It’s common for leaders to face a lot of fears, anxieties, and uncertainties in an organization, and the one of the best ways to face that head-on is through their culture. Every leader knows the importance of culture, but it still seems to be an ethereal concept to them. Everybody thinks that culture is up to one or two leaders to establish in the company and they set the tone. But it doesn’t work that way.

In today’s episode, Adam Hill speaks with the brand culture expert and speaker Pam Nemec. Pam’s thought leadership around brand culture via human resources and communications has led to recruiting, retaining, and caring for over 48,000 employees over the course of her 20-year career. She brings a refreshing cutting-edge, actionable perspective that results in passionate employees who deliver impressive performance.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:
– Finding a company culture that walks the talk
– Taking control of your life
– How to create alignment
– Your job as a leader
– The importance of communication and the systems around it
– Putting culture into the systems of your organization

Episode Highlights:
[06:53] Culture Requires Action
You have to commit to actually building the things that are going to give you what you say you want. Do it consistently, don’t give up, build the processes in, and make sure everybody understands the expectations around that type of culture. Then people start to begin to let their guard down. They begin to collaborate and communicate more, and the results just start to occur. Culture isn’t something you should talk about. You have to do something about it, and that’s where the leaders come in. As an employee, you also have to find a company culture that walks the talk, not just lip service.

[14:03] Taking Control of Your Life
It’s very easy for us to fall victim and dwell in the past. That’s fine to ask yourself if that helps you from a growth perspective. But once you dwell there, it gets toxic and it doesn’t move you forward. And so, acknowledge that time when you felt like a failure. But know that you have control over your life. Focus on what matters and who matters.

[38:49] Your Job as a Leader
As a leader, your job is more about clearing the obstacles so your team can do their job. And sometimes, that means running interference with another leader or having a conversation with them for clarification.

[40:02] Building a Culture with Intention
Communication and the systems around it can cure a lot of cultural problems. But it takes time. And a lot of times, we want to hurry up and figure things out. Especially when you have a growing organization, you have to be intentional about how you’re going to communicate the different changes happening in your company, and you do that through the process you have in place.

Culture is all about how you behave on a day-to-day basis, how you work with one another, and what kind of environment you create that people have to basically live in. Culture is not just about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). That’s just one piece of it. There may be days you would fall down, but you know you have an aspiration and that’s where you want to go and who you want to be. You have to incorporate culture into every step of the process right from the beginning. Communicate and systematize how you’re going to bring it to life.

Listen on Apple Podcasts