Creating a Positive Company Culture

10/29/24 • 17 min

Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan

Sara Sheehan examines how to create a positive company culture based on guidance from Daniel Coyle’s book The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. She identifies the three fundamental skills that Coyle singles out as key to sustaining a strong organizational culture - building safety, sharing vulnerability, and establishing purpose - and discusses how each skill improves team performance when implemented.

Sara gets in-depth into how each of the three skills affects company culture for the better. Building safety allows teams to perform well because their members feel safe, connected, and supported. Sharing vulnerability may seem counterintuitive to high performance but Sara reveals that in truth it leads to deeper trust. Establishing a purpose comes through sharing a defined mission and values. Everyone should feel guided by a clear and shared understanding of why they do the work they do.

Far from being merely theoretical, Sara shares how these foundational skills would look in operation through the example of a fictional company putting them into practice. She then follows up with real-world success stories from an unnamed client of hers. Having already used these skills to guide real clients to better results, Sara’s sharing of Coyle’s book and examination of what it means in practice becomes an invaluable tool for unifying companies into a positive culture.

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Resources discussed in this episode:

“The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups” by Daniel Coyle

Contact Sara Sheehan | Sara Sheehan Consulting:

Transcript:

Sara Sheehan: [00:00:02] Hi there, I'm Sara Sheehan and welcome to my podcast, Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan. Today I'll be sharing a monologue message with you on creating a positive workplace culture. Over the course of my career, the number of companies with toxic workplaces has increased dramatically. There are three key skills that leaders can build to develop and sustain a strong workplace culture. Building safety, sharing vulnerability, and establishing purpose. This month, I'll be talking about building a positive company culture and the insights from 'The Culture Code' by Daniel Coyle. This book provides a wonderful guide for how to address and create a great place to work. Building a positive company culture, key insights from 'The Culture Code'. In 'The Culture Code', Daniel Coyle explores the secrets behind the success of highly productive teams, emphasizing that effective group culture is not a fixed attribute, but rather a dynamic living process. Based on extensive research and visits to eight of the world's most successful groups, Coyle identifies three fundamental skills that leaders can cultivate to create and sustain a strong organizational culture. Building safety, sharing vulnerability, and establishing purpose. In this talk, we will break down these key points, illustrate their practical applications, and offer concrete steps for implementing them in the workplace to foster a positive and thriving company culture.

Sara Sheehan: [00:02:10] First of all, building safety, creating a sense of belonging. The first step toward developing a positive organizational culture is fostering a deep sense of safety within the group. High-performing teams excel when their members feel safe, connected, and supported. They feel like they belong, and this sense of belonging encourages them to contribute their best efforts without fear of exclusion or judgment. Key concepts here include belonging cues. These are subtle signals that people send and receive and social interactions reinforce the message you are safe here and you belong. This can include eye contact, physical proximity, tone of voice, and active listening. Connection and support. Teams that thrive are ones where individuals feel they have each other's backs. There is an implicit understanding that everyone is part of a tight-knit unit working towards a shared goal. Some practical tips for building safety. Create inclusive environments. Leaders should actively create spaces where everyone's voice is heard, regularly soliciting feedback and input from all team members builds a sense of inclusion and value. Focus on nonverbal communication. Small, consistent acts of nonverbal communication can reinforce safety. For example, leaders who make eye contact, nod during conversations, and lean in while listening create an atmosphere where team members feel ...

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Resources discussed in this episode:

“The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups” by Daniel Coyle

Contact Sara Sheehan | Sara Sheehan Consulting:

Transcript:

Previous Episode

Why CEOs Should Prioritize Change Management

Sara Sheehan focuses on change management in this episode, stressing that CEOs in today’s fast-paced business world must view change not as an exception but as an expectation. Managing the changes facing an organization, whether it be a digital transformation or a large-scale merger, is the crucial element that makes or breaks the success of the endeavour. Sara outlines why mastering change management is so vital and how to approach prioritizing that management.

Research from McKinsey & Company reveals that approximately 70% of large-scale transformation projects fail to achieve their goals and one of the primary reasons is a lack of focus on the human side of change. Effective internal change management empowers the humans of the organization to lead the change, rather than relying on external consultants. Sara explores the most critical steps in mastering change management by sharing a 9-step approach for every CEO to consider.

Speaking from expertise and knowledge, Sara names the 9 steps: 1) Establish the groundwork. 2) Secure the right resources and build the team. 3) Engage and align stakeholders. 4) Create a robust change network. 5) Assess and prep the ground. 6) Create the vision and plan messaging. 7) Mitigate business impacts. 8) Cultivate behavioral change. 9) Empower talent and execute strategy. Sara explains in detail how each step benefits an organization’s transformation and allows the CEO to build a sustainable change with minimal disruption.

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Contact Sara Sheehan | Sara Sheehan Consulting:

Transcript:

Sara Sheehan: [00:00:02] Hello, I'm Sara Sheehan and welcome to my podcast, Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan. Today I would like to cover a key topic that is near and dear to my heart, and that is my course which I am pivoting to offer a self-paced option rather than attending a live cohort that is either private for one client or an open enrollment opportunity. I definitely have heard from interested participants that they would prefer a self-paced option, and as luck would have it, ACMP decided to offer the self-paced option to qualified education providers, and they allowed them to submit their course design for approval and submission for offering a self-paced option. I was approved within a week of submitting my application, and I'm in the process of setting up the self-paced option in Kajabi, along with updating my website right now.

