Skip to main content

Creating A Work Culture Everyone Wants

 

“If you’re a leader, you don’t need me to tell you that this new era of work has been challenging. I believe that right now is the most complex and confusing time to be a leader in modern history,” says Jennifer Moss, author of the new book, Why We Are Here?: Creating A Work Culture Everyone Wants. 

In her book, Moss outlines eight areas rooted in social and behavioral psychology research that will transform a workforce weighed down with ennui into a healthy and high-performing one. 

“These are the must-have core skills leaders need to thrive in the new universe of work, where a leadership reset is a requirement, not a request,” explains Moss. 

She describes the eight area as follows: 

Hope. Hope is a major driver of self-efficacy, helping us meet our goals. Hope is one of the best remedies for tackling uncertainty and quieting an anxious mind. Hope drives action. 

Purpose. Every effort becomes a step toward a greater goal, enriching our sense of self and our contributions. Purpose is also a retention driver. Plus, when employes feel purpose at work, they report greater work and life outcomes than those reported by unfulfilled peers. 

Community. The social thread that connects us to our coworkers and teams. 

Compassion. Leaders need a compassion strategy, a plan that gives employees a path toward a sustainable future, emotional agility, and a mindset that is ready for change. In addition, employees need to know why change is happening, and how it will impact them. And they need to feel in control of their own futures. 

Freedom. Flexibility is freedom and it should be a right not a perk. Autonomy is a key driver of intrinsic motivation, which leads to high engagement and productivity, greater job satisfaction, and commitment. 

Openness. When our cultures are weak, our differences get magnified. Being open can close intergenerational gaps. 

Belonging. Help everyone feel more included. Moving toward a more inclusive future of work is no longer just a matter of policy and the right thing to do; it is a strategic business imperative. Diverse workplaces foster a culture of innovation and creativity, drawing from a wide array of perspectives that can lead to improved problem-solving and decision-making. 

Recognition. Work together to eliminate barriers and create workplaces where every individual, regardless of gender, can thrive and succeed. 

Packed with fresh insights, new research, and compelling stories, Why Are We Here? illuminates our turbulent time in the workplace and offers inspiration and practical guidance for leaders navigating our complex, ever-changing world. 

Jennifer Moss specializes in future-focused leadership development, expertly balancing employee well-being with performance. She specializes in transforming workplace culture using data-driven leadership strategies. Her book, The Burnout Epidemic, tackled employee burnout and was among Thinkers50’s 10 Best New Management Books for 2022. 

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How To Harness Employee Experience Design To Attract And Retain The Best Talent

  Employee Experience Design (EXD) is designing with people and not for them. It’s a proven method for engaging and collaborating with your employees to help solve your most difficult workplace challenges.   You’ll learn all about EXD in the new book, Employee Experience Desing: How To Co-Create Work Where People And Organizations Thrive , by Dean E. Carter , Samantha Gadd, and Mark Levy .   “Many organizations are drowning in policies and initiatives. EXD is a way to reduce that burden while delivering better results both for employees and for the bottom line,” explain the authors.   The book includes inspiring stories from brands like Airbnb and Patagonia, among many others, including those in retail, healthcare, hospitality, apparel, and biotech. It describes the power that’s unleashed when organizations design with and not for their employees.   The first part of the book covers The Why of why EXD is so important and addresses legitimate – and tough –...

How To Survive, Reset And Then Thrive

“Uncertainty is here to stay. Rather than seeing it as an obstacle to overcome, integrate it into your strategic approach to invigorate your high-growth potential and outperform competition under any market condition,” explains  Rebecca Homkes , author of the book,  Survive, Reset, Thrive .   “Most books aren’t honest enough about how hard it is to  reset ,” adds Homkes. Yet, resetting and leaning into change is essential. “If you are ready to embrace change as a central element of your growth strategy, this book is for you.” Homkes’ book is a timely, comprehensive, and essential read for business leaders looking to take the next step toward ensuring high growth for their companies. The book brings together more than 15 years of Homkes working directly with high-growth companies of all sizes and across a wide variety of industries.   Survive, Reset, Thrive (SRT) is a practical and innovative  interconnected three-mode approach :   Survive : Stabil...

Why Your Middle Managers Are So Important

The book,  Power To The Middle , shows how  managers  are the crucial link between a company’s ground floor and top brass. “Too often company leaders view middle managers in a negative light as expendable employees who can slow down productivity and overall strategy,” explain the book’s authors and McKinsey partners  Bill Schaninger ,  Bryan Hancock , and  Emily Field .  “However, new KcKinsey research reveals that this outdated perspective needs to change and that well-developed managers  are  the strategy that companies must prioritize to succeed today,” they add.  Most importantly, by the end of their book, the authors sum up their insights and provide a  playbook  that will help senior leaders let go of the command-and-control mindset that has hobbled their managers for so long.  The authors define middle managers as the people who are at least once removed from the front line and at least a layer below the senior lead...

