Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They Do

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StrategyDriven Corporate Culture Article | Corporate Culture | Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They DoAre the people in your organization telling you the truth? As a manager, if you ask someone working for you, “What should we be doing better?” or “Where can we improve?” how honest do you think he or she will be?

Will your staff give you a laundry list of opportunities for improvement, an overview of key issues that hold your company back, or nothing of substance? Do your employees feel emotionally safe enough to have these authentic conversations? And if not, why?

These questions are at the heart of building a brilliant culture, an organizational culture that is driven by authenticity, adaptability, and a willingness to listen. In several decades of organizational business consulting, I’ve found that culture often distinguishes truly successful and healthy organizations from their dysfunctional counterparts. And one of the biggest indicators of a brilliant culture is a willingness—of everyone in the organization—to both tell the truth and listen. Truth-telling is essential to building a brilliant culture, but it doesn’t happen without leaders and managers who are willing to listen to what they hear and meet people where they are.

As a manager, the impetus falls on you to set that tone. Ask yourself: When I do annual reviews, sit down to discuss key issues, or collaborate on problem-solving, do people speak honestly with me, without fear of repercussion? If they don’t, what’s keeping them from doing so?

How to Foster a Safe Environment

One of the best ways to foster an environment in which it’s emotionally safe to tell the truth is to listen to what you hear instead of only acknowledging what you wanted or hoped to hear. Consciously work on enhancing your ability to meet people where they are and focus on developing your follow-up questions. Try staying in the present more often. Rather than thinking about the next item on your agenda during a discussion, offer your full and undivided attention. You may learn that you’ve been missing essential information in previous conversations.

The truth sets organizational cultures free. Only when we understand what’s actually happening in a company culture can we choose to realign behaviors, beliefs, and strategies. Careful listening, validating other perspectives, and follow-through build trust, signal respect, and show people they are valued—all bedrocks of emotional safety. Learn to listen to what you hear and you just may be surprised at the truths that find their way into the light.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Corporate Culture Article | Corporate Culture | Do Your Employees Tell You the Truth? How to Foster an Environment Where They DoClaudette Rowley is the CEO of Cultural Brilliance, a cultural design and change management consultancy. Over the past twenty years, she has consulted, trained, and coached executive leaders and teams at Fortune 1000 companies, small businesses, academic institutions, and start-ups, helping them create proactive and innovative workplace cultures that deliver outstanding results. She lays out a road map for organizational success in her new book, Cultural Brilliance: The DNA of Organizational Excellence. Learn more at culturalbrilliance.com.

Top Trends for Entrepreneurs in 2019

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneur Article | 2019 Top Trends | Top Trends for Entrepreneurs in 2019Entrepreneurs need to understand the changing markets that they are involved in. No matter their sector, failure to understand what modern consumers are looking for and the best ways to meet those needs, is one of the main reason for business failure. That’s why understanding emerging trends has always been a fundamental priority for those either running their own business or preparing to launch. There are some strong trends that look set to dictate the business landscape in 2019, and smart entrepreneurs should be looking at the coming year and finding the best ways to integrate these trends into their business models. For those that prefer to stick with outdated methods, the future will be much more difficult to thrive in.

Consumer Relationships

Consumer interaction is more important in the business landscape than ever before. Through social media, email newsletters, and in-house blogs, consumer engagement is the key to improved customer loyalty and higher conversion rates. It’s vital that business-to-customer interactions are natural and honest. As the most effective way to build on the strength of a brand, consumer engagement is the number one focus for businesses of every size and sector. Look at how big names have prioritized interaction, and become much stronger and more trustworthy brand names as a result.

Efficiency Trends

Every entrepreneur should have a strong focus on efficiency. Failure to remain efficient results in the unproductive use of resources and time. The good news is that it has never been easier to become more efficient, and this can be achieved through a variety of methods. However, one of the most consistently successful is through the use of a Kaizen Burst. Statistical analysis of your business processes is not new, but it has become increasingly popular since big name brands started adopting its use. There are potential benefits for businesses of all sizes, and entrepreneurs would be wise to start looking at their own Kaizen Burst Event before their competitors do.

Technology Trends

There’s no disputing that although the human touch is important, technology has become the primary driver of all business management. There are a variety of tech solutions available for all business, and whether you’re looking at the transition to cloud technology, better software, or even artificial intelligence, tech remains one of the most important elements for budding entrepreneurs to be aware of. As the rise of the Internet of Things continues, businesses are benefitting from greater collaboration through more connectivity. 2019 looks set to be the year that the IoT really takes off, making it one of the most essential elements to explore for those entrepreneurs hoping to capitalize on the benefits.

The consumer landscape is one that needs to be watched on a regular basis. If your business is not keeping up to date with what consumers are looking for, then you will lose out to those companies that have a consumer-centric focus. Running a business is rarely simple, but with modern technology and trending business methods, it’s never been easier to create a business model that not only works but has a long-term future.

Using Big Data in the Classroom

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StrategyDriven Organisational Performance Article | Big Data | Using Big Data in the ClassroomBusinesses the world over are leaping into the use of big data. The analysis of the vast amounts of consumer data is helping business to create more effective marketing strategies and streamline their business process. However, it’s not just businesses that are using this valuable tool. Big data is starting to make its presence felt in the classroom, and the results are proving to be worth it. As the next big step in the transformation of the modern classroom, technology is at the forefront, and big data could be the key to improving the education levels of a whole new generation. Here’s how.

