Last fall, I wrote a blog post about the importance of an organization’s culture If the culture is one of enthusiastic engagement among team members who strive to be their very best, personally and as a team, then the organization can sustain long-term success.

The post is still circulating, and recently, Charlie Tierney, an insightful consultant with Deloitte, sent me an email with his feedback. Tierney observed that the article, while accurate, would be more valuable if I were to add suggestions and advice for CEOs and other senior executives about how they could develop and maintain a desired organizational culture.  In other words, make it more of a “how to” article.

A tale of two cultures

I have worked for four organizations. Two had outstanding cultures, in which we worked hard, had a great time, and shared and bounced ideas off one another. The senior management team was well liked and respected because they rolled up their sleeves, worked with others, were not egotistical, and readily shared credit for successes and accepted responsibility when things did not go as planned. We were dedicated to learning and growing in our work of effectively serving clients. In short, we loved what we did, we had pride in and loyalty for one another, and we were genuinely regarded as best in our field.

At Johnson & Higgins, Dick Purnell, a personal of great integrity, had a graphic framed on his office wall “There is no limit on how far you may advance if you do not seek personal credit.”  It set a tone throughout our company, great teamwork, helpful and timely feedback, bottom-up ideas, loyalty to one another, and to J&H.

At the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation we were a powerful team as we shared and discussed challenges, issues, and successes. Everyone felt empowered—and a true passion and sense of ownership. We were all treated the same.

The other two organizations I worked for were not like that at all. The cultures were heavily bureaucratic, and the top people seemed to have a sense of self-importance, and they were neither encouraging of nor open to bottom-up ideas.

What a difference in the organizations that had outstanding cultures! The quality of the work we did and what we accomplished was consistently excellent. The organizations with egotistical leadership were almost paralyzed by comparison. We experienced lots of turnover, which of course was rationalized with ideas like, “She really wasn’t that good.” Really, then why did she work here for seven years?!

Impact of organization spirit

I fully realize that in today’s business world, in which most publicly owned companies are driven to hit 90-day earning estimates, it is a difficult challenge to create outstanding cultures. The pressure on financial results is so strong that companies must keep their expenses down, which often means they do not invest in their people’s development and growth, and the companies continually must do more with fewer people. As a result, people are working very, very hard.  That coupled with the continuous flow of emails coming at us, means most executives are simply too busy to focus on culture. 

Add to that the seemingly endless meetings in bureaucratic organizations. It is estimated that corporate executives spend nearly half of their time in meetings. Don’t get me wrong, I know the value of meetings, sharing information and inclusive decision making, but half of one’s time?

It just isn’t right that everyone is so busy. And it shows. Businesses are generally not doing great and the economy is still not in great shape.

Of course, it seems every company brags, “Our greatest asset is our people.” And they all seem to mean it. That is easy to say, but how many companies really back that up by investing in their people, treating them as valued team members, taking time to help them feel appreciated, and providing the resources to feel supported?

The answer is not very many. Recent stats show that up to 70 percent of the people working today would consider leaving for a new job, 32 percent are actively looking, 43 percent feel a lack of recognition, and 31 percent do not like their boss.

We know that a key to the success of a business is its culture. I prefer to call it “organizational spirit” because the most effective cultures are energetic, aligned, and loyal. 

Culture begins with the spirit and enthusiasm of our people in our organization. We must strive to develop cultures in which our people are:

• happy

• highly motivated

• energetic

• positive

• respectful of top management

• proud of their work and company

• helpful to one another.

Research confirms that happy team members do better work.

How to achieve excellent organizational spirit?

It is the attitude and actions of our senior executives that set the tone. They are the signal senders. Their attitude is contagious. 

Senior executives must realize that we must earn the trust and respect of team members—every day! That is an important responsibility. No one has a greater influence on an organization's culture than the CEO and other senior executives.

Conduct self-assessments. If leaders are serious about developing a truly outstanding organizational spirit, the best single way to begin is with 360 leadership assessments. These must be done properly and with follow-up. I've seen 360s that have been transformative and others that have been a waste of time because they were poorly done, lacked commitment to improve, and there was no follow-up coaching to change long-term habits and possible blind spots.

Delegate tasks—and trust. Let’s prioritize the people who are doing the work of the company. Delegate, then get out of the office and walk the halls. Becoming a highly effective leader requires that we connect with our team members, t and trust us and feel that we genuinely care about them, encourage their ideas and feedback, and help them learn, grow and succeed.

Use soft skills. Be nice and respectful to team members. I suggest every leader read Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and take the assessment to learn which skills they might want to improve, and how they can. Indeed, respect and trust do not come with an executive’s title or office. Leadership is influence. It’s how leaders carry themselves. It’s in attitude, actions, and character—all of which determine that influence.

Leave the office. But the most immediate and effective way to energize culture is to step out of our office. Change our perspective for 10 or 15 minutes: take the time to develop relationships. Senior executives need to get out of their offices, away from the C-suites, and visit with team members, asking for their ideas, and what help and resources they need. Leaders must be side-by-side with the team members doing the work of the organization. This takes humility. We, as senior executives, must have humility. It is said that “humility is the foundation of growth.”

Be open to bottom-up ideas. tIt is vitally important to realize that top-down directives are not nearly as effective as bottom-up ideas. If we want our team members to have passion for their work and a sense of ownership and pride, they have to feel appreciated and heard. They have to know that their ideas matter. Internal relationships and our culture are absolutely as important as any other responsibility. It takes time to create this atmosphere within an organization.

Have sincere conversations. Leaders must create time for conversations with team members. That’s how leaders build outstanding and winning cultures. Trust and organizational spirit is all bout having sincere conversations, demonstrating that we genuinely care about others, encouraging ideas, and helping teams succeed. 

The best conversations start with our attitude, the way we carry ourselves, comfortable eye contact, a smile, calling people by their names, and putting them at ease. Communicate often and openly. More important, patiently listening to understand and learn—this is how we build organizational spirit and achieve the highest level of success. We can start right now and know confidently that the effects of individual conversations will cascade positively over time.

Be role models. Start by doing what we say we will, and dealing with problems on a timely basis. This is how we empower our team members, by asking how they are doing and what they need help with, by clearly explaining our goals and expectations, and then letting them do their jobs with our encouragement and support as needed.

Moving forward

When we engage with our team members in these ways, we show we are not self-absorbed or solely focused on numbers. Our conversations convey that we genuinely care about the success of others that we are all about the team.

Organizational culture matters greatly—it is the spirit and morale of our team members—and it begins at the top.