Using Talent Optimization to Improve Company Culture So Your Business Can Go From Meh to Magnetic.
If I asked you to describe your company’s culture in one word, what word comes to mind?
“If you said ‘great,’ think again. How would you really describe it when catching up with an old friend?”
Does it lean towards the positive end of the spectrum? Characterized by words such as collaborative, innovative, transparent, inclusive, fun, autonomous, and nurturing?
Or does it skew more towards the negative connotations of toxic, stressful, siloed, rigid, stodgy, