Define Your Work Culture with Respect, Accountability & Cooperation

Define Your Work Culture with Respect, Accountability & Cooperation

S. Chris Edmonds is a sought-after speaker, author, and executive consultant. He’s the founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, which he launched in 1990. Chris helps senior leaders build and sustain purposeful, positive, productive work cultures. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Amazon bestsellers Good Comes First (2021) with Mark Babbitt, The Culture Engine (2014), and Leading at a Higher Level (2008) with Ken Blanchard.

When a crisis hits the economy – like a pandemic or inflation, etc. — it takes an indefinite amount of time for recovery to gain traction.

The biggest issue facing business leaders during a transition is that for many, the work culture in place pre-crisis wasn’t very healthy. Simply “turning on the lights” again will not help your organization thrive after such a crisis.

Leaders need to pause and examine the quality of their work culture—before committing to “back to normal.”

Many leaders have not been asked with examining their work culture in the past. These three critically important work culture characteristics can help leaders understand how their current work culture operates.

Respect—to what degree do leaders and team members treat each other with respect in every interaction? How frequently do leaders and players:

thank others?
validate others’ efforts or ideas?
recognize others’ accomplishments?

Accountability–to what degree are leaders and team members held accountable for both results and respect?

What consequences exist if players deliver expected results—are they recognized for it?
What if they model your values and behaviors daily—are they validated for it?
Are missed deadlines and disrespectful interactions proactively and promptly addressed–or not?

Two men inside an office, shaking their hands

Many leaders have not been asked with examining their work culture in the past.

CHRIS EDMONDS

Cooperation—to what degree do leaders and team members proactively support each other? Do they willingly ask how they can help their peers, then engage to get a job out the door or solve problems? Willingness is a great thing—but it means nothing if players don’t demonstrate cooperation daily.

Monitoring these characteristics—and honestly reflecting how frequently these practices and behaviors are demonstrated in your workplace—is an important way for leaders to learn whether their work culture is:

purposeful
positive
productive
negative
or somewhere in between.

If you find the health of your work culture lacking, it’s time to engage your senior leaders in culture refinement—by defining, aligning, and refining your desired work culture. Learn more at GoodComesFirst.com.