It’s Monday…

Do you start your week off with a sense of dread of how you’ll get your teams motivated and inspired this week? Do you get overwhelmed as to how to you can make culture deeper but, wow, there’s just so much work to do?

Having a clearly defined expectation of your organization’s culture is always the foremost step, but it’s the consistent application of culture throughout the week that will enhance employee engagement and make your teams synergize with purpose.

So to give you a starting point for success, here is a simple Monday checklist to get you started driving culture this week. It’s designed to be simple and easy to execute and reference:

1. Read your company’s culture and mission statement. A refresher of your culture and value will recalibrate how you as a leader embody culture and ensures you are looking to stay in proper alignment.
2. Start your leadership team off with a “temperature check” of how culture is and a commitment to make culture Job #1 this week. Get as many of the team aligned with culture in all they plan to achieve over the coming days.
3. Through individual or team meetings, virtual meetings, phone calls, personal interactions and emails, make sure to promote your culture at every interaction. Every interaction is an opportunity to remind your team about the culture you are all working under, and towards.
4. Thread culture through every project, strategic plan, financial forecast, training sessions, and every other project in an effort to bring cohesive engagement. Many times strategy seems to close the door to infusing culture. The best way to strengthen culture change is to ensure it has a place in every action plan, strategy meeting and task.
5. Pick 5 employees (1 per day) and find a “temperature check” time to ask about culture and empower them to build it. People need reminders throughout the week. Your should be having regular times with your team and individually encouraging them and working on how they can inspire culture as well.
6. Schedule time for yourself midway through the week to stop and asses how YOU are impacting culture. This may mean a little more work on your part as a leader, but not only reminding yourself, but reassessing your progress midway through will help you end on a stronger note as the week goes forward.
7. Wrap up your work week with a reflection or a “plus-minus” of how your team enhanced culture and what next week’s steps are. This is a great way to not only give yourself a report card of how culture is progressing, but how your organization is heading into the coming week. Planning how to course correct or fan the flame that is already on fire will ensure you are already preparing to prioritize culture the next week and onwards.

By keeping this list before you and reviewing it every morning, you will see consistent, then amazing, growth in your culture and how your people will fully lock-in to promoting the mission and vision of the organization as well.

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

Feel free to adapt and tailor this checklist to your individual and corporate needs. I attached two links to previous posts I’ve written to help you in your staff 1-to-1’s and reviewing your days and weeks. These strategies will help this checklist become a living organism in your company.

Keeping culture change and growth simple is key, yet keeping it a priority is vital. Make culture happen this week!