b'ENGAGEMENTarea at a time removes the stresstive in the long term. ConsistentReason 5: You Need and feeling of being overwhelmed,and intentional effort is key if were that results from taking on tootrying to boost employee engage- to Adjust Your much at once. Additionally, whenment. Expectationswe have specific and measurableOftentimes, it isnt the obvious bigHow long does it take? Whether goals, we are more likely to see thegestures that your employees areyoureaskingaboutimprove-progress weve made, encouragingwatching. They are more likely to us to take on the next challenge. ments to your physical fitness or notice if their leaders are living upyour company culture, the answer to the companys core values day Reason 2: Leadershipin and day out. From the tone ofis probably the same- longer than you think. Research shows that it is not Fullyan email to the way conflicts gettakes a minimum of 18 months Committed resolved, the messaging needs toto change company culture, and be consistent. It needs to be appar- whenyouthinkaboutit,that Have you ever worked out withent that company culture is alwaysmakes sense.a friend? At times, it can be reallya priority.helpful (more on that later). WhatCulture is crafted over time and happensthough,iftheystartReason 4: You Need ainvolves thoughts, actions, and canceling your training sessionshabits. Making changes requires together, or when they do workCoach buy-in from leadership, front-line out, they give little to no real effort?Earlier, I said that working out withemployees,andsupportstaff. Doesnt that make it harder for youa friend can be beneficial; recently,Expectingimmediateresults to give your best? I was doing just that. My friendmight lead to frustration and a noticed a couple of errors in mylack of follow-through. Just like Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, made thisform and showed me how to cor- fitness goals, its important not to interesting comment, Ultimately,rect them. The exercise felt right tofixate on the results but focus on its on the company leaders to setme; I was feeling the burn, but mythe process. When we value cul-the tone. Not only the CEO but theture, we respect the process and leaders across the company. Forcompromised form meant I wasntrealistically acknowledge the time sustainable improvements, leader- getting the most out of the move- needed to make real changes.ship must be committed to improv- ment.ing company culture, which meansSomething similar can happen inProgress Not implementing changes and holdingour role as leaders. Its possible to themselves and others accountablehave blind spots that we simplyPerfectionto established standards. Disen- cannot see and, therefore, cannotIf, at times, you feel overwhelmed gaged leaders might need help tofix on our own. Or perhaps thewithyourcompanyculture see why cultural improvements arepeople we manage need support,efforts, try taking a step back to necessary and, more importantly,training, and development pro- see how far you have come. True, how they will benefit from them. grams to help them adapt to a newconsistent effort is necessary to culture. Having a culture coachimprove culture, as is motivation. Reason 3: Lack offrom Up Your Culture can help inIf you only focus on what hasnt Consistency two ways: improved, you might lose hope Which is better: two extremely1 Coaches are trained to uncoverand reverse the positive changes intense workouts per month orareas of opportunity. already made.walking daily for fifteen minutes? It2.They provide the resourcesStay encouraged! Any movement might depend on your perspective,and techniques needed to helpforward for your organization is but most would agree that dailyleaders and employees lever- progress- something to be proud consistent efforts are more effec- age their strengths. of!Why Your Cultural Efforts May Not Be Working 123'