"Congratulations, you got the job. By the way, you are now leading one of the worst departments in the organization."
That's what I walked into in my career.
But you know what? I said, "No way. That will change." I didn't see problems, I only saw opportunities. These were good people who had ineffective leadership.
It took 3 years to transform our department, but I did it. Want to know how?
1️⃣ I met 1:1 with each team member - What was no longer serving them? How could I help them be more successful?
2️⃣ I then took the themes from those conversations and developed programming to tackle and change what was no longer serving anyone.
3️⃣ I showed them how their work fit into the bigger picture in supporting the mission of the organization.
4️⃣ And I continued to check in.
What did I learn?
⭐ People want more. People want consistency. People can become products of their environment, so if you change the environment, you provide a better place for people to thrive.
If someone walks into your organization to 'change your culture' but they have had zero experience actually doing the challenging work of transforming a department or organization from the inside, they will go after quick fixes that don't stick.
Have you ever been part of an organization or department that transformed their culture? What worked? What didn't work?
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