learning programs. Simon’s clients include high-performing leaders, companies, business schools, professional organizations & Government bodies globally. His work is endorsed by world no. 1 leadership thinker Marshall Goldsmith. He is nominated by PeopleHum Top 200 Influential Thought Leaders 2021, Thinkers 360 4 Sales, 9 Entrepreneurship, 10 Legal & IP, 13 Health & Wellness, 33 Mental Health, 37 Management & 47 Emerging Tech, and featured in the PeopleHum Top 100 Thought Leader series for Mindful Negotiation. He has also been featured on numerous global TV and radio outlets, and two of his three Amazon 5-Star books – How to be a Better Dealcloser and Dealmaking for Corporate Growth, are endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith, and he is an associate member of the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching Organisation. Simon is also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker.