Do you have all the elements for a strong company culture?

Company culture can be defined as a set of shared values, goals, attitudes and practices that characterise a company. Company culture impacts all facets of the business, from recruitment to retention to performance. Organisations with strong corporate cultures have been linked to higher retention rates and increased engagement.

Company culture is a naturally occurring phenomenon; your company will develop a culture whether intentional or not. Culture is influenced by a company’s mission statement, core values, beliefs and attitudes, appetite and success of innovation, work environment, employee benefits, charitable and social events and flexibility/business working hours.

Post Covid-19 culture is going to play an extremely important role in retaining and attracting top talent. Has your organisation considered what changes need to be made to create/maintain a strong company culture post covid-19?

What does International Women’s Day mean to me?

IWD 2021 — #ChooseToChallenge

“Article by Jo Hands, Whiteark Co-Founder & Director”

A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge.

Why I'm personally passionate about supporting women…

As a female Executive/Co-founder I'm super passionate about supporting other women in their leadership journey.  From my experiences, mistakes and successes I love to provide career and life advice / lessons to other women and support them on their journey.

It’s great to have the opportunity to give back, and here are some of the ways I choose to use my time – and influence – to lift other women up.

• Being part the SheEO activator community

• An active Business Chicks business club member

• Promoting women on our podcast The Chiefs, giving them the mic to share their own experiences, wisdom and learnings.

• Partnering our business Whiteark with Femeconomy

• Working with some amazing female leaders in senior roles across industry

• Mentoring and leading a bench and teams of >50% women with flexible working arrangements

• *In Progress* We are planning initiatives with a focus on junior business chicks to get practical experience in business at a younger age. Stay tuned…

A time for reflection…

Take a moment to ask yourself:

• Who has supported you in your leadership journey? Take the time to thank them.

• How are you giving back?

• How can you lean in to #ChooseToChallenge in FY21 - what commitment are you going to make?

• Thank women in your network that support, challenge, encourage and inspire you to challenge every day

“The most important thing one woman can do for another is expand her sense of actual possibilities.”

— Adrienne Rich

Find out more here or reach out to the team on whiteark@whiteark.com.au for a chat.

Being true to your values

When growing up, we learn to understand the impact core values have on driving our behaviour and activity, as well as attracting those you work well with because you share similar values. Your values are critical, they are at the heart of everything that you do.

I attended a Brene Brown course called “Dare to Lead” in 2020 - it was a chance to consider what kind of leader you want to be and understand your values.

My core personal values are:

Connection - I value having strong connections with people and I'm a connector. It drives me and my thinking. I genuinely love people 

Achievement - I love to do a great job, I put 100%+ into everything I do 

Passionate - I'm passionate about helping people / companies to deliver the best outcome. I have energy and drive to help people find their passion

Company values 

Most companies have a set of values but unfortunately most don't live by them – it’s frustrating and impacts the culture of companies. 

Company values and alignment with executives / co-founders and employees is important. Data, research suggests that companies where leaders align culturally and on values are 63% more successful than companies that don't. 

Having a clearly defined set of values helps your stakeholders to understand what you stand for. Your values provide guidance to your employees in delivering their work and creates a sense of unity and belonging. Your set of values encourage your employees to make decisions that help them achieve the company’s vision and mission.

Whiteark 

Once upon a time, in a land (not so) far away, two values aligned human beings came together to collaborate. The result? Whiteark was born. Whiteark is committed to bridging the gaps within organisations and making a lasting difference.

At Whiteark, we have spent the last 6 months refining and aligning on our Vision, Mission and Values before we launch with you all! 

Our values are important to us and are at the core of everything we do, who we partner with, who collaborate with, and who employ to be a part of our team.  

Here are our values that we live and breathe 😊

Leadership

Shaping the future.

Passion

Energising, engaging and inspiring.

Excellence

Achieving ambitious goals.

Value

Data drive outcomes.

Fun

Doing things differently.

Our values underpin our Vision and Mission and why we wake up every day, excited and ready to help our clients and our networks. 

Watch the video that James and I put together for our value launch to understand what these mean to us.

If our values resonate with you and you'd like to have a conversation about working for us, working alongside us or if we can help you, please reach out. 

The Importance of Connection

Connection is defined as a relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else. Connection is important. Did it have to take a global pandemic, border closures and state lockdowns for us to realise just how important connection really is?

If you’re feeling lonely, know that you’re not the only one. You don’t have to live in isolation. We live in a world with over seven billion people, and we all need connection.

The importance of human connection

What do you do from day to day to care for yourself? Most would say that to be healthy, you need nutritious food and exercise.

