Cultivate Your Culture: How to Ignite Ownership
Reading time: 10 minutes
What you’ll learn
How individual values and beliefs factor into the culture
Working within multi-generational organizations
Caring at its core
In episode 4 of Cultivate Your Culture, Zoran had a chat with Bruno Guevremont, a military veteran turned executive coach, on how to create a team culture in business environments. Through his company, Bruno consults with organizations on team culture and how to create growth from a humanistic perspective and promotes mental health awareness in the veteran community.
We Are Culture
To Bruno, culture is people. No matter how automated services become, there is a human element behind an organization’s culture that cannot be overlooked. Every individual involved in an organization has their own wants, needs, and values, and Bruno says that these should be considered when trying to manufacture an environment that workers or athletes can thrive in. An organization can have their mission statement solidified, but when the behaviors and attitudes of the individuals don’t align with it, there’s bound to be struggling within the team. Bruno states that someone in a leadership role should be driving the culture, and change begins from the top down. For example, in a business setting, the CEO and board should establish what they want the team culture to be, and the hiring process should bring in individuals whose goals align with the company’s.
When employees have a strong understanding of their own values and beliefs, they are more likely to succeed in a workplace where those beliefs and values are shared and fostered. The key to creating this common ground is simple: communication.
We Can All Learn
Business has become a multigenerational battleground, where values of the past and the present can clash. Bruno wants to become the bridge between generational gaps, and this begins by understanding both sides’ perspectives. As he states it: how are you going to get someone to adopt your values if you don’t understand theirs? He spoke about CEOs and high-level executives complaining about a lack of work ethic in their young employees, when in reality, the newer generation is entering a workplace with a severe lack in training and communication. They are expected to buy into the team culture and culture of the company without ever having it explained to them on an individual level. Bruno wants to see more mentoring, but especially more listening. Making your employees feel heard will empower them to not only perform, but to make real and lasting change in the company. You want individuals with an entrepreneur spirit to represent the mission statement of your company, so give them the opportunity to achieve their goals and grow within your organization.
It’s not complicated to gather and validate the ideas of those in your organization: Bruno suggests group meetings with a white board and have everyone express their ideas as to what would improve the company. The solutions to every major problem are probably right in the room with you.
Measuring a Moving Target
When it comes to measuring team culture, Bruno agrees it’s not completely straight forward. Culture will shift and change as the company expands. Many start-ups begin with a form of team culture, and then have it evolve as the organization becomes more sophisticated. This enforces the idea that keeping everyone aligned with the organization’s mission statement is something that must be done consistently, as culture is the bond between individuals that will be what dictates how well they pull together as a unit when things go wrong. Bruno offers three questions to organization he’s working with: what do you want, what do you need to make it happen, and how will you know you have it (or how will we know we’ve reached it as an organization)? This establishes a metric dependent on the organization.
The Secret of Living is Giving
As Bruno says, at its core, culture is caring. Ask and genuinely listen what can be done to improve the company. If you’re higher up in the company, put your ego aside and ask entry level positions what they need in a work environment, and then incite meaningful change to demonstrate the company’s goals through action. Bruno finds that almost all toxic behaviors are removed from a company when every individual feels cared for and respected, and this will translate in their work. If you are cultivating a culture where employees or athletes feel scared to speak up, offer their ideas, or don’t care about what the company represents, you are stifling the potential for growth.
Making it Happen
Create a strong vision for your organization and make sure that its in line with those of your employees and athletes.
Learn how to make the strong connections that will bring your team together HERE.
Bruno suggests reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, but remember that not all solutions can be found in a book, and human connections are the root of creating team culture.
About the Author
Willa Hladun believes that every individual has the tools within them to excel at their craft. She wants to help others achieve their potential through mental training and understanding that the mind can be your biggest obstacle when starting a new path or reaching new heights. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Victoria.
