Gallup research shows that just a 10% improvement in employees' connection with the mission or purpose of their organization leads to more than an 8% decrease in turnover and more than a 4% increase in profitability.

Please join us for episode 27 of Latitude: Navigating Business Culture. Our special guest from India is Shridhar Venkat, CEO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF). Guided by a vision and driven by values, TAPF is the world's largest NGO-run school meal program. Their vision is that no child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger. Their mission is to feed 3 million schoolchildren DAILY in India by 2025.

Some key milestones since their inception in 2000 include:

• Operating over 70 industrial kitchens; servicing 24,000+ schools; and serving over 2.2 million fresh cooked meals on all school days with the help of 9000+ 'Hunger Warriors' (employees)
• Served over 4 billion meals since start-up
• Been selected as a Great Place To Work In India for 8 consecutive years
• Featured by Harvard Business School, IIM, MIT Technology Review, Forbes, CNN, BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery Channel

Find out how simplicity, clarity, and boldness have created this exceptional organization and record-breaking performance.

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. Do the terms and descriptors used to describe different roles in your organization positively reinforce your desired culture? Example: Hunger Warriors at TAPF.
2. What policies and procedures in your organization send a strong signal that leadership respects and trusts its employees? Example: "No questions asked day off" at TAPF
3. What stories would employees share about your organization that describe the 'heart' of what your organization stands for? Example: a paper chef's hat at TAPF.