Best-Self Management

We're constantly trying to answer the question of how to do the extraordinary in the workplace by building a culture that people love and thrive in while achieving extraordinary business performance. That's how we've strived to build our own organization.

Previously, we went over five important elements of Best-Self management. Today, we're helping you conceptualize the methodology by presenting three key pillars to help you run a successful company:

1. Create a Powerful Shared Context
2. Support People In Being & Becoming Their Best-Selves
3. Cultivate Relational Self-Mastery

Once you understand and make a commitment to these three pillars, you can implement practices that contribute to a healthy work culture, such as positivity, psychological safety, and growth mindset.

This all begins with creating a powerful shared context. This will lead to a sense of meaning within your organization. The context of your company is more than its mission. It is where the work culture is created and from where its creativity and purpose flows.

For example, take a company like Enron. Their shared context was to defy regulations, lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top. And what happened? Thousands of employees lost their entire retirement.Then look at a company like Patagonia. Yvonne Chouinard recently refreshed their WHY to save Planet Earth. The shared context of every employee is "we save the planet".

The context is akin to headwaters (where the river starts). If the water is polluted from the source, that will flow all the way downstream polluting everything along the way.

Next comes supporting your people to become their best selves. Leaders and managers can inspire the key practices of strengths discovery and regular self-reflection. By helping your people achieve their full potential, your whole organization can't help but become stronger overall.

Finally, cultivating relational mastery will help make the other two pillars possible. Many problems within most organizations stem from relational friction between people. By consciously teaching and supporting healthy and high-order interactions, people will be transparent and hold others accountable in more effective and less toxic ways.

Beyond simply making a profit, is there a higher shared context in which your organization exists? Let's talk about it in the comments on the episode page!

In this episode:

• What happens when you create a powerful shared context within your organization
• Why it is critical to support each person in your company in becoming their best selves
• Preventing relational friction by cultivating healthy relationship skills
• The incredible role of any business to provide meaning in people's lives and society
• How to create powerful company values that align with your personal values

Quotes

"Don't just practice performance management because performance is a byproduct. If you instead support people in becoming their best selves, you're going to get performance." [2:21]

"When you really start to realize that organizations are simply a collection of individuals, to realize an organization's full potential, you need to realize the full potential of every individual within it." [6:24]

"Business has a unique opportunity, perhaps unprecedented, to provide meaning. I think we really need it. If we're going to blossom in the 21st Century rather than decay, we need people living their purpose." [11:30]

"Values can be really powerful or they can be watered down or non-existent. Choose the first one. Make your values come alive." [25:51]

Links

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Simon Sinek TED Talk

Cameron Herold: Vivid Vision

15Five's OKR Guide

The Dream Manager

Best-Self Academy

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In less than a year, 15Five has rapidly scaled up from about 70 employees to over 200. Now many people might assume that the company culture that we strive to nurture has suffered as a result. However, we're happy to say that our culture is now stronger than it has ever been (and we know this because 15Five is ranked as the #3 best place to work in the country on Glassdoor.) So today we're talking about how to scale culture while simultaneously undergoing hyper-growth.

We share what we have learned as leaders of a company during this period of rapid growth. We discovered that being attuned to what your people are feeling and thinking is a key part of supporting them during this process. To that end, we discuss how we listen to our people and use their feedback in constructive ways.

While there were a number of things we had in place prior to growing that helped create a strong culture, we also made many changes in the past year. We chat about what those were, such as revamping our onboarding process, to make it successful. Additionally, focusing on honesty, gratitude, and vulnerability was instrumental in this process. We discuss how you can make this part of your successful expansion as well.

How can you uncover the true values and purpose of your organization so that you could scale up while maintaining culture? Share in the comments!

• How to know if your company has a strong and supportive culture
• Ways that you can best listen and respond to your people through feedback loops
• What happens when you create high levels of trust and vulnerability so that truth can flow more easily through your organization
• What the Best-Self Kickoff is and how you can use it tos set expectations and prepare your employees for the greatest professional experience of their lives
• Ways to maintain a cohesive leadership team as the fortunes of business ebbs and flows
• Universal principles that any company can implement to create a thriving culture

"Fundamentally, as a leader, if you want to scale your culture, you need to get good at listening. You need to be attuned to the human beings inside your organization." [2:29]

"You don't succeed in business by staying still. You need to engage. You need to hear things that are happening and then be able to make quick decisions and then act upon them." [6:07]

"Respect people. Respect that they showed up. Respect and feel honored that they're interested in working here. Respect their journey even if they're not a good fit for this role. Respect them." [27:18]

"Regardless of whether you're in hyper-growth now or will be in the future, you can never start too early in creating that strong center of gravity of the culture." [37:19]

VaynerMedia

CNBC: GlassDoor's 2020 Best Places To Work

Gallup StrengthsFinder

The Enneagram

Best-Self Kickoff

Practices for a Positive Workplace

Center for Positive Organizations

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David and Shane tease a little bit of what's to come when Season 3 of Best-Self Management returns on January 14th. This upcoming season will feature David and Shane going deeper on the pillars of building an incredible culture, plus more incredible expert interviews, techniques, and mindset shifts to help transform your company's culture and drive incredible results.