How To Build Great Work Relationships

Here is a book I wish was published back when I was early in my career. It’s called,  Bosses, Coworkers, and Building Great Work Relationships . It’s one of four books in the new  Harvard Business Review  ( HBR )  Work Smart Series .  The book includes adapted content from 20 articles that previously appeared on HBR.org.  “We probably spend more hours with our coworkers than with anyone else. So even if they’re not all perfect, it’s worth it to build connections that will provide you with support, help you network and learn, and keep your career moving forward,” shares HBR.  “This book helps readers make so-so work relationships better, keep the bad ones from bringing them down, and help them build lasting connections with incredible people.”  HBR adds that the book includes chapter takeaways and dozens of resources so that you can go beyond the book to engage in the media (video, audio, etc.) you learn from best.  As you read Bosses,  C...

Read Good To Great

Near the top of virtually every list you'll see of the best leadership books, you'll find,  Good To Great , by Jim Collins . The book, five years in the making, and published in 2001, addresses the all-important question of: Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how? Some of the lessons from the book are: "Leadership is equally about creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts confronted." "Leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the answers and then motivating everyone to follow your messianic vision.  It means having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand enough to have the answers and then to ask the questions that will lead to the best possible insights." "Good-to-great companies use technology as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it." "Engage in dialogue and debate." Good-to-great companies are those who have the ability to get and kee...

How To Energize Your Work And Life

Tom Rath  is the author of the incredibly popular  Strengthsfinder 2.0  book . His latest book is,  Are You Fully Charged? The book draws on the latest and most practical research from business and psychology and identifies the  three keys that influence most of our daily well-being, as well as our engagement at work : Meaning : doing something that benefits another person Interactions : creating far more positive than negative moments Energy : making choices that improve your mental and physical health "This book will  challenge you to stop pursing happiness and start creating meaning instead ," explains Rath. And, by doing so, you will rethink your daily interactions with the people who matter most. "The actions you take throughout every single day accumulate to shape your years, decades and overall life," adds Rath.  Even brief interactions count, says Rath, such as exchanging a smile or greeting while passing someone on the s...

11 Reasons To Do Employee Exit Interviews

Don't be the guy in the picture when an employee leaves your company.  Instead, conduct exit interviews and surveys. Leigh Branham explains in his book, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave , what the most favorable conditions are for conducting the interviews and surveys. And, if you need convincing to read the book, take a look at these 11 best reasons for listening and gathering the data when an employee leaves: Bringing any "push-factor" root-cause reasons for leaving to the surface. Alerting the organization to specific issues to be addressed. Giving the employee a chance to vent and gain a sense of closure. Giving the employee the opportunity to provide information that may help colleagues left behind. Providing information about competitors and their practices. Comparing information given with the results of past surveys and employee data. Detecting patterns and changes by year or by quarter. Obtaining information to help improve recruiting. Possib...

Dig Deep For Ideas

The next time you are looking for ideas for how to grow revenue, streamline processes and procedures and/or reduce expenses, dig deep within your organization . Don't ask only your direct reports for their suggestions. Instead, ask everyone at all levels . Some of the best ideas will come from your lower and mid-level employees who are interacting with your vendors, customers and co-workers every day in the very areas that, if improved, could make the most dramatic impact. Be sure to acknowledge receipt of each idea . Keep everyone informed of the types of ideas you've received . Perhaps update them on a monthly basis. When you implement a suggestion, recognize and reward the submitter , including possibly financially. Feel free to accept ideas anonymously. But, if employees know you are sincere about wanting their input, and witness you acting upon suggestions, most of your team members will be proud to tie their names to their ideas. Finally...

Mission Versus Vision

Here's a good definition of the difference between a mission and a vision by leadership book authors George Bradt, Jayme A. Check and Jorge Pedraza: Mission - A mission guides what people do every day. It informs what roles need to exist in the organization. Vision - A vision is the picture of future success. It helps define areas where the organization needs to be best in class and helps keep everyone aware of the essence of the company.

My Favorite "Moral Of The Story" Tips From Harvey Mackay

I'm a big fan of best-selling author  Harvey Mackay .  He writes about business, sales and leadership and typically ends his articles with a moral of the story. Culled from his writings of the past few years, here are some of my favorites of his  moral of the story  endings: Change your thinking, change your life. It's not enough to know how to do things - you must know why you do them. If you live in the past, you won't have much of a future. If you want to outsmart the competition, you have to outthink the competition. Don't be afraid to make a decision.  Be afraid not make a decision. What you learn on your first job will last through your last job. Minds are like parachutes - not much good unless they are open. If you can't be an expert, hire one. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be. It only takes a little spark to ignite a great fire. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing to do. Mackay's best-...