Better Results

The real-time analysis of the performance of each individual student is now possible through data tracking. This enables teachers and educational centers to have a more accurate view of how well a student is performing. Traditionally, student performance has been judged according to the results of an exam or test, but this is not always effective. By highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each student, it is now possible to create more effective and beneficial learning schedules, and even allow for better group work when complementary skill sets are combined. This can help improve a child’s learning skills, and create a more effective learning curve for every student in the classroom.

Reduce Drop Outs

There are an estimated 1.2 million high school dropouts in America every year. This is a huge issue for educators, and can have dramatic long-term effects on the future of every one of those children. Data analysis could be the key to tackling this issue. Modern software is able to use predictive analysis of data in order to create education programs that suit each student, and with college retention software it is possible to identify those students most at risk of dropping out. Many of the reasons for high school or college drop out can be tackled if they are identified early, which is why tech-savvy educational facilities are integrating these software models into their classroom management.

Education Customization

Blended learning, where students use a combination of online and offline resources, allows students to have much greater control over what they learn. For those with clear advantages in some areas, this allows them to tailor their lessons to their skill set. This is now possible even in large classes, with teachers able to oversee what students are doing in real time. By allowing students to work at their own pace and in areas that interest them, teachers are better able to tailor their offline lessons to those students that need extra help. This can not only help with student engagement, but it also means that those students who excel are not being held back by their peers. For those students that are slower to learn, customized lesson plans can help to keep them on a level playing field.

Data is being used by corporations and businesses in a wide variety of ways. As the full impact and potential of big data continues to expand, the classroom could end up being the most important user of data analysis, and the education of the next generation looks set to benefit from those changes.

How to Think Like a Futurist

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Futurist | How to Think Like a FuturistBeing a futurist means paying attention to new patterns or trends that are slowly percolating up through the market and/or society that have the potential to catch on in a major way. It’s about coming up with possible scenarios for the future given these developments.

For me, the ideal timeframe for futurist thinking is 5-10 years, because although no one can successfully predict the future, in this window you are more likely to be able to clearly see where things are going according to current operating models. Now, in 2019, I think anything beyond 10-15 years is reasonably futile because we bump up against the technological singularity (the time when machine intelligence becomes so sophisticated that it causes currently unfathomable changes to human existence).

The simplest way to imagine and prepare for the future is to devise intelligent strategies that will serve your company well. You can do this by reading a ton and consulting experts in your field about what they’re seeing. Futurists use tools that systematize these recommendations including scenario planning, environmental scanning, Delphi surveying, and individual software programs like Fibres, Futures Platform, and Athena.

Through your research, you will probably determine that financial markets and corporate structures are likely to change dramatically in the next few years. Blockchain will democratize, streamline, and improve the efficiency of ownership. Other potential developments in the financial sector include the increased use of algorithms to boost trading effectiveness, and the inclusion of machines and machine learning in individual and corporate financial planning.

Generally speaking, corporate structures will become flatter and more specialized, with fewer full-time employees and a network of virtual and contract workers who move in and out of the organization fluidly (including Boomers who work fewer hours but still contribute, unlike prior generations that were forced to fully retire at a certain age). The widespread use of flextime and remote work means that your success and productivity in a job will be judged by your results – not where or when you accomplished them.

In a general sense, employers will probably not “take care” of people the way they do today. Most employees will work in a contract capacity, meaning that they have to continually sell themselves and their value to organizations. One area of specialty won’t last very long and individuals will be responsible for continuously reskilling and upskilling to ensure they’re providing what the market needs. At the same time, geographic skills mismatches and demographic shifts mean that employers may not have the local talent they require and will have to become more flexible about building virtual teams so they can employ the best people for the job.

Organizations will also need to rethink their relationships with customers. The days of producing a product and expecting the customer to “just go with it” are over. Now, product development should be extensively informed by customer feedback, including analysis of that feedback via data analytics. Through iterative processes such as design thinking, companies can devise ideas, prototype and test them, and then adjust the offering based on changing conditions and received customer input. Organizations should also prepare for customer demand for increased customization, and believe it or not, a desire for the human element and traditional craftsmanship in products.

My final piece of advice in thinking like a futurist is to be proactive. Instead of insisting on a laser focus on your immediate business priorities tomorrow, keep your head up, your eyes open, and your mind curious. Take responsibility for identifying disruptions in your industry and training your workforce to cope with them. Remember that the future doesn’t just happen – we shape it every day.

About the Author

Alexandra Levit is the author of the new book Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future (Kogan Page). A business and workforce futurist and partner at People Results, she helps Fortune 500 and government organizations and their leaders prepare for the future of work through proprietary research, consulting, and program development.

Business Politics Practices – Delay Tactics

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StrategyDriven Business Politics Practices Article | Business Politics Practices - Delay TacticsDelays are a powerful tool that can be exercised by almost anyone. Such tactics serve to put off undesired (by the person initiating and/or perpetuating the delay) action and, ultimately, prevent action through exhaustion of the resources (time, labor, money, interest/patience) needed to sustain forward progress.

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