Unlock the power of your company culture

When I started working with companies on their culture 20+ years ago, every company had the same words painted in fancy fonts on their walls:

Our people are our most important asset.

It was one of the first indicators that they talked more than walked their company values, especially since most of the time, the CEO who met me in the lobby and walked to the board room did not even acknowledge colleagues we passed along the way.

The better indicator? The colleagues did not acknowledge the CEOs either.

Fewer companies have trite sayings like that blasted on their walls these days, but culture is more important now than ever.

Seven reasons company culture is so important right now are…

1. Changing market demands require speed of innovation, which can be slowed by internal functions with reams of red tape in a mediocre culture.

2. Employees today expect empathy from Managers, which many Managers do not have capacity or skills to provide. The increased pressure on Managers impacts their self-esteem, diminishes their productivity, and leads to burnout.

3. Increased time to hire for many key roles leaves roles unfilled, which strains current employees and Managers trying to maintain productivity and performance.

4. Increased remote and hybrid work environments, where face-to-face interaction is limited, culture becomes even more critical. It bridges the gap between physical distance and helps create a cohesive, unified team.

5. Different generations in the workforce bring different skills and expectations. The expectations Gen Z and Gen Alpha have of Managers, workplace rules, development, and career paths are changing company cultures and how companies function.

6. Increased expectation of trust on all fronts. Customers, employees, and companies expect to trust each other, and they need to build and reinforce the trust all the time. Their culture nourishes the trust and reveals when it’s not there too.

7. Companies who take an hour to decide what to serve at the summer picnic or leadership teams who need three meetings to choose brochure colors do not have a strong enough culture to implement and capitalize on AI safely or successfully.

There are many more reasons. What would be on your own list?

Company culture is not just about perks or the atmosphere at work. When cultivated intentionally, it influences everything from employee engagement, retention, and performance to management capacity to innovation and company performance.

The organizations that thrive are those who understand culture as a strategic asset—not just something that happens organically, but something to be shaped and nurtured. All. The. Time.

Today’s Culture Matters topic was, “How to unlock the power of your company culture.” The group of business owners, leaders, and professionals talked about the changes happening in the world and inside companies and what we can do about it.

If you want in on relevant, modern conversations like this, join Culture Matters next month. (Find out more here)

When you’re ready to talk about how to nourish your culture and treat it like the strategic asset it is, email us. We can help. 

Culture drives performance.
Don’t leave it to chance. Join us!

Getting in the Zone: What Business Leaders Can Learn from Patrick Mahomes

Instagram post by coach dan casey.
click to see the video

This video (shared by Coach Dan Casey on Instagram) shows the small gesture Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, makes to the sideline that he’s ready for the next play. His teammates and Coach Reid say it indicates when Mahomes is in the zone.

Travis Kelce said, “When he gets in his super-competitive mode, he’s locked in.”

Coach Reid said, “He doesn’t even know he’s doing it.”

Whether he's dodging defenders, making behind-the-back passes, or leading the team down the field, there’s a point where everything just clicks. He signals to the sideline, calling for the next play, ready to keep the momentum going.

As business leaders, founders, and executives, we face our own kind of high-stakes game every day.

Though we may not be on a football field and have more than a game at stake, we need to get in the zone, stay there, and lead our teams with the same focus, agility, and confidence that Mahomes displays.

But how do you do that in business?

Here are three key ways to get in the zone, stay there, and lead your team to a championship-level performance.

1. Getting in the Zone: Preparation Meets Opportunity

Mahomes doesn't just wake up on game day and become great. He spends hours studying film, practicing throws with teammates, and running drills. His in-the-zone moments are the result of preparation. The same goes for leaders. You can't expect to reach peak performance without putting in the groundwork.

For business leaders, this preparation looks different, but it’s equally crucial. It might involve analyzing market trends, deepening your understanding of your industry, or strengthening your leadership skills. Are you learning, growing, and adapting as fast as your industry demands? When opportunity knocks, will you be ready to capitalize on it?

