Latitude – Navigating Business Culture

Looking for an executive summary of what a dozen high-performing leaders think, communicate, and do every day to differentiate their organization from competitors and other employers? If so, then you found it! This special 35-minute episode covers Season 2's 13 unique episodes and five major themes that ran throughout it including:

• The power of purpose (why does your organization exist?)
• Tapping into the voice of employees (VOE) for continuous improvement
• Modeling what you want more of
• Serving customers with more than transactional activities
• Setting your organization up for greatness through simple behaviors

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. Does your organization's ultimate purpose differentiate it as a provider? Employer of choice? How do you know?
2. Do employees have the ability to respectfully express ideas, concerns, and perspectives without fear of consequences? How do you know? What are your recent trends?
3. Where is status quo bias limiting individual and organizational performance?
4. What transactional exchanges with customers are building relationships? Breaking relationships?
5. Are organizational culture, values-based behavior, and employee engagement considered and treated more as an expense or investment in your organization? A need to do or nice to do?

Scan this QR code and see a complete listing of all 45 episodes of Latitude: Navigating Business Culture.

How could stopping this time, instead of walking by, change a perspective, level of trust, a relationship, a challenging situation? Could something so simple help reinforce that a person and/or situation really matters?

Join us as we discuss with Josiah Haken and his experiences of leading an organization that serves 50,000 'neighbors without doors' (people experiencing homelessness). Josiah shares many practical solutions that apply to any size organization, whether it is public, private, for-profit, or not-for-profit. Topics covered include:

• The power and influence of words
• Breaking limiting biases
• Collaborating compared to Competing for limited resources
• Two simple questions to move from transactional to relational behaviors

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. How does the language commonly used in your organization reinforce inclusion, trust, teamwork, and self-esteem?
2. Is your organization addicted to any processes that result in negative consequences for your employees?
3. How does your measurement system account for both the transaction getting completed and how it influences a relationship?
4. What relationships are currently more competitive than collaborative and hurting performance?
5. What behaviors are tolerated that hurt performance because we just walk by them?

One of the costliest barriers to organizational performance is unresolved crucial conversations. Research has found nearly 70% of employees are avoiding difficult conversations with their boss, colleagues, or direct reports. Workplace health is suffering - trust eroding – and organizations underperforming.

Join us as we discuss with Joe Buchanan his experiences of taking over a 30+ year old organization that was acquired just before the pandemic hit. Joe shares many practical solutions including:

• Constantly staying relevant to customers' needs/wants
• The power of Dream Days and Coffee & Connect
• Modifying hiring criteria to accelerate creativity
• The mind shift to problem solving
• Ownership of purpose

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. What would employees say differentiates your organization from all the others out there (competition)?
2. Is it safe to 'test boundaries' in your organization or are rules, policies, and expectations iron clad?
3. How well do your leaders define reality? How well is it understood? How do you know?
4. What specifically is done in your organization to show and tell employees they matter?
5. Who is your Listener Engagement Director for customers? How about for employees?

According to Fortune magazine, "business leaders believe the importance of a company's culture has increased in the current business climate". In order to maximize the human potential (skills, knowledge, abilities) within any organization, both culture and leadership style must be proactively managed.

Join us as we discuss with Tessa Dent her global experiences and how an organization's culture (the accepted or perceived way we do things here and why) and leadership impacts:

• Strategy execution
• Sustainability
• Managing change
• Employee commitment, effort, loyalty (engagement)

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. How effective is your organization in routinely gathering (formally and informally) the voice of the employee (VOE) – asking, using, and recognizing its' value?
2. Is change management in your organization treated more as a methodology or mindset that influences behavior?
3. What biases may be creating 'waste' in your organization? How can you proactively address this?
4. Do you effectively know and measure the key tangible elements of your organization's culture?
5. Does your organization have the right balance of task-oriented and transformational leaders?

We choose what we pay attention to. Choose wisely because in an organization what leaders pay attention to and measure will fix firmly and deeply the way employees think, feel and act. It will drive organizational culture and ultimately performance.

