6 Questions to Inspire Leaders to Care About Culture
Back-to-school was a big moment for our family this fall. Our daughter, Lola, began her freshman year at the University of Virginia. Drop-off had a bumpy start – our flight was canceled, her shipped boxes didn’t arrive, and her dorm key didn’t work. While I wasn’t in the best of moods when we arrived for the President’s convocation, I left incredibly inspired.
UVA’s President Ryan delivered two powerful messages to this year’s incoming class during convocation. First, UVA is for everyone. Though historically the school hadn’t been welcoming to all, today all students belong here. Second, students are expected to contribute to UVA’s culture of belonging. President Ryan urged students to be curious over critical, more understanding and less judgmental, and open to diverse perspectives before championing their own viewpoints. President Ryan emphasized that diversity, belonging, curiosity and empathy are essential to fostering a thriving learning environment to prepare students to be citizen leaders.
What an incredibly uplifting message that quickly made the initial drop off drama insignificant. President Ryan’s remarks not only set a positive tone for the year ahead, he inspired students (and me) to embrace their true selves with confidence and connect to the very essence of a university’s purpose - a shared journey of learning, growth and everlasting friendships.
The resonance of convocation lingered after I returned home and received a call from a client. The client expressed concern that their company’s workplace culture initiatives were stalled due to waning leadership commitment. I had a moment of epiphany – leaders need their own convocation experience. Amidst the whirlwind of professional demands, leaders often lose sight of the essence of their role - nurturing a workplace that brings out the best in everyone. In short, sometimes leaders need to be inspired themselves in order to inspire others.
If leadership engagement with your workplace culture efforts needs a boost, try posing these questions in your next leadership meeting to spark reflection and inspire action:
- Can you recall a time when a leader’s impact on workplace culture left a lasting impression on you? How can you pass that legacy forward?
- Fast forward 5 years from now. How would you describe the positive transformation our workplace culture has undergone?
- If we were to make a documentary about our workplace culture transformation, what memorable moments would you want to capture on film?
- Imagine you are addressing a group of new employees. What heartfelt advice would you offer them about embracing and contributing to our unique workplace culture?
- How do you see your role in reflecting the behaviors and attitudes that exemplify the culture we aim to cultivate?
- What actionable steps can we take right away to ensure that our commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture remains unwavering regardless of resource constraints and other business pressures?
While businesses don’t have the built-in yearly fresh start that schools do, the truth remains that every leadership team meeting has the potential to serve as a catalyst to help leaders reconnect with their fundamental purpose with renewed enthusiasm.
Want more practical ideas to make your workplace better? Join my newsletter: https://ridleyconsultants.com/join/
This post is locked to comments.