The key is discipline. Just as Mahomes commits to practice, leaders must commit to ongoing self-improvement, whether that’s through education, developing a more agile mindset, or executive coaching. Preparation is how you position yourself to recognize and seize opportunities when they arise.

2. Staying in the Zone: Focus, Flexibility, and Trust

One of the most remarkable things about Mahomes is his ability to remain calm under pressure. When the game is on the line, or he is being chased by defenders, he doesn't panic—he focuses. For business leaders, staying in the zone means maintaining focus amidst chaos. In our world, the pressure comes from shifting markets, competition, or unforeseen challenges with employees, customers, or suppliers. Staying locked in means you’re ready for whatever comes next.

But focus alone isn’t enough. Flexibility is key to staying in the zone. No game ever goes exactly according to plan, and no business does either. Heck, hardly any business day goes according to plan, does it?!

Mahomes doesn’t just stick to the playbook—he improvises. Similarly, great leaders stay flexible and adjust their strategies on the fly when circumstances change. They recognize that what worked last quarter may not work now, and they’re willing to adapt.

Finally, staying in the zone as a leader requires trust—trust in your team, your process, and your own instincts.

When Mahomes signals for the next play, he’s trusting his teammates to execute. He doesn’t micromanage; he empowers. For leaders, this means cultivating a culture where teams can perform at their best without constant oversight. Trust your team to make decisions, take risks, and grow. That trust keeps everyone focused and aligned, even when the pressure is on.

3. Leading to Victory: Keep the Momentum Going

Once Mahomes is in the zone, he doesn’t slow down. He signals for the next play quickly, keeping the defense on its heels. For leaders, this means knowing when to capitalize on momentum and push your organization forward. Too often, companies lose steam after initial success because leaders fail to sustain momentum. Sometimes, leaders take success for granted, as if the next steps will be easy because they surmounted the last hurdle.

Keeping momentum in business requires a forward-thinking mindset and decisive action. Are you continuously looking for new opportunities to innovate, grow, or pivot when necessary? Or, do you wait to see what your competitors or customers do? Are you setting the pace or is someone else?

Are you building on your team’s strengths and wins, while learning from setbacks? Like Mahomes, you can’t afford to coast after a touchdown. The game isn’t over whether the Chiefs scored or the opponent did. Play to the very end, even if it’s decided by the smallest sliver of a toenail amount. Give your best the whole time.

In football, it’s not just the quarterback who wins the game; it’s the entire team working together. The same is true in business. As a leader, it’s your job to ensure that your team feels like they’re part of something bigger—that every role matters, and every contribution propels the organization closer to its goals. Create a culture of accountability, where everyone is invested in the outcome.

Include rewards too because when the team reaches the pinnacle because of its investment, the celebration is sweet!

The key to championship-level leadership is a blend of disciplined preparation, laser-sharp focus under pressure, the flexibility to adapt, and the trust in your team to execute.

So next time you feel the pressure mounting, think of Mahomes. Signal for the next play. Stay in the zone. Keep your team moving forward.

You can probably nearly pinpoint when you will feel pressure again the same way Mahomes can because he watches game and knows the schedule. What can you anticipate coming up? How can you prepare for it? How can you get in the zone, stay there, and lead your team no matter what else is going on?

Championship seasons aren't won by accident—they’re the result of intentional, consistent leadership. What is your intention for your team?

Learn from McDonald's: A blurry moral compass leads to years of costly issues

When the CEO's moral compass is blurry, you can bet the ethical one is too.

McDonald's, who has access to all the resources in the world, has been dealing with a serious culture breach caused by the failed moral compass of its former CEO for more than four years.

Two days ago, McDonald’s plight was in the news again because the SEC charged the former CEO with misleading investigators about reasons for his firing in 2019.

