How can you create a winning culture in challenging times

How can you create a winning culture in challenging times

It is true that over the past couple of years businesses have faced difficult times, you too may have faced a challenging time, it may be you have sat back and waited for the storm to pass, or you have taken the ‘bull by the horns’ and pressed on regardless, and this may have provided you with new avenues of income streams as a result.

To become successful in business you need to be proactive, to identify what has gone wrong and or perhaps is on the horizon, this will enable you to become more successful in the future, you need to act and sometimes with great speed, acknowledgment of previous failings and errors and learning from them takes courage and skill but will serve you well.

It is crucial you encourage change within your team and embrace change management, you can achieve this through internal culture focusing on areas that will drive your commercial growth.

In this article we take a look at change and creating a winning culture in your business, we want you to take the time to think about your people and how you can use their skills, knowledge, and experience to assist you in your growth strategy, we are sure this will provide you with the tools to assist you in creating a ‘winning culture’.

Below you can use the key areas of focus and learns:

 

Start by reflecting on where did it go wrong? previous failings and errors

Taking the time to reflect on “what”, at times this may be raw, but it is crucial in identifying the possible root cause. Your team is also crucial in the reflection process and can provide you with insights that you may overlook.

Completing the analysis can be a great start in the process, and assist you to breakdown the key areas.

 

You need to understand the catalyst for change – the acknowledgment

This can be seen as a reflective process, but it is imperative as it is the catalyst for change at this stage, by recognising the size of the challenge and acknowledging that a cultural shift is required, this may be also seen as evolutionary it should not be overpowering but may feel that way in the beginning, let’s face it, in reality, all change can be, and it can be difficult.

As a business owner or a Manager you need to be strong, this will mean making bold decisions and taking a critical viewpoint of behaviours and motivations of others, you certainly will need to remain impartial and focused as you will identify both positive and negative aspects of culture.

Upon completion of the process, you will need to complete an action plan, with full detail, setting clear dates for completion. You need to do this with absolute gusto and determination.

 

It isn’t just your Culture – it is everyones

Quite simply you do not own the culture within your company, whether you like it or not, and creating a culture does not rest on your shoulders either, it belongs to everyone every day, people own culture, and it grows and evolves daily; it may even be that over the past couple of years and due to the pandemic your culture needs a complete overhaul, identifying this can be difficult, once you do you can move forward.

You can adopt your company values tomorrow and keep them on your wall for one year, but in 3/6 months they will probably be out of date, why I hear you ask; simply because culture changes, and as it does your values should change.

It is for this reason that you must involve your people in the cultural changes and get them involved at the very start, they know your company probably more than you do anyway, especially the little nuances.

Ask and involve your team, what do they want? is it beanbags in the office, or drinks after work on a Friday, perhaps not, they probably want to work in a safe and supportive environment, one that embraces them for who they are, working alongside people who value and truly listen to them.

Another reason to get them involved…. most people hate change or find it difficult to manage that’s why there are so many training courses and books on the subject out there, they can help to a certain extent, but you cannot beat getting your team involved.

If you acknowledge how your people are feeling it will help them, it can be emotional, and stressful and cause real anxiety for some people. By involving your people, you will open dialogue and encourage positive behaviours, by doing this you will create a winning culture from the start.

How much you think you know your team cannot be taken for granted, if you think you fully know every one of your team members then I would urge you to think again! talk to them, get to know (really know them).

 

How do you work and communicate your winning culture?

once you have created your winning culture then, communicate, communicate and keep doing so, with clarity and precision to your people, it really needs to be relentless, gaining the buy-in of all of your team by focusing on the behaviours you all value. At this key stage it is imperative you have the full attention of all of your team and that you are all working towards the same winning culture.

Remember it really is a collaborative approach, don’t be afraid to change things if they are not working either, sometimes we get things wrong, it is only by accepting change we can evolve and grow.

 

How do you identify who is in need of help?

You may find you have team members who are not engaged, you may find this difficult to manage and or understand, in fact change can affect people in many ways, it may mean simply you need to invest your time up-skilling your team or individuals, some individuals may be in need of development.

You will find when change occurs morale dips, and you can boost this with specific L&D programs, it may also be a worrying time, for example, “can I perform in the future”, or “will I still be able to achieve”, these are all real feelings.

It may be worth setting time aside to complete a review or launching the program alongside your appraisal cycle with your team to allay their fears.

 

How to introduce a new environment?

It may be that you are making or introducing a new environment or moving, this may involve hybrid and or homeworking as this has become more prevalent over the last couple of years, this can be daunting, exciting, and logistically challenging and bring about many mixed emotions.

Once again, your team will hold many of the answers required and can make this work, not just in theory, they are the ones who will take part, and it will affect their day-day lives and their employment journey, their involvement is crucial to the overall success, as long as you have included them in the decision processes you should be fine.

A Q&A document can be a great tool when you are making changes/moves, I have used this before, and it has worked extremely well. Don’t forget collaborative input is everything.

We are all acutely aware that attracting and retaining talented individuals to your company is everything – don’t let them go and if you do then let it be for the right reasons.

 

How can we help you?

At HR and You Ltd we have a team of highly experienced HR Consultants who can manage any HR Project in any capacity, we have the relevant skills and knowledge to support you, and we can work on a project basis for any length of time, why not contact us for a confidential no obligation chat. 0333 006 9489 or email us at [email protected]

We look forward to bringing out the absolute best in your people.

 

 

 

 

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