Sara Sheehan: [00:01:32] In terms of today's message, I really want to talk about why mastering change management is so important and why, as a CEO of a leading company, you may be taking your company through a major and challenging project. Whether it's a digital transformation, a large-scale merger, or a new operating model. There's always that one crucial element that often makes or breaks the success of your endeavor, which is change management. Today's message will outline the compelling reasons CEOs need to address adoption early, and the context of a sound plan. Truly, this is a message about a strategic imperative for CEOs that are navigating major projects. In today's fast-paced business world, change is not an exception, but an expectation. Organizations that can effectively navigate change are the ones that not only survive, but thrive. Yet, as a CEO leading a company through, yes, your next major challenging project, whether it's a digital transformation, a large-scalelong-term merger or a new operating model, the one crucial element that often makes or breaks the success of the endeavor is change management. When leading a project that requires widespread adoption, the focus is not solely on implementing a solution or process. The real challenge lies in securing buy-in, shifting organizational behaviors, and building internal capabilities that will enable your team to manage change effectively long after the initial project is complete. Change management is no longer a nice-to-have competency. For organizations undergoing significant transformations, it's a strategic imperative. Today's message will outline why mastering change management is essential for CEO's overseeing major projects, and how building this capability across the organization can drive sustained success.

Sara Sheehan: [00:04:20] Why CEOs should prioritize change management. As a leader of your organization, you already understand that projects involving sweeping changes, whether cultural, technological or operational, come with really high stakes. The success or failure of these initiatives can shape your company's future in profound ways. Here's why change management needs to be at the forefront of your strategy. First, proje...

Next Episode

Defining Sustainable Non-Profit Success with Kevin Wilkins

Sara Sheehan’s guest in this episode is Kevin Wilkins, CEO of Trepwise, a New Orleans-based strategy firm that has worked with over 550 purpose-driven organizations. Kevin talks with Sara about what life events changed his career path and why Trepwise is such an important step for him. They explore what it takes to build a sustainable business in the present day and what leaders need to know.

Kevin describes moving his family to New Orleans 4 and 1⁄2 years after Hurricane Katrina had hit after his wife got a great job offer. Once in the city, he began to look at how nonprofits had sprung up to assist New Orleans after Katrina but how despite the money flowing in, they were all vying for same funding and not many had a sustainable plan. That ultimately led him to found Trepwise. He unpacks what Trepwise is designed to do and how it functions, especially amongst the specific needs of New Orleans.

Sara and Kevin talk about the driving motivation behind Trepwise and the human-centred approach Kevin focuses on taking. He points out that not only has he learned a great deal about nonprofit business and sustainability in that format but that the work he’s doing has taught him a lot and brought him immense personal satisfaction when goals for child welfare or improvement initiatives are realized. Kevin’s passion for his work and the city he lives in is evident throughout and his vision, through Trepwise, has created a sustainable foundation for many organizations wanting to help.

About Kevin Wilkins

Kevin N. Wilkins is the Founder and CEO of Trepwise, a growth consulting firm with a mission to unlock the potential of purpose-driven organizations by aligning people, process, and vision.

Kevin moved to New Orleans in 2010 and served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence and COO for The Idea Village from 2011 – 2013. His experience working closely with entrepreneurs in the New Orleans area led him to launch Trepwise in 2013. With more than 30 years of experience in corporate and private ventures, Kevin has built a strong team of consultants at Trepwise who collectively have worked with over 500 organizations within private and public sectors, nonprofits, and foundations.

Kevin has also served on several nonprofit boards, currently for YPO Louisiana, Tulane Hillel, Institute of Mental Hygiene, City Year New Orleans, Touro Synagogue, Collegiate Academies, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, The Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education, and formerly for Louisiana Children’s Museum, Pelican Bomb, Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation.

Kevin is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, as well as holding executive leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, Fidelity Investments, and State Street Research & Management. In addition, Kevin is a lead mentor for the national Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and a mentor to startups in the Spark10 accelerator program based in India.

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Contact Sara Sheehan | Sara Sheehan Consulting:

Kevin Wilkins | Trepwise Strategy Consulting

Website: Trepwise.com
Kevin Wilkins on LinkedIn

Transcript

Sara Sheehan: [00:00:03] Hi there, I'm Sara Sheehan and welcome to my podcast, Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan. Today I'm joined by Kevin Wilkins, CEO of Trepwise, a New Orleans based strategy firm who has collectively worked with over 550 purpose driven organizations. Kevin found his greatest impact serving nonprofit, foundation and public private spaces with one goal in mind: developing thriving and equitable communities nourished by good ideas. Kevin is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has held executive leadership positions with Procter and Gamble, Fidelity Investments, and State Street Research and Management. Kevin, I am so glad to be chatting with you today and to have you on my show. Welcome.

Kevin Wilkins: [00:01:09] Thank you, Sara. I appreciate being here.

Sara Sheehan: [00:01:11] Wonderful. So Kevin, I'd love to hear from you what led you to, and motivated you, to create your business?

Kevin Wilkins: [00:01:24] That probably requires some additional background. First of all, thank you for sharing my bio so I won't dwell on that too much. The one headline from my bio that was not there is that I married a woman from New Orleans, and that will become relevant in a few minutes. Apparently when you marry someone from New Orleans, you do end up liv...