Many organizations are seeking ways to continuously improve as a differentiating competitive advantage. They are focusing on continuous professional development and process improvement activities to assist them in reaching their next level of competitiveness. In the Learning Organization culture, there is a core value around each employee finding better ways to do his/her job(s).

Envision working in an organization where work feels more like play, where failure is not penalized but rewarded because learning from the past improves the future. Envision working in an organization where everyone has an opportunity to become an expert in his/her current job and/or develop for a future role. And imagine this organization not only builds intrinsic motivation for employees, but cultivates team learning, all leading to improved performance results.

I had the benefit of participating in SHRM’s 2021 National Conference, all masked up, and lots of research-based leadership and culture tips and techniques. As an avid life-long learner, I always find nuggets that support my clients and their vision of the future. Here are some takeaways you may use as you coach leaders and/or your team members on creating a culture of inclusivity.

Times they are a changin’. And, without a clear approach on developing our talent, our talent will not develop technical and interpersonal/soft/relationship skills needed for optimal results. We are going through so many unprecedented changes: technological advancements; employee exodus/resignations; social awareness and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); remote work, masked work; political divisiveness; physical and mental stressors and more. This is a time for upskilling, for reskilling, and for career conversations.

It’s not about what we say we do, a culture is about what we prioritize, and what actions we reward or penalize. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” notes Peter Drucker. In other words, what comes to fruition is based on the culture you create, not the strategy you plan.

How can ethics be part of your organization’s game plan, so that employees, venders, customers, candidates, and shareholders will be considered? Not always easy in a publicly traded organization where market share too often is the only goal. But, fortunately, there are many organizations who value the wellbeing (financial, safety, health, etc.) of all those impacted.

In today’s highly competitive, global market, where resources are often limited, many organizations are looking for ways to enhance organizational performance, ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. With tougher competitive challenges and reduced timeframes to deliver, the organizations that are achieving high-performance are doing so by leveraging their talent – truly its human capital.

The positive aspects of family business are often challenged with more complex relationships than are found in publicly traded organizations. These complexities are deep seated more than the frequently discussed taboo ‘nepotism’. To understand this complicated workplace environment, one may want to look at the various relationships that exist within a family business, and to identify strategies to overcome these challenges.

Effective leadership is about head and heart, mind, and emotion; it’s about cognitive and affective processing; it’s about learning and changing. Effective leaders are self-aware, and this motivates, engages, and empowers others. 

It may seem like a daunting task to manage people from afar, let alone supporting people with so many additional stresses. But, as many successful global organizations have found, and some smaller organizations who were flexible in their response to COVID-19 requirements, it does not have to be difficult; just different.

A leader adds to or reduces job stress; the leader-member relationship has been cited by many motivational theorists as a contributing factor to employees’ willingness to act on behalf of the customer.