Workplace culture is the difference in whether people want to work for you, whether they want to buy from you, the kind of experiences that they have, and whether they stay with you over the long term.

Chellie Phillips is the author of "Culture Secrets," which provides advice for leaders looking to build a value culture in their workplace. Chellie found what works with culture falls into five buckets and came up with this acronym:

Value and vision Accountability Leadership Unique people (you) Engagement

Chellie says that what makes people want to show up at work and stay where they are is when they feel like they belong and they contribute to the success of an organization. Culture is what creates that sense of belonging and value that someone feels inside that organization.

Creating a business or being involved in a business where the company culture is clear is critical. It is a human need that we have to feel safe, to feel like we belong, to feel like what we're working on matters, and to feel like our voice inside that work matters.

Belonging is what makes a community strong. It's what makes us want to be involved. People are at the center of all of our worlds.

You can walk into a place and feel whether people enjoy being there. As a business owner, you know how much that feeling impacts how people recommend you to others.

For example, if you go to a restaurant and have a lousy experience – maybe the waitstaff is not up to par. They're grumbling about their hours, or they're on their phone, not paying attention to the customers. You're probably not going to recommend that restaurant.

But if you create an experience by making people feel like they belong, that they have a voice, that they're contributing to what's going on, and that their values as people align with your values as an organization, you'll set yourself up for success. You're going to have long-term employees that your customers love to interact with and are going to refer you -- your service, your product, whatever it is -- to someone else because they want them to have great experiences, too. It really is a win-win for the business and the employee.

If you want people to feel like they belong, the first thing that Chellie says leaders need to do is shut up and listen. Leaders talk a lot. You're always in meetings. You're always doing something. You're putting out information.

Acknowledge the fact that we all have other things happening other than what's going on in our jobs, and we all bring that to work with us, whether it's good or whether it's bad. Having those conversations makes your team more willing to have harder conversations with you when they need to.

Everybody is resistant to change. But if they feel like you, as that leader, have listened to them, that you have their back, they're less resistant to that change. They're more likely to give it a try and at least make a go of it than if you're just throwing something new at somebody who feels like the only time you engage with them is at their twice a year evaluation.

It goes back to that people centered approach, where they feel like you as a person matter to them.

Let's get to it!

Free E-book for starting a culture movement in your office: https://chelliephillips.com/flying-solo/

Culture Secrets: https://amzn.to/3G80SwU

Connect with Chellie: https://chelliephillips.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chellie-phillips/ #OrganizationalCulture #WorkplaceCulture #Culture #Belonging #IntuitiveBusinessCoach #SalesCoach #WomenInBusiness #KnowYourWorth #GetPaid

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