_byline

Most startups begin with a shared mission. When a company is just a handful of employees, it’s easy to align on big-picture goals and rally behind core values. In those early days, a small, cohesive team spends countless hours brainstorming, communicating, and creating something new together—fostering a shared experience like no other. advertisement advertisement But what about during the growth phase? When you’re racing to hire enough people to keep up with blistering demand, it’s much more difficult to nurture and sustain a mission-driven culture. And in today’s Great Resignation wave, growing companies are not just grappling with hiring, but also retaining their employees. A shared vision and sense of purpose is one of the best ways to ensure employees stick around and bring their best selves to work each day; a recent Deloitte study found that mission-driven companies had 30% higher levels of innovation and 40% higher levels of … [Read more...] about 3 ways a purpose-driven company can stay true to its values during hypergrowth

What one skill do you think has the greatest positive impact on workplace culture and performance? advertisement advertisement From my years of helping leaders create a culture of accountability, I have found that the ability to provide feedback directly and respectfully makes the biggest and most immediate positive difference to individuals and organizations. Contrary to popular belief, most people want to hear how they can improve—as long as that feedback is delivered well. Regrettably, only 26% of employees strongly agree that the feedback they receive is helpful. This means most managers are failing at providing feedback. That’s a huge risk, given the Great Resignation we are experiencing. When managers don’t provide feedback well, it prompts four out of five employees to start looking for a new job. If you think about what things you excel at, it’s likely that receiving feedback on your performance helped you get to where you are now. … [Read more...] about 5 steps to provide feedback that’s helpful, not hurtful

Almost all Fortune 500 companies have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), y et only a fraction (5%) of organizations actually financially compensate their ERG leaders. This disconnect is another all-too-common example of the chasm between companies’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the actions they are taking to promote equity and inclusion. To narrow the gap, organizations need to take a critical step : Pay ERG leaders for the valuable, culture-building work they do. advertisement advertisement ERGs have evolved and that needs to continue ERGs have been a cornerstone of organizations’ DEI initiatives for more than 50 years. In 1970, Joseph Wilson and Xerox’s Black employees launched the National Black Employees Caucus, the first official ERG in the U.S., as a response to race riots that took place in Rochester, NY. ERGs have since evolved from exclusively race-based employee groups to communities that support … [Read more...] about Not doing this one key thing will undermine all your DEI efforts