Best-Self Management podcast where we explore the brave new world of bringing your whole self to work. Best-Self Management proposes that if leaders build cultures and institute practices that support people in being and becoming their Best Selves, then high performance and uncommon loyalty is the result.

Co-hosts, David Hassell and Shane Metcalf, regularly discuss the uniquely healthy and productive cofounder relationship they've built at 15Five over the last 7 years. They also interview academics, business leaders, and coaches, who are revolutionizing our understanding of human performance and what it takes to build a thriving culture that celebrates every employee and guides them towards greatness.

Listen to Seasons 1 and 2 of Best-Self Management Here

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Everyone has unique abilities and skills, and we are all "geniuses" in our own ways. Genius is not an exclusive trait nor linked to intellect, but something that resides in everyone. When our Zone of Genius is realized, that's when we can find and do work that truly brings us joy. Today's guest has extensively studied this concept and is here to tell you how to apply it in your workplace.

Laura Garnett is a talent strategist who works with Fortune 500 companies and startups alike, helping business leaders reach their true potential and tap into and understand their zone of genius — all while inspiring the people they work with to do the same.

Today, we're talking with Laura about how we can inspire other people to identify and pursue their Zones of Genius. It really is something that we all have innately within us. However, not trusting in your zone of genius is all too common and can lead to false feelings of inadequacy. To truly operate within the zone is to actually best align with who you are and share your gifts for the benefit of others.

This is one of our favorite episodes because we had fun sharing our experiences growing personally and professionally and coming back into alignment with our true selves. Laura comments and provides insights into the meta of these experiences and explains how you can cultivate the habit of operating in this way too.

Embracing your genius often takes courage, reframing the way you think of success, and regularly looking into what brings you joy at work. Nurturing that will lead to amazing professional opportunities and new possibilities.

What can you do to begin honing your Zone of Genius today? Let's talk about it in the comments!

• What is meant by Zone of Genius
• The problems that arise when we don't trust in our zone of genius
• Ways to reframe the way we think about success and failure
• How to come into alignment with our natural talents and gifts
• The role of an individual and a company in maximizing zones of genius
• Why operating in your ZOG is a habit that needs constant nurturing
• The important connection between genius and purpose

"It has nothing to do with your intelligence. It has a lot more to do with your ability to believe in yourself, build habits, be who you are. Everyone has that capability. Everyone can create the success that they want." [5:25]

"The process of understanding who you are, knowing your zone of genius, operating in it — it's a personal process. It's something that someone has to own for themselves." [15:02]

"It's a habit of continually checking in with yourself and observing how far in or out of the zone you are and why, and proactively looking for the opportunities that are going to take you further into the zone." [30:13]

Find Laura Garnett online

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The Genius Habit

Unique Ability

Traction

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With positivity being one of the most important aspects of Best-Self Management, we're devoting this entire episode to this principle. A lot is wrapped up in this single word - be it gratitude, appreciation, and just having more positive interactions than negative ones.

Throughout this episode, we tell you about what we've learned from the field of positive psychology about how our brains tend to default towards the negative. However, by consciously and deliberately supporting a culture of positivity, you'll be benefiting both your people and your organization in countless ways.

We explain how a focus on positivity is one of the easiest ways to help the relationships in your organization thrive. When that happens not only does the bottom line improve, but you and your people will be more connected and committed to your company's mission and feel better overall.

What can you do to increase the positivity ratio in your organization? Leave a comment below!

