Building a Culture of Respect

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. – Mother Teresa

Building and maintaining a healthy workplace culture is a challenge within any organization. Creating and sustaining a healthy culture where comradery thrives begins with respect and trust. With it, there is such potential for great things; without it, there’s always going to be tension between that potential and the disappointment of unfulfilled goals. 

If there’s ever been a time for building a culture of respect it’s now. A great tension exists between our culture as a whole and how that plays out day-to-day in the workplace. Whatever stands you take and positions you subscribe to in our current culture at large, those can and do inevitability carry over into the workplace.

So how does a leader set the tone for a healthy workplace culture when the people within it bring such diverse and strong points of view regarding the things that are taking place outside of it? 

Here’s what I know to be true and what everyone needs to remember - there is a difference between people being divided and being divisive. Click To Tweet And as a leader, you have to know the difference and set up healthy boundaries. People will have differing views on all sorts of issues. That’s to be expected and normal. But people choose to be divisive by their actions and behaviors.

The other day I called my friend Tom. He and I have been friends for more than 30 years. He was one of the first ones to visit my wife and me in the hospital after our children were born. He was very instrumental in some of my early career choices and he is a valued and trusted friend.

Our friendship transcends the different ways in which we see the world. And after some of the recent major headlines, it was Tom whom I wanted to talk with. Why is that?

While we have our different convictions and differences of opinion our friendship transcends them. The fact that we don’t always agree is precisely why I called him. I didn’t want an echo chamber conversation. I wanted to talk, ask questions, listen, and broaden my perspective and understanding. And this is what we’ve been doing for more than 30 years.

Over the years our friendship has lasted because of one word – respect. Our friendship is not defined by our political points of view, by a label, by always having to be right, or by the need to get in the last word. We listen to each other with respect and do not allow any disagreement to come between us.

As a leader, how you walk this tightrope and how it plays out in your workplace is vital to the health of your organization.

On a practical level, what can you do as a leader? How can you help build a culture of respect? Here are a few ideas.

Model it

Having the kind of workplace culture that you want as a leader begins with you. If respect is what’s needed, then respect has to be shown. Never insist on any action or behavior that you are not taking the lead on. Respect, as with any other value within your organization, begins with leadership. It succeeds or fails by your example.

Make it a priority

As a leader, you are not responsible for the beliefs and actions of the masses outside of your organization. But you do have a say about what takes place within it. Building a respectful culture within your organization not only has to be modeled by you but must be made a priority.  Once values and behaviors are communicated they must be made a priority that your people embrace.

Hold people accountable

Within the context of building a culture of respect within your organization, there have to be accountability measures in place. The culture of the organization does not rest on the shoulders of one person- everyone shares that responsibility. 

Hold diversity in high regard

Benjamin Franklin said, “When everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” And this is when you run the risk of getting stuck. You need people who see things differently and who think differently from you. Your diversity is not the problem, it’s your strength and you need to recognize and celebrate it. Mutual respect and trust must be the glue that holds it all together.

Final Thoughts

Building a healthy culture in your organization begins with respect. Along with trust, it’s the foundation upon which everything else is built. It takes a commitment on your part to model it and make it a value and when you do and it takes hold, you will have a culture worth emulating.

 

©2022 Doug Dickerson

 

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Six Reasons Why You Want Diversity On Your Team

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Diversity: The art of thinking independently together. – Malcolm Forbes

That diversity is at the forefront of importance in the business community is an understatement. It’s as much a part of the conversation now as it’s ever been. Yet sadly, there are still some who are slow to understand the benefits of a diverse team.

Writing for Teamable, Melissa Suzuno highlights some impressive statistics as it relates to diversity and inclusion on your leadership team. Here are a few of her findings: 67% of candidates want to join a diverse team, 57% of employees want to prioritize diversity, inclusive companies enjoy 2.3 x higher cash flow, 35% of diverse companies outperform homogeneous ones, and 70% are more likely to capture new markets.

As impressive as these statistics are, it leads us to the questions- why are some organizations still slow in embracing diversity on their teams? We would like to offer six reasons why you should.

To create new margins for growth and opportunity.

Any organization seeking to expand its growth and opportunities should see diversity and inclusion as the starting point. Click To TweetDiversity on your team creates the margins you need to make that happen. With greater diversity and inclusion comes a larger net, greater reach, greater potential, and more success. It’s a leader’s secret sauce that’s really not a secret at all. It’s the lifeblood of your organization.

To eliminate stagnant thinking

Nothing will sink an organization faster than a group- think mentality and stagnant thinking. When creativity is waning or gone, and everyone is thinking alike you’ll soon discover no one is really thinking at all. Diversity allows you to challenge old assumptions and creates more options. Stagnant thinking says, “this is the way we’ve always done it”, while diversity says “we can and we will do better”. Diversity of thought and ideas gives you leverage that will elevate you to the next level. Embrace it!

To maximize our potential for success- the more voices at the table, the stronger we are.

Organizational leaders need to understand that the more voices you have at the table the stronger you will be. Click To TweetThose same few voices will continue to deliver those same predictable decisions. The expansion of creativity and diversity of ideas will only come to fruition with the inclusion of more people who can contribute to your organization’s success.

To take ego out of the equation

If you lack diversity on your team, chances are you have surrounded yourself with ‘yes’ men. This is great for your ego, but disastrous for your business. We all have blind spots, areas where we cannot see clearly. Diversity on your team gives you access to the resources that help bring your blind spots into focus.

To enhance buy-in

If you lack diversity on your team, you will struggle to get widespread buy-in for your ideas and solutions. We all want to feel like we have some control over our work environment. Diversity on your team allows input from a variety of perspectives and provides a sense of inclusion in the process. Buy-in eliminates the “us vs. them” mentality and fosters more of a “look at what we did” pride. Click To Tweet

To promote engagement

If you lack diversity on your team, you will promote an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality. We all want to feel like we are making meaningful contributions at work. An ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality is the enemy of engagement. Diversity on your team breaks down a perceived division and inspires employees to become engaged in making positive contributions to your organization.

Valuing and promoting a diverse team environment in your business benefits you as the leader, your employees, and the organization as a whole. This diversity creates new margins for growth and opportunity, eliminates stagnant thinking, maximizes the potential for success, takes ego out of the equation, enhances buy-in, and promotes engagement. As Malcolm Forbes stated in the above quote, the ultimate definition of diversity is “… thinking independently together.” No organization can stand on firm footings without it.

©2018 Doug Dickerson and Liz Stincelli

Liz Stincelli is an Employee Advocate, Leadership Consultant, Author, and Speaker. Learn more about Liz Stincelli at http://www.stincelliadvisors.com/

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