Hot Topic Friday: July 3

Happy Friday! Here are my July 3 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

New Announcement!: Building Extraordinary and Adaptive Cultures Course Available Now!

Hot Topic 1: The Growing Importance of a Highly Inclusive Culture.

What It’s About: Employee reaction to how serious and effective their organization is in addressing racism, diversity and inclusion is an important element in determining the state of the company's culture. This Forbes article notes: “A well-defined, inclusive and positive corporate culture is the glue that binds an organization and its employees. And it needs extra attention right now for many companies. This may be especially true if your organization and its leaders:

Have failed to focus enough, or consistently, on strengthening and promoting an inclusive corporate culture.

View corporate culture as something employees must adapt to, not help shape.

Are not listening to employee concerns, opinions and expectations.

Think a strong culture is built largely on compelling perks and in-office amenities — like game rooms, catered lunches and yoga classes.”

So What?: The author emphasizes doing the following:

“1. Identify And Reaffirm What Makes Your Organization A Great Place To Work.

2. Document The Vision, Share It And Invite Input.

3. Create Opportunities To Promote Personal Connection.

4. Reevaluate Your Diversity And Inclusion Efforts.

5. Don’t ‘Set It And Forget It.’”

These are helpful recommendations, and yet a long way from what is fully needed to drive a meaningful refresh of a company culture.

Now What?: Investing in advancing a culture is a serious undertaking, and must be essentially led by the CEO and the top team. However, the entire organization needs to be involved in shaping AND it must be INCLUSIVE. Ideally, everyone feels like they BELONG. While the culture is a place where everyone feels like they can contribute to common values and purpose, it makes room for the uniqueness of all. This flexible fabric is challenging to co-create. Look for seasoned expertise and guidance to help guide your culture initiative. Make sure it’s based on having done it, versus simply describing it on PowerPoint.

Note: If you are interested in learning more about how to approach a cultural refresh or transformation, consider taking our online course, Building Extraordinary and Adaptive Cultures.

One Millennial Response: There’s nothing to it but to do it, and I hope so many people in today’s workforce will now see huge culture improvements in their organizations. Younger leaders will start gaining that experience, too, and when they lead for themselves one day it’ll be an ingrained priority. Learning from the expertise in Building Extraordinary and Adaptive Cultures is a way for anyone, in any role, to get a heck of a head start.

Hot Topic 2: Tone Deaf Executive: You're Gone!

Source: New York Times.

What It’s About?: This is a very important article. It signifies a gear shift in the ability to really listen to what’s going in every part of the organization. According to the piece, “For weeks, a group of Adidas employees have held protests outside of the company’s North American headquarters in Portland, Ore. They say the company’s top executives have fostered a culture that permitted racism and discrimination, and failed to invest in Black employees or respect Black culture while exploiting those two groups to sell shoes and apparel. The end result was the resignation of the head of World Wide Adidas HR leader: ‘While I would very much like to lead this critical transformation effort, after much reflection and listening to the feedback I’ve received, I have come to accept that I am not the right person to lead that change,’ she wrote. ‘While I have always stood 100 percent against racism and discrimination and worked to create a more equitable environment, I recognize that the focus on me has become a hindrance inhibiting the company from moving forward.’”

So What?: Generally, regardless of where I look or go, people are currently exhausted and stressed out. Racism, inclusion, the pandemic, stuck working from home or at the risky front line, worried about job security and frankly, just being able to put food on the table, is a nasty combination. It is a huge weight to drag around with little clarity on when “it gets better.” With frayed nerves, PEOPLE HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR CORPORATE B.S.! And they do not even have the patience for well-intended B.S.

Now What?:

Acute listening has to be amplified. Give people the space to tell their stories and share their feelings. LISTEN.
Be honest and transparent, regardless of how difficult. Do not tell people well-intended lies to lessen the pain.
Reinvest in your inclusion commitments. Make it a strategic priority and show real results.
Make sure you activate psychological safety while helping people understand this does not mean job security. No one has job security.

One Millennial Response: Y’know, I’m torn about this one and this executive’s decision to resign. I wonder if in addition to apologizing, if she publicly stated how the company would be taking specific steps like the ones listed above, she could have put her 20+ years of dedication with the shoe giant to good use? It’s true, people see right through B.S., but perhaps any sort of apology would never have been good enough, anyways. Her apology might have been viewed as B.S., but I wonder if her losing her position is sort of B.S. too. She was also the only woman on their executive board since 2017. How is her stepping down going to truly help Adidas make important improvements? I wonder if it really will.

My Weekly Wine Recommendation.

Conundrum Red Blend N.V.

Screen Shot 2020-07-02 at 2.36.03 PM.png

[Ed Note: Find it at your local wine shops.]

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

Screen-Shot-2019-03-21-at-3.11.14-PM-4-300x177.png

“Our education might stop, if we so choose. Our brains’ never does. The brain will keep reacting to how we decide to use it. The difference is not whether or not we learn, but what and how we learn.” - Maria Konnikova.

Bye for now!

— Lorne Rubis

Incase you Missed It:

My latest Lead In podcast.

My latest blog.

Season 3 of Culture Cast.

Also don’t forget to subscribe to our site, and follow Lorne Rubis on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for the latest from our podcasts, blogs, and all things offered on LorneRubis.com.

Happy Friday! Here are my July 3 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: The Growing Importance of a Highly Inclusive Culture.

Hot Topic 2: Tone Deaf Executive: You're Gone!

Source: New York Times.

Search Blog Posts:

Follow Us: