A Culture of Hope is a Strategic Advantage

Hope is not a strategy. You’ve no doubt heard this bit of wisdom and it’s likely to be true if that’s all you do—sit around and hope for the best. In reality, however, a culture of hope is essential during this economic crisis. You must have faith that “this, too, shall pass”…and it will. And, as a leader, it’s your job to ensure your people believe in the future as well.

As Napoleon said, "A leader is a dealer in hope." And, noted leadership expert, Joe Batten adds, “The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive.” Helen Keller may have said it best of all: “ Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope…”

Will your company be ready to hit the ground running with the right people with the right frame of mind to jump on the opportunities that are around the corner? Have you created a culture of hope in your company?

Scott Lochridge and Jennifer Rosenzweig, founding partners of Dragonfly (www.dragonflyORG.com), support the notion that hope is a powerful force in the world in their new book, enlightenment, incorporated. They also point out that in tough times, people and organizations lose hope and they get scared. When they get scared, they fall into negative, fearful behavior. People spend more time complaining and sharing their fears which cuts into their productive work.

This can be the beginning of a downward spiral. The negativity places a pall on the organization causing the best people to leave. And if they can’t afford to leave now, they will when the economy turns around. Lochridge and Rosenzweig warn us, “Once the good talent leaves, the organization is left with staff that is usually frightened, risk averse, and by definition, less talented.” In these difficult times, and when the good times roll again, the last thing you want to do is drive the good talent away.

A sure way to keep top talent (and maintain high productivity) is to create and manage a culture of hope for the future. Hope is what sustains us as humans and a culture of hope in your organization is what will enable you to focus your team on your vision and implement your business strategy with an aligned, positive workforce that pulls together.

Get Ready for the Upswing: Manage Your Values-Driven Culture

If you heard Warren Buffett on the news this morning, he said we’re out of the quicksand; but we’re a little bruised from ropes that were needed to pull us out.
Point is: there are positive signs this economic crisis won’t last forever. There will be a sustained business upswing—there always has been and likely always will be. We don't know when it will turn around but my advice is not to wait too long. Get prepared now.

It’s long been known that if you manage your culture effectively, it will have a positive impact on your bottom line. (Do a Google search for corporate culture and performance.) Consider these research findings:

· Almost one-half of earnings are attributable to how much employees “buy into” the company’s corporate culture.

· Companies that manage their culture have revenue increases of 682% vs. 166% for those who don’t.

· Stock prices for companies that manage their cultures increase by 901% vs. 74% for those who don’t; net income increases compare 756% vs. 1%; and ROI increases twice as much.

· In another generally poor economic climate (1972-92) five top-performing companies were those that managed the culture of their workforces well.

It's easy to lose focus under the stress and pressure of tough times. Here are five ways to manage your culture now.

1. When in survival mode, it’s easy lose sight of your market focus, your core values, and who you are. Now is the time to reestablish your company’s critical uniqueness.

2. Conflict and stress rear their ugly heads when business pressures increase. Rumor mongering, passive aggressive behavior, open interpersonal conflict, and other ill effects undermine team cohesion. Now is the time to root out dysfunctional behaviors and reward values-based expected actions.

3. Tough times increase self-interest vs. team collaboration. Now is the time to revitalize your team, clarify company ground rules for behavior, and do everything you can to keep your best people.

4. When threatened (and these are threatening times) people circle the wagons, horde information, and stop sharing openly. Now is the time to promote trust and facilitate healthy communication.

5. Fear diminishes creativity and the organization becomes risk-averse. Now is the time to revitalize innovation, stress adapting to change and encourage creativity without the fear of failure.

Prepare now so you can reap all of the bottom-line benefits of a well-managed culture with a positively aligned workforce.