One thing is clear: Every organization has a culture. And every culture is driven by the leader. That is why John C. Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
I found in my own business that I influenced what our culture looked like, whether good or bad. I observed that our people behaved like I did.
Scripture even says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7, NIV).
They sought out what I thought was important. They would use language like I did and sometimes, being from Texas, that wasn’t a good thing! I would often say we were going to hand out Texas dictionaries so people could understand me.
Let’s continue our discussion of ERC’s (Employers Resource Council) list of characteristics of Great Workplaces that Excel at the Attraction, Retention, and Motivation of Top Performers, based on 15 years of surveys and interviews. (yourerc.com “HR Insights Blog” ERC (Employers Resource Council), 5-Sep-2013 (12-Aug-2014).
Today we’ll examine two of the ERC’s 15 attributes of a winning culture. Every leader can help cultivate a great workplace by developing the following two attributes in their culture:
Listen and Collaborate
The first attribute I’ll highlight from ERC’s findings describes the leadership:
“Great workplaces involve and empower employees by listening to their input, involving them in moving the organization forward, and giving them opportunities to lead initiatives, collaborate with one another, participate in decision-making, and make a meaningful difference at work. At great workplaces, employees believe that their opinions matter and that they can positively impact their organizations.”
My Take:
As a leader, I discovered there was more power in asking questions than barking orders.
In our company, we had an organizational teaching called AQL, which was “Ask Questions and Listen.” We went to great lengths to learn how to ask good discovery questions, not only among ourselves but also of our customers and suppliers.
I also developed ways to involve the right people in the decision-making process: we called it 1-2-3. I intentionally sought their input before making a decision.
Click here to learn more about the system I used to make decisions.
The second attribute that I’d like to explore is…
Read more of this amazing article here at bobbyalbert.com. {eoa}
Bobby Albert started his leadership journey as the young president of his family’s 5-person business. That small business became a 150+ person organization that he eventually sold to a publicly traded company. He spent decades learning how (and how not) to lead and motivate his people. Bobby coaches and guides Christian business leaders, encouraging them to engage their minds and their hearts to improve their effectiveness. Bobby uses biblically-based principles and practices to tackle the every-day challenges faced by today’s leaders.
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