• How building a culture of positivity will help improve the health of the people in your organization
• The benefits that your company will see when positive relationships are encouraged and supported
• Addressing our default bias towards negativity
• How you can institutionalize the power of gratitude inside your organization
• Using guided meditation to help create a positive brain-state
• Practices for helping your people take notice of the positives in their lives

"For every degree of relational mastery that you improve in your company, you're going to be increasing the efficiency of execution significantly." [4:48]

"When you have an organization where people feel lifted up by each other and for each other, that's where the magic of collaboration can come into play." [7:25]

"Our work lives spill into our personal lives - it's just how it happens. So a way of serving the whole human being is giving them a positive, supporting, loving, compassionate, understanding -and also a high performing and high bar of excellence - work environment." [21:55]

"Building a culture of positivity and appreciation doesn't mean you can't give constructive feedback or have difficult conversations. In fact, it really is the opposite. It makes it so that those conversations can be more effective and more efficient." [33:37]

Sean Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work: | TED Talk

HeartMath Institute

Meditation.live

Chopra Center

Radical Candor

High Fives Software

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This is part two of our discussion on how to help inspire your people by connecting them to their internal and intrinsic motivators. In this episode, we're going deeper into self-actualization and mastery. By helping the people around you develop and nourish a growth-mindset, meaningful and effective progress is inevitable.

At 15Five we routinely help our people set self-development objectives in addition to business goals. We've found that although this can be challenging, it ultimately leads to more introspection on the part of participants and creates opportunities for overall growth.

Finally, we discuss the importance of giving each other true autonomy. This means granting people the trust they need to do the work that's required. Really, it's about treating everyone like capable adults. As managers, we can choose to let our people take the lead and make the right decisions. To this end, we talk about how we can better focus on the outcome rather than the process to reach it.

How can you help your people set self-development goals? Leave a comment!

• What happens to motivation when we move towards mastery
• Why to set self-development objectives in addition to business goals
• How learning about anything with personal intrinsic value will help foster skills needed for the workplace as well
• The importance of granting your people the autonomy and trust they need to succeed and grow
• How a sense of connection with your team members can be an intrinsic motivation in and of itself

"When we are having the experience of progress and moving toward mastery, we are energized by that. It's a self-rewarding process that keeps us motivated to do more." [2:03]

"Mastery isn't gaining something that's only good for this job. Mastery is something where who I'm becoming is going to benefit me in all domains of my life for the rest of my life." [3:56]

"I find more often than not when you grant people trust they rise to the occasion." [21:37]

"None of us want to be an anonymous cog in the machine. We all want to know that people actually see us for who we are, the impact that our work has, and that we're supported by the people around us." [28:54]

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Gallup Q12

Confidence/Competence Loop

Drive by Daniel Pink

Three Things That Actually Motivate Employees

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Motivation bleeds into everything we do, and it helps us choose where to focus in our busy lives. We have motivations for why we're in relationships, listen to certain podcasts, and even how we work. Where we derive our motivation is connected to how we expend our energy long-term.

Intrinsic motivation is the sustainable way to drive employee performance. It's all about incentive and deriving pleasure from the activity itself (e.g., a genuine interest in a project or strategic initiative) rather than because of any external benefits that might be obtained.

In other words, doing an act that is intrinsically motivated means you are doing it to achieve a deeper, more personal reward than money or any other external validation can offer.

External motivators can only go so far to drive someone's performance in life and in business. Personal fulfillment doesn't come from a paycheck or the end-goal five years down the road; true motivation comes from waking up day-to-day excited to use our unique strengths and capabilities.

In this episode of the Best-Self Management Podcast, co-founders David Hassell and Shane Metcalf examine what lies behind intrinsic motivation in the workplace and why it's a far more powerful way to encourage performance.

• Why external motivators fall short of intrinsic ones
• The formula for keeping your team intrinsically motivated
• What happens when we don't take time to build relationships
• Crafting a purpose that goes beyond profitability
• Honing potential and mastery to tune into your zone of genius

So, how do you connect your company's vision to the work that your people do? Share with us in the comments!

"Most people don't reach their full potential because they don't know what their full potential is." [5:34]

"Paired up against each other, a team that's intrinsically motivated is going to out-perform a team that is externally motivated every day of the week." [6:19]

"Everybody's unique genius and perspective are different. The things that I'm incompetent at or don't give me energy can actually be someone else's zone of genius and things they do exceptionally well." [21:00]

"If you're not tuned into whether your employees are having an experience where they can continue to grow, you're at risk of losing people." [29:12]

Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor

Drive by Dan Pink

Simon Sinek TED Talk

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Psychological safety is something that is getting a lot of attention in the business world lately. It's also one of the main themes of our Best-Self Management methodology. That's why we're devoting this episode to telling you what psychological safety means to us and how you can make it an integral part of how you structure your work environment.

Today we explain the various components of psychological safety and how they fit into the workplace. It all hinges on making sure your people feel both respected and accepted. Removing the fear of making mistakes is such an important part of this and we talk about how supporting risk-taking is part of our company's ethos.

