Now’s the time to reinforce your organizational culture

Two keys to impactful and memorable leadership are:

1. Creating a robust organizational culture; and
2. Operating as if said culture exists AND makes a difference.

When I started with ADVISA as a Leadership Consultant just over five weeks ago, I couldn’t have imagined the context and environment I would get to see the above leadership keys tangibly expresed by the company I had joined. But, the last few weeks have been a surreal opportunity for me to experience firsthand how this company I joined operates under slogans like “where leadership lives” and “improving the world one leader at a time.” It really does walk the walk and I have received my own lesson in leadership as a result.

I’d like to highlight this firsthand learning journey I have been on by sharing three of the ADVISA core values and how I have experienced them tangibly and powerfully lived out in recent days.

Family

ADVISA definition: “Doing our jobs is important, but family comes first. We recognize that life should be a balance between work and play.” The current mandates have created unprecedented scenarios of working from home, parenting children (who are also at home) and being a part-time teacher. This is a family first sort of a moment, and in every way the ADVISA leadership and team at large have provided support and encouragement. Not only has it been a family first approach in terms of making sure that my wife and kids were taken care of, but I have also felt like I am truly a part of a whole new family. This group cares deeply, not just about the work output I create, but even more about who I am as a human.

Continuous Learning

ADVISA definition: “We haven’t learned if we haven’t changed. We will learn from our mistakes and share feedback. We will pursue outside learning opportunities to stay sharp and fully engaged.” As the COVID-19 situation unfolded, it became clear ADVISA was likely not going to be able to host any of our in-person The Predictive Index® and Leadership Development training sessions for at least six weeks. Amazingly, only hours after this reality came to light, plans were being initiated to virtualize these trainings. And not just in a “make it work sort of a fashion,” but by partnering with multiple industry leading experts to create material and delivery mechanisms that are truly top notch. The speed and decisiveness with which this unforeseen hurdle was tackled was truly inspiring, encouraging and on point.

Teamwork

ADVISA definition: “We will operate as a team, helping each other wherever possible. We will always treat each other with respect.” The above decision was far from being a hurdle to be jumped solely by our President or a key leader. Rather, this unforeseen “continuous learning” moment called for action and collaboration from numerous key team members. They collaborated before I hardly new what was going on. And, if that isn’t enough, they have communicated brilliantly to me and the rest of the client-facing team so we can make sense of the new options for our clients. It has all been achieved through teamwork every step of the way. I realize now, more than ever, I am a part of something exponentially greater than the sum of it’s parts.

These are tough and unprecedented times. They are hard and not always fun. It might not be what you felt like you thought you were signing up for. All true. But these times also give great opportunity to find, rediscover or reinforce your organizational culture AND to live like that culture matters…because it does, now more than ever.