Join us as we discuss with Florian Kluge his vast experiences as a Financial Officer for two German companies operating in the U.S. Topics discussed include:

• The power of purpose
• Underestimating the importance of identifying key criteria to achieve results
• Making effective decisions
• Leading when things are going well – not getting complacent
• Balancing business needs with customer and employee needs

Whiteboard Questions:

Reflection Questions:

1. Does your organization have a succinct purpose statement – the fundamental reason you exist?
2. How well do your employees understand the critical criteria to achieve key success metrics?
3. How much is lost productivity and human capability costing your organization?
4. Balancing requires holding on to or letting go. Are there cultural elements (things reinforced and/or tolerated) that are hurting performance?

An entrepreneur sees what some would call 'impossible' as 'possible.' They make a choice to go and get it! No obstacle is too big.

Join us as we discuss with Abby Reel her amazing start-up and success with a dinner theatre and events center. Topics discussed include:

• Creating a new business model compared to adopting former owners
• Considering it a privilege to serve customers, not a burden
• Establishing hiring criteria that protect your culture
• Modeling, coaching, and teaching what you expect from others

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you believe employees can work hard and have fun – that these are not mutually exclusive? Why or why not?
2. What are all the ways you ask employees to be flexible for the business? Provide flexibility for employees to have meaningful lives outside of work.
3. How well does your organization celebrate its clients/customers and employees?
4. What simple, high-touch activities tell customers they are special and important?

Poor customer service (CS) costs over $3.7 trillion dollars annually across the globe – up 20% from the year before. Rod and Brian discuss a variety of topics, using research and real-life examples, including:

• How critical it is to treat CS from the inside/out – practicing internally with each other the behaviors expected externally with customers/clients.
• Importance of 'convenience' to the customer and determining specifics through ongoing gathering of the voice of the customer (VOC)
• Truly empowering CS reps to make decisions while minimizing 'asking for permission'
• Avoiding the trap of automating broken, ineffective processes

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. How does your organization communicate, teach, and reinforce the importance and impact every employee has on the total customer experience?
2. Regarding CS, what metrics matter the most from your customer's perspective? How do you know?
3. How does your organization capture and learn both CS best practices and lessons learned?
4. What decisions can your employees make without ever asking for permission?

Discover how the global pandemic accelerated digital adoption and reduced some resistance to change in a major healthcare organization. Jennifer Junis, Senior VP of OSF OnCall, will share many valuable lessons learned including the importance of:

• Clarity, through the use of Guiding Principles, to drive consistent, aligned decision-making.
• Evidence-based Management instead of fads or opinions.
• Realistic expectations when developing a high-performance culture.

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. What do employees in your organization use (documents/tools/techniques) to help drive consistent, aligned decisions with your mission?
2. What innovative ideas might your organization be missing by only benchmarking within your own industry?
3. Where does your organization need to 'stay the course' and be realistic on its' milestones of success?

This episode features a conversation with the founder and owner of Russell Cycling and Fitness – a 45+-year-old small business that has been named several times as a Top 100 Best Bicycle Retailer in the United States. Joe Russell will share many valuable lessons learned, including the importance of:

• Recruiting for cultural fit.
• Teaching inspiration and pride.
• Doing common things uncommonly well in customer service.

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. How many of your employees truly 'hate' their jobs? It's just a paycheck. What can you proactively do to help inspire them?
2. What common things in customer service does your organization do uncommonly well?
3. How much pride is at the center of your business today? What could be done to improve this even more?

This episode features a conversation with a President of Client Services responsible for six geographic regions, 260+ clients, and 7000 employees. Among the many 'nuggets' you will hear how they:

• Recalibrate constantly to meet changing clients' needs
• Work to create a 'safe' culture so tough questions can be asked and answered
• Make sure the right voice/perspective/people at the table to make the best decision

Whiteboard Notes:

Reflection Questions:

1. How well does your leadership team create strong Vision, Execution, and Legacy for its employees?
2. Do your organization's incentives enhance collaboration across all functions and locations?
3. Does your organization use data and analytics 'more often' to ask better questions or answer all the questions?