There are several practical ways to build psychological safety inside your organization. We share what has worked for us at 15Five and how you can do it too. It involves building a supportive culture at work, having open and honest communication between managers and employees, and having high degrees of vulnerable trust at the leadership level.

What does psychological safety look like at your company? Leave a comment below!

• The origins of the term psychological safety and its role in the workplace
• The elements that need to be in place before someone can feel psychologically safe
• The negative consequences that arise when your people do not feel supported and heard
• Practical ways to foster a culture of psychological safety inside your company
• The role of that a manager has in creating a high level of psychological safety with their team

"Somebody can't tell you that you're psychologically safe. That is an actual subjective experience that we as individuals need to be having before we're actually having physiological safety." [3:00]

"Mistakes can happen and sometimes it's just a lack of information or context. Those are opportunities to improve the business."[12:32]

"We all come to the table with an entire human story and lifetime of experience. When we get to share that story and experience and be seen, recognized, celebrated, and honored for that, that's when the critter-brain relaxes enough that we can actually drop into a much deeper place of safety." [19:32]

"The path to becoming our best self is one where we are embracing our fullness - everything in our lives - and using that as the material for transformation and aspiring to something higher." [25:40]

"You as manager need to lead. The level that your people are going to be open, forthright, and transparent with you is directly correlated to the level you are leading with your own vulnerability and transparency." [36:43]

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The Gottman Institute

Brene Brown Netflix Special

Amy Edmondson Ted Talk on Psych Safety

If you've ever wondered how different your workplace experience would be if your day was full of positive emotional interactions, then you're ready to hear about the philosophy that drives our company ethos.

Tune in today for an overview of our philosophy which we call "Best-Self Management." We're explaining the principles and notions that we believe point the way to a better way of working. leading, and developing our people so that we can thrive as companies, individuals, and ultimately as a society.

We're David Hassell and Shane Metcalf, co-founders of 15Five, a leading continuous performance management software company with a strong focus on creating healthy and thriving workplaces.

On today's episode, you're going to hear us tell you why and how we came up with our philosophy of Best-Self Management and how it can make all the difference in any workplace. We delve into how the workplace has changed in recent years and why we need to change along with it.

We explain how our experience with promoting Best-Self Management in the workplace has been a true win-win for everyone in our company and how it contrasts with the historical norm. Really, our goal here is to show how we bring out the innate greatness in our people so that they can thrive, and in doing so, our company can too.

How can your work environment support your people in becoming their best selves? Reach out and let us know!

• What becomes possible if we focus on supporting our employees in becoming their best selves
• The history of workplace culture and why our thinking about it needs to change
• What it looks like when people show up every day as their best selves
• Helping your people understand what they are truly capable of and harness that power
• Five of the main themes of Best-Self Management; psychological safety, motivation, strengths, positivity, and growth

"Best-Self Management is a mindset. It's a shift in thinking from one where we believe that to be successful in business we have to get as much as we can from our people to a shift towards a belief that says we're going to be successful if we support our people in thriving."[1:35]

"Now we're in an environment where what matters is innovation and creativity and people being passionately engaged in service to the company. It's not the output of an employee. It doesn't come from how fast they can type on a keyboard or how many hours their butt is in the seat. It's what they can create, the knowledge work, the innovation." [4:35]

"How much better, more productive, happier and fulfilled would you be if you were able to go to work and actually have more positive emotional interactions than negative ones on a day-to-day basis?" [12:22]

"Why we work influences how we work. Why we do anything is going to determine how well we do that thing." [25:44]

Via Strengths Survey

Gallup Strengths Finder

Listen to Best-Self Management Here

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David and Shane tease a little bit of what's to come in Season 2 of Best-Self Management which will feature more incredible expert interviews, techniques, and mindset shifts to help transform your company's culture and drive incredible results.

Best-Self Management podcast where we explore the brave new world of bringing your whole self to work. Best-Self Management proposes that if leaders build cultures and institute practices that support people in being and becoming their Best Selves, then high performance and uncommon loyalty is the result.

Co-hosts, David Hassell and Shane Metcalf, regularly discuss the uniquely healthy and productive cofounder relationship they've built at 15Five over the last 7 years. They also interview academics, business leaders, and coaches, who are revolutionizing our understanding of human performance and what it takes to build a thriving culture that celebrates every employee and guides them towards greatness.

Listen to Season 1 of Best-Self Management Here

Find 15Five online

Follow 15Five on Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin