How can you use culture change to become a better leader?

Culture is rather abstract to understand. But culture manifests itself through behaviors that are implicitly and explicitly recognized and rewarded in an organization. So a good starting point is to understand what are the dominant behaviors that are recognized and is that what we want to continue to reinforce. This is a good starting point to understand the existing culture.

Culture is the culmination of the lived experiences of your employees. Culture change requires consistently new lived experiences and behaviours that will eventually change the perspectives of employees. Leaders are paramount to this change and this is the best opportunity for you to walk the talk. Leaders who are seen to consistently model the new behaviours will build trust and credibility with their team. Without trust and credibility, you can't positively impact your culture. This is the best time to develop your skills and show your employees your character.

In our fast-paced world, leveraging culture change is crucial for leadership growth, emphasizing the role of leaders in modeling new behaviors, building trust within the team. In fintech, where agility is paramount, culture is a catalyst for success. Aligning values with actions, involving teams in creating momentum, and focusing on small, scalable changes are key. The mantra should be "better today than yesterday," fostering a continuous improvement mindset.

Culture change forces leaders to get to the core of what matters starting with the business strategy through to customers and, most importantly, their people. It requires leaders to prioritize what will truly make a difference. A laundry list of cultural attributes washes out key areas of focus. Defining the desired few cultural attributes requires reflection, collaboration, commitment, and courage. Reflect on how your behaviors align with the culture; Collaborate with other leaders to create organizational consistency; Commit to the cultural attributes even when it's difficult; Have courage to realize it takes time to create a new culture and still be willing to take on the charge.

Culture is the language that is demonstrated when no one is watching and no one is speaking 😊It is imprinted in the language and actions of employees and members of a team and should be indelible if it is strong and robust

Culture is a sum of all individual parts - meaning the uniqueness of individuals in the organization, their behaviours and values. In changing culture, identify and take the best that aligns with your vision as an organization. Conversations, observations and request for feedback are definitely good ways to get a good understanding of your current culture, the extent of alignment with what you want to project as an organization and what needs to change as a result of that. Culture is also dynamic, ever-changing so always good to keep an ongoing pulse review on that.

While the aspects shared are very relevant, it is important to add an element of Change Management. This would include; 1. Why is this Change important and relevant? 2. How is it helpful and useful for the stakeholders 3. Demonstrate integrity and compassion while introducing the Change.

I have the good fortune to work in environment made up of diverse and differing cultures. Our EMEA office has multi language colleagues who bring with them their cultural heritage as well as their expertise in their own market. When we combine this with working with our incarcerated workforce in the US and our South American colleagues in Cordoba, we truly have a melting pot of diversity, culture and viewpoints. While sometimes challenging, this also is the catalyst for us to become a global thinking company and to be the success that we are today. Our people are our company.

It’s a moment of growth 📈 In my view, leveraging culture change is crucial for leadership growth. It involves embracing diversity, fostering innovation. Adapting to cultural shifts demonstrates empathy, a key leadership trait. This approach not only motivates teams but also shows a leader's commitment to continuous improvement.

Culture stems from the Purpose of an organisation and the “ values” inherent to realise the purpose ! In my organisation , “ Respect “ is the core value — Respect ourselves , Respect each other , Respect Diversity and Respect for the future generations 😇The behaviours this leads to of tolerance , dignity , temperance , empathy and compassion is what gets “ demonstrably embedded “ as Culture or the “ smell of the place “

All organizations carry set of values and in most cases those values are never discussed or evaluated to test if business vision is targeted based on those values. Even in many organizations people are hired on technical expertise and not on the behavioral aspect. Then leadership expect that those employees showcase those values which is not practical. As a top leader, you need to ensure your values are well understood and practiced by other leaders. People follow what their leaders/managers do and leaders need to be their role model.

La cultura deseada debe de construirse con la escucha interna y alinearlo con la estrategia a largo plazo de la propia organización. Si el modelo de negocio se quiere transformar o quiere ganar agilidad para adaptarse al contexto debe contar con las personas que la constituyen y preparar el camino con ellas para esa transformación. Hay que tener en cuenta que el cambio no se logra hasta que todas las personas están convencidas de ello y caminan en la misma dirección. Esto lleva tiempo ya que el punto de partida y las circunstancias individuales o las dificultades que surjan pueden ser muy diferentes. Como metáfora, “el tren no llega a destino hasta que el último vagón llega a la estación”.

In my experience, observing changes in behavior and attitudes is key to recognizing a shift in culture. Clear signs of a positive cultural shift include increased collaboration, more open communication, and visible alignment with new values and goals. In order to support or steer the direction of this change, you need to be a guide and a listener. Regularly check in with your team, solicit feedback, and be willing to make adjustments. Celebrate milestones and successes to keep the momentum going.

Before defining a desired culture, it's important to keep in mind that CHANGE IS HARD. Period. And it requires courage -- courage from the leader and courage from the team. A few pointers on how to build up this courage, and it starts with the leader! 1. Realize that it's not shameful to admit that you don't know how to do something. I would love to see leaders foster a culture where it's okay to make mistakes, and it's okay to admit vulnerability. 2. How can leaders create a space that is safe for their teams? A space with no judgment, a space where you don't need to bring another down for you to get up there. 3. And finally, consider how a leader could embody a growth mindset in order to define and articulate this change to the team.

Be honest with yourself about the norms you want to establish in your organization and demonstrating them yourself, as a leader. For example, Do you admit when you've gotten something wrong? Do you hold yourself accountable for being inclusive and continue a lifelong process of learning to improve?

Culture is a combination of values and vision. When values are synchronized with the company’s vision, they create a strong sense of belonging for team members. Organizations just paying lip service to a stated culture will be seen as inauthentic. Examples of cultural pillars are integrity, teamwork, diversity and inclusion, customer centricity, and contribution to the greater good. A clearly defined culture provides a roadmap guiding the organization in navigate challenges and opportunities while remaining aligned with its vision. Because culture creates a sense of unity and purpose, they contribute to a feeling of stability in an environment in perpetual motion.

As a top leader it is imperative that you create a clear vision and mission. This vision must coincide with the values of the organization. From this vision a strategy must be developed to bring this vision to fruition. Communication must be consistent and Transparency is crucial to gain trust and buy in.

For Culture to embed the LEADERSHIP has to “ Talk the Talk “ consistently and coherently AND “ walk the talk “ indefatigably and with determination. There is no magic formula — Cultures are infectious and leaders are the carriers ✅

Culture can be a catch phrase unless you involve team members to create the momentum for the future. This could be related to focus on CX, or CI as an option. I find that a focus on small but sustainable change that the teams initiate are scalable and inspiring at the same time. “better today than yesterday”. Be inspired.

The biggest success factor for culture change I have experienced is the need for culture of CEO to be aligned with Senior Management and Board. If its strong and assuming it aligns with what the core employees both "want to do" and "can do" it will cascade down. Core employees should then start to embrace and propose supporting adaption of the processes, organization and systems that may be required. If it has to be forced by top management at this stage, then something is wrong. Core employees will normally embrace a change if it has been properly explained and it makes sense.

Start small but do start! When others fail at changing culture, it's due to one of a few reasons: - they take on too much change at once - they are not consistent - they poorly communicate why the change is needed and how it will affect employees - they are impatient Avoid those pitfalls by starting with small recognizable steps. For example, incorporate recognition into your meetings by identifying small wins. Publicly praise behaviors that enforce and drive the culture you envision. Alternately, think about the meeting cadence at your company. In what ways are the meetings ineffective? Too many meetings? Poorly ran meetings? No agenda? These are easy areas to change that will help support your goal to build a better culture.

As a leader, I think its important to lead by example. Many of us have been subjected to "all hands calls" where we feel like there is a culture message but then the actions that follow do not support the change. How off-putting is that!? As a leader, Demonstrate a growth mindset by supporting the initiatives within your own team through actions, not words. Showcase your willingness to adapt and evolve. By doing this, you inspire others to embrace cultural change and foster a culture of innovation.

