How do you build a positive culture for your fellow teammates at all levels?

Another eventful year is coming to a close. 2021, with all its ups and downs, is a reminder to businesses about the importance of being flexible and adaptable. 

Growing tensions about the business landscape amidst the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, have pushed leaders to think on their feet and brace themselves for the worst. 

It is for this reason that leaders and managers should look to reinforce a positive cultural attitude in the workplace. A common denominator seen across the business world today is that those that thrive are the ones who have incorporated this mindset into their workflows. 

Workplace culture is the very fabric that holds leaders and their workforce together. The culture a company embraces ultimately determines the type of attitudes, core missions, and values it stands on. 

The benefits of a positive work environment are best reflected in low employee turnover rates, higher profit margins, and improved work satisfaction. As a leader, striving to create a highly motivated team will result in better collaboration, get their team’s creative juices flowing, and raise the bar of productivity. 

Here are some ways you can look into building a positive work environment.

Value building relationships

No matter the industry or profession, most individuals undoubtedly spend most of their hours in a week at work with their co-workers, making the office their primary place of being.

Because of this, it is in every leader’s best interest to create an environment that nurtures and inspires growth for all team members regardless of their position.

Having strong social bonds with co-workers promotes mental wellness and improves team morale. A team with both junior and senior positions motivates the team members and makes them more understanding of each other. Such collaborative surroundings allow for a transfer of skills and knowledge such that those with more experience will voluntarily guide those with less experience. 

A company’s ability to flounder or flourish depends largely on the quality of social relationships they secure and establish.

Have an attitude of gratitude

With the year being particularly challenging for many, it is important to understand the advantages of being a vehicle of appreciation for your team. 

Embracing an attitude of gratitude boosts your team’s sense of self-worth and helps cultivate a more optimistic outlook towards situations. Your employees are the engine of your business and helping them build a sense of resilience despite situations looking so bleak will help them overcome roadblocks in their way. 

Investing in automation will also help ease their workflow and provide them with the needed training to develop their confidence in the tasks they will face.

As a leader and mentor, practising gratitude within your team will also indicate that you are aware of their efforts and will acknowledge those that contribute to the success of the business. 

Avoid leaving messes for others to clean up 

Nothing can be more frustrating than having people drop off projects for others to pick them up. The break-in workflow can ruin the efficiency within a team and can be an inducer of stress. 

Setting your team up to take up responsibilities and not leave their dirty dishes in the sink creates the accountability and awareness needed to function well. 

Learning to respect one’s time and energy is paramount for building relationships that last and is the most valuable unseen currency a business owns. Being ignorant of others’ workload can lead to a negative work environment that eventually costs your team and you more than what was bargained for. 

As a leader, be the example of clear and proper communication that leaves your team more united and staying at the top of their game. 

Keep to consistency at all times 

Have you heard the saying that too many cooks spoil the broth? The same goes with leading a team. While businesses are expected to keep up with the new and latest demands, using too many techniques to improve workflow can ultimately confuse and stress your employees out even more.  

As leaders, a common misconception about successfully enhancing employee engagement is that the latest professional techniques should be implemented. Although change is necessary and it can be healthy to be adaptable, not every tactic out there will work for your team. 

The key here is to find what works and utilize those measures to bring out the best within your team. Anything that affects the flow of your process can be detrimental and affect the cultural balance of your team. 

Create a safe, inclusive work environment

When emotions and stress are skyrocketing, even the tiniest of inconveniences can set off a negative chain reaction within your team. Leaders from all types of trade are now in acceptance that both inclusion and diversity are more than just buzzwords.

Successful businesses need to create safe and inclusive workplaces that make their workers feel heard, recognized, and appreciated.

Leaders can leave no room for discrimination—all biases and purposeful exclusions should be addressed immediately in favour of maintaining employee welfare. 

The benefits of making your workplace inclusive and safe cannot be undermined. When employees feel welcome, confident, and seen, it improves employee satisfaction, enhances creativity, and builds more authentic relationships. 

Make a positive culture your most valuable asset 

By making the extra effort to create a positive workplace attitude, you strengthen the ties and partnership between your employees and the company. 

Instead of looking to spend millions of dollars towards purchasing the latest gadgets and technology, it is more beneficial for businesses to seek to maintain a healthy rapport with their workers. 

Today, more than ever, it is loyalty and passion that unlock new potentials within teams that ultimately end up profiting a business. 

So, it is best practice to work towards a culture that channels positivity, bolsters creativity, and makes headway into attracting new victories for your team. 

Mindful_Leader
Mindful_Leaderhttps://themindfulleader.com/
Michael is the founder of prominent leadership consultancy WorkSmart Australia—a certified B Corp—Awakened Mind, and The Mindful Leader. With an outstanding track record in his field, he is renowned as a world-leading authority on mindful leadership and has trained and coached thousands of leaders from CEOs to front-line managers. Michael is also the author of the number one bestseller, The Mindful Leader, and co-author of, A Practical Guide to Mindful Meditation with Patrick Kearney and Extraordinary Leadership in Australia & New Zealand with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner.
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