Let's consider the impact of the issues McDonald's has been facing, so you can be prepared just in case:

⚫ If someone breaks the rules in one area, you can bet they break or bend rules in other areas too. For example, if it's okay to bend the rule about one relationship, like the former CEO did, they are likely to bend the rules about other relationships too.

Beyond that rule, however, you better keep a keen eye on other rules because the relationship rule might not be the only one broken.

⚫ Others look up to the CEO and will follow along breaking rules too. If it's okay for the CEO, others will think it is okay for them to break rules related to relationships, exaggerate expense reports, lie on client project hours, skip recording PTO usage, and more.

⚫ Lies are expensive. McDonald's spent millions of dollars and countless hours because of the former's CEO's behavior. And, they still are! Does your company have either of those to spare?

On a personal note, how humiliating it must be for one’s ongoing moral failures to put grown adults in the situation of having to call the law firm and insurance company to explain the situation.

⚫ The reputation damage to the brand is embarrassing and costly in other ways too. Top talent does not want to work for a company that allowed that kind of behavior. When poor behavior is accepted, people lose trust in the decision makers. They will not bring their A game when trust dissipates.

The message sent to other top employees (and all employees) is that leadership is weak, values don’t matter, and money over purpose. No one brings their best in those circumstances.

In some cases, customers will lose trust and take their business elsewhere too. Now, McDonald's probably did not lose many consumers over the former CEO. Their great french fries far outweigh the impact of the former CEO to consumers. Most companies’ products and services don’t have that luxury.

There are companies out there with very similar issues right now. Here are a few indicators of culture issues.
◼ No women on the SLT. Or, the one or two top women keep leaving, to be replaced by men.
◼ The company's attorney or other leaders lie in meetings about culture. Obviously, there is more cover-up happening.
◼ When asked about a company, and heads turn, eyes bulge and people whisper, "Oh, you don't want to know about that place." In that case, pray for people who work there and move on because the person whispering is probably right.

Company culture goes way beyond people being nice to each other.

We are able to dig deeper and help leaders face the bigger issues that can damage their companies, reputations, and legacies.

We work with leaders to help them avoid the pain of McDonald's. McDonald's has all the resources in the world, and a costly culture breach happened there.

What resources does your company have? Reach out privately if you need one.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for blurry compasses. Don't let someone else's blurry moral compass blur your own.

The 5 best ways to prevent the poaching of your top performers

Poaching…it’s not just for eggs. It’s for your people. Poaching talent is on the rise as recruiters seek to fill vacancies caused by the “Great Resignation.”

Do you know what poaching costs your company? SHRM estimates the total cost to hire a new employee to be three to four times the position’s salary. For example, someone paid $60,000, could cost $180,000 or more to replace them if they get poached. (Source: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/the-real-costs-of-recruitment.aspx)

In addition to direct costs, think about the indirect costs such as morale of the rest of the team when the person leaves, productivity when a role is vacant for several months, productivity and morale when someone has to add responsibilities to their plate until the role is filled, reduced or changed level of service…and more.

Think about the dollars, time, energy—all impact the company’s ability to serve, innovate, and grow.

To combat the poachers, I wrote a few weeks ago about making your top performers less susceptible to poachers. I suggested you keep woo’ing them throughout their employment journey. https://voyagecg.com/observations/2022/4/21/beware-your-top-people-are-being-poached

Here are five more specific things you can do to keep your top people:

1. Cement their bond with you, the team, and the company. When people feel part of something special, it is harder for them to exit.

2. Review your compensation practices. Re-evaluate salary ranges, ensure consistency of pay for the same work, and reward strong performers. Non-performers will probably leave if they don’t get bonuses strong contributors get, so be prepared for their exits. Also consider what it costs you to keep non-performers around.

3. Update the interview process. Interview people before they start, during their time employed there, and as they exit. Pay attention to the answers so you can be as flexible as possible and so you can fix the issues stifling the bond employees have with the company.