But what about your social connections?

Research shows us that loneliness is on the rise, and that a lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure.

In today’s age, we live busy lives, trying to strike a balance between work, school, hobbies, self-care  and more. Often, our social connections fall by the wayside. But connecting with others is more important than you might think. Social connection can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher self-esteem and empathy, and actually improve our immune systems. By neglecting our need to connect, we put our health at risk.

The reality is that we’re living in a time of true disconnection. While technology seems to connect us more than ever, the screens around us disconnect us from nature, from ourselves, and from others. Wi-Fi alone isn’t enough to fulfill our social needs – we need face-to-face interaction to thrive. Technology should be enhancing our connection to others, not replacing it.

Our inherent need for human connection doesn’t mean that every introvert must become a social butterfly.

Having human connection can look different for each person. If you’re not sure where to start in finding meaningful connection, that’s okay.

Here are some ideas to help you out:

•        Join a new club, or try out a group activity

•        Reach out to an old friend you’ve lost touch with

•        Volunteer for a cause you care about

•        Eat lunch in a communal space

•        Introduce yourself to your neighbours

•        Ask someone for help when you need it

•        Do a random act of kindness

Human beings are inherently social creatures. As far back as we can trace, humans have travelled, hunted, and thrived in social groups and for good reason. Humans who were separated from their tribe often suffered severe consequences.

Social groups provide us with an important part of our identity, and more than that, they teach us a set of skills that help us to live our lives. Feeling socially connected, especially in an increasingly isolated world, is more important than ever. The benefits of social connectedness shouldn’t be overlooked.

Social connections have four science / research backed benefits;

1.     Improve your quality of life:

If you’ve ever moved away from your social “home base” then you have a good idea of just how much social connections shape your everyday life and well-being. One study showed that social connection is a greater determinant to health than obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure. And social connection doesn’t necessarily mean physically being present with people in a literal sense, but someone’s subjective experience of feeling understood and connected to others. One scale that experts use to determine a person’s subjective level of loneliness is the UCLA Loneliness Scale.

2.     Boost your mental health:

Friendships offer a number of mental health benefits, such as increased feelings of belonging, purpose, increased levels of happiness, reduced levels of stress, improved self-worth and confidence. A study conducted at a free health clinic in Buffalo, New York found that respondents with insufficient perceived social support were the most likely to suffer from mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.

3.     Help you live longer:

Research has shown that social connections not only impact your mental health, but your physical health as well. A review of 148 studies (309K participants) indicated that the individuals with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival. This remained true across a number of factors, including age, sex, initial health status, and cause of death.

4.     Decrease your risk of suicide:

There are a number of factors that put people at higher or lower risk for suicide. One of these factors is connectedness, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines as “The degree to which a person or group is socially close, interrelated or shares resources with other persons or groups.” Relationships can play a crucial role in protecting a person against suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

If you’re not sure how to begin forming social connections start by looking inward. What are your interests or hobbies? What kind of personalities are you naturally comfortable around?

Devote time to becoming active in your community, volunteering, or joining a club or social organisation and if you meet a potential friend, create an opportunity to spend time together.

Remember that social connections that impact your overall health and well-being may begin with lattes or a shared meal, but they require time and effort. Forming strong, healthy relationships with others means opening up, actively listening, and being open to sharing what you’re going through. These relationships can change the course of your life.

““Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection.
All you need is that one person, who understands you completely, believes in you and makes you feel loved for what you are, to enable you - to unfold the miraculous YOU.””

— Drishti Bablani, Wordions

It’s time to simplify

There are a lot of reasons to simplify but why don't companies do it? Because it's hard work. It takes time, money, effort and a lot of change. It's never too late to start and I suggest you make 2021 the year.

Companies have grown too complicated and it results in:

•  Customer dissatisfaction
•  Errors in reporting
•  Lack of good commercial decisions
•  Higher costs
•  Poor management of cash

•  Higher prices
•  Longer lead times to deliver
•  Lack of problem management
•  No accountability
•  Too many people

Companies need to simplify to:

•  More effective
•  Improve the timeliness of data for decision making
•  Improve your competitive advantage

•  Be more price competitive
•  Improve customer experience
•  More efficient

Key considerations to simplify;

•    Less executives

•    Clearer accountability for process and outcomes at the Executive level and clear delegations

•    Black belts to undertake process reviews from end to end and identify areas of waste and the key metrics to focus on to drive process improvement

•    Streamline systems and transition everything to the cloud

•    Determine your outsource strategy - what you want to own v outsource

•    Vendor consolidation to drive savings

•    Create one centralised data hub where all reporting and information is stored as the source of truth

Create some momentum in the organisation to simplify - give the executives and leaders the challenge of identifying areas that the company can simplify and put a program of work together to drive change and promote continuous improvement. Be structured and be clear on mandate. Remember, what gets measured gets done.