The reason culture change is hard is because leaders need to change their behaviors and often increase their emotional intelligence. Leaders need intensive training/counseling to make the behavior changes necessary and then have to use these behaviors consistently over time so that employees believe the change is going to be permanent. It takes time to get a culture change going, but once it get going, it can snowball quickly.

I believe that the initial and most crucial step in a cultural transformation is to engage with Senior Leadership and secure their buy-in for the change we aspire to achieve. This is because Senior Leaders have the power to influence the culture of an organization and can help to drive change top-down. By getting their buy-in, we can ensure that the change we are proposing is aligned with the organization’s goals and values. This will help to create a sense of ownership and commitment among the Senior Leadership team, which will be essential for the success of the cultural change initiative. Once we have their support, we can then work to engage other stakeholders and build momentum for the change.

There is no secret on the implementation and deployment of the company strategy, simply “lead by example “ top down with continuous communication at all levels on the wanted position and the “expected way of working”, both internally and with customers. Public Recognition to employees or teams to give visibility of good reference practices with impactful results fully aligned toward the objectives, is a critical factor to secure cultural changes are executed properly. Change Management must be led by Top Managers with the CEO at front.

When it comes to culture change, models and methodologies will take you so far. The most important part of the strategy is: - Model and examples of what the culture attribute looks like - Leading by example, especially at leadership levels - Recognize and reward those who are achieving the new culture - Share stories that can help to create your new culture and history - Have tactics to address when people may revert to prior habits and ways - Ensure that your website is current to attract prospective employees

Culture is dynamic. Every new addition to your team is a new ingredient to the culture, and when people leave the organization, it also has an impact on the culture. Point is, culture is a living, breathing experience that needs to be nurtured, mindfully managed, and intentionally evolved as the organization advances.

Don’t expect you will get everything right on the first try. Openly communicate this to your employees and create feedback loops and KPIs to measure how the change is going. For example, stay interviews can help you gauge employee sentiment and identify areas for improvement. While KPIs such as turnover and retention help you measure the impact of a change. It is crucial to measure what is happening in your organization as it allows you to intervene before employees burn out or resign.

Don't get so caught up on the methodology that you forget to just talk to people about it. The formal tools are great, but none of these replace lunch & learns with leaders and asking for feedback when you connect with someone. In other words, don't get into the bad habit of sending surveys and hiding behind dashboards. Do the work and talk to people!

Evaluation is often a missing step to continuous improvements or celebrating good work. I believe leaders set the tone and bring everyone on the journey, while being open to learning too.

The use of a waterfall methodology for the preparation of planning has worked best to ensure effective stakeholder management, however during deployment agile/scrum can deliver small change quickly with close coupled feedback of issues and what is working well.

Observation and Direct Engagement is crucial. Leaders should be active participants and flexible to embrace different perspectives. Look for changes in employee behaviour, communication patterns, and decision-making processes. This direct engagement can provide insights into how the new culture is manifesting in real-time. Regularly hold open forums or informal discussions where employees can share their experiences and concerns about the cultural changes. This hands-on approach can help identify issues that may not be evident in surveys or metrics. Active participation within the organisation will provide a comprehensive understanding of how the cultural change is unfolding and where refinements are needed.

As in any process, some iterations may be needed. Obtain data from the field, review what is working and what is not, look for alternatives and implement new changes…and continue until the desire goal is achieved. The journey is not a straight line, but with many curves. The key point is to have the goal clear and very well-defined.

Using culture change to become a better leader involves understanding and influencing the values, behaviors, and norms within your organization or team.

Aligning cultural change with the company's mission and goals is crucial for its success. Having the support and involvement of management ensures a top-down approach that can effectively guide and implement those changes across the organization. Leadership buy-in can significantly influence how well cultural shifts are embraced and sustained.