4. Empower people to lead and grow. Give responsibilities that align with growth opportunities and goals. Ensure the employees have the authority to execute the responsibilities too; otherwise, it’s just dumping work and is not empowering.

5. Develop your managers at all levels. People exit because of how their direct supervisor treats them. Reduce their openness to poaching by ensuring managers treat people with basic manners and in alignment with the company’s core values. Develop management consistency for difficult conversations, feedback, rewards, and development.

6. Bonus Strategy! Care. Genuinely care about people. Employees today want their companies to care about them beyond just their performance at work. One of my clients spoke so lovingly about their people this morning. In fact, it’s how this team of leaders has spoken of their people in every conversation. They speak about helping people live a zest for life—within and beyond their jobs.

You can reduce poaching with intentional actions to connect, bond, and engage your people. The six strategies can help.

There are additional strategies in the resource 127 Ways to Influence your Company Culture, available with Voyage VIP membership at the bottom of this page.

Beware! Your top people are being poached!

The issue most on the minds of leaders I have heard from lately is the "Great Resignation." Leaders are afraid their top performers will leave, and they have run out of ideas to inspire them to stay.

Of course, leaders always worry about their top performers, but lately that fear is reasonable. People changed during the past two years, and what entices them to choose a workplace is different for many now. On top of that change, strategies companies are using to fill vacancies have changed too.

The latest strategy to fill all those empty spots across organizations is poaching. Perhaps you have experienced it or even recommended the strategy to your company's recruiters? Going after top talent gainfully employed by a competitor used to be a subversive maneuver. Not anymore.

Now, recruiters pursue top performers like a high school kid asking a date to the prom.

There are big gestures and lots of woo'ing over time.

Poaching entices relatively happily employed people to leave for greener pastures, even when their current pasture is pretty green already. People are flattered by being pursued, and they have more confidence to speak up about what would make them leap firms. People are stating their demands, and companies are delightfully meeting them. Everything from location to hours to salary to equipment to team members and more—it’s all on the table.

Poaching is on the rise, so watch out before it’s too late.

The best thing you can do to prevent poaching is make your top performers less susceptible to poachers. Keep woo'ing them throughout their employment journey.

Companies make a gigantic mistake when they stop woo'ing people once they are on board.

Someone told me recently about her experience with her new employer. Four people who love the company were on the interview team that took her to lunch. They talked about being on her team and working with her. It turned out they are on the company team but not her immediate team. They were on the interview team because of their acting skills and exaggerated the role they would play in her job. Figuring that act out a few days into the job made her question her decision to join the company.

Another recent example was that a manager in a mid-sized company was not ready for the new hire, so the new employee sat in the lobby for an hour waiting for his boss to arrive. The manager said, “I forgot you were starting today.” In the interview, however, the manager spoke about how much he cares about his team.

Those two examples were of companies abandoning their woo practices on day one. That’s when it is most egregious and hard to overcome. It also happens when the business landscape changes and leaders are challenged. Some panic and stop taking care of their people out of fear for their own jobs.

The smart leaders have figured out they need to keep woo'ing after day one for people to stick around.

To identify opportunities to engage with employees, outline your employees' journey. Armed with an understanding of their journey, identify where you can beef up intentional connections. Where along the journey can you offer professional development (which people crave!), skill development opportunities in the work, networking opportunities, and opportunities to contribute to the local community?

Be intentional about your connection and engagement. Tie your actions to what they want.

The Platinum Rule is more important here than the Golden Rule. While the Golden Rule tells us to treat people how we want to be treated, the Platinum Rule is to treat people how they want to be treated. Put the Platinum Rule into effect in good times and bad. People really notice how you treat them when times are tough for the company or for them personally. For example, your company policy may allow for one week of leave for new fathers. How do you handle the new father whose baby needs extra medical attention at birth, so one week with the family is not enough? People > policy. Treat people with care, especially when they need help.

That's the secret to retention: care. It is really hard for a poacher to compete against a genuine relationship of care.