“It’s like doing a spring clean of your cupboards - there is some therapeutic and liberating about it and you find the piece to the puzzle that’s been missing. Imagine how you’ll feel when you simplify your organisation - there will never be the perfect time - so decide today to start the process of simplification.”

Looking to simplify the structure and set-up of your organisation? Let us help.

If you need assistance, please reach out to Whiteark as we have extensive experience in simplification programs focused on improving the financial performance of companies, we would be happy to help. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au

How to build the right culture in your company?

Most people assume building the right culture within a company is simple, but the reality is, it’s quite difficult and very few do this well.

Being a start-up or smaller company makes it easier to manage, influence and build the desired culture but as companies grow and evolve it is important that you hold the right culture, and ensure it is driven from the top down.

Let's explore factors that drive culture in organisations:

Recruitment.
Companies recruit based on whether the candidate is the right fit for the company’s culture.

Performance.
Are employees rewarded for practicing the right behaviours, that align with the culture of the organisation.

Values.
Most companies have values that are core to their operations. These are usually displayed on their website, the walls in their office and screensavers to remind their community of what their foundations are built around. Many companies have values but very few actually live them; this needs to be driven from the top. Do your executives live/display the company’s values?

Leadership.
The leadership in the organisation sets the tone, and ultimately that culture of an organisation.

We all want to work for a company with the right culture. While there are some things we can control – culture is the responsibility of the leadership team to drive.

“If you change your mindset, you have the ability to change your whole world.”

— Damien Thomas

4 key things to consider when influencing culture:

1. Leadership team - right people, right behaviours and help build out the culture in organisation.

2. Reward performance/behaviour aligned with culture and values.

3. Continuously remind/train employees on what is expected of them from the time they join

4. Ensure there is an outcome if employees are not aligned to expectations

As a leader in a company you must set the right culture and foster it. A positive culture is the biggest driver of productivity in any organization and people spend a lot of time working, so it is important to create an enjoyable workplace environment.  

You can have the best business strategy in the world but if your culture is rotten you won't be successful in the long-term.

“Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

— Helen Keller

---

Looking to create a lasting culture and rally the team in your organisation? Let us help.

Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au

Top tips for managers and leaders to successfully lead their team through Covid 19

Covid 19 has changed the way we work and lead teams.

It is really important that managers and leaders can recognise the new challenges facing employees.

The isolation of working from home impacts individuals differently and so leadership styles need to be reflected on and adapted to this new way of working.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

• Communicate clearly, often and simply

• Provide a clear understanding of what is expected from your team,  set clear priorities and expectations of roles 

• Be available via regular catch ups individually and team – phone and zoom/Microsoft teams mix it up as people are getting Zoom /Microsoft teams’ fatigue!  Don’t cancel these unless really need to

• A robust performance appraisal process with measurable KPI’s will help with this. But these may need to be reviewed and adjusted, make sure they are realistic

• Share what you can about how the business going

• People are uber sensitive about their job security, so it is important that they have a sense of being informed and kept up to date

Stay true to your values and culture

• Core values inform and reinforce your company’s culture, strategic direction,  recruitment processes and how you interact with your customers and clients

• Acknowledge that the meaning of values might vary with these challenging times, with most people remote working

• Lead by example

• For employees to adapt they need to feel valued. This will assist in their productivity and ultimate success. 

• You want your culture to be one that is supportive, empathetic, inclusive, collaborative, proactive and encourages initiative

• Recognize and reward employees who embrace and live the values, call this out int team forums

Genuinely care about your teams’ well-being

• Check in regularly and ask how your team really are, truly listen

• Be flexible to their person circumstances

• Show that you are human too, be authentic, talk about your fears, answer questions and reassure them about work and personal issues

• Have fun – in these challenging times find ways to connect and have fun…ask the team what works for them

• Promote your company Employee Assistance Program - make sure employees know where to find information, guidance and support for mental health

• Find out from your team what in terms of wellbeing initiatives, some suggestions are 10,000 /day step challenge, 1 hour/ day to do someone that makes you feel good, exercise/cooking relaxing this helps connectedness with employees and increases morale

• Promote the wellbeing initiatives that already exist

---

Need a hand building your organisations capabilities to lead through Covid-19?

Let us help. To learn more about building and executing an inclusive strategy for your employees, contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au

Article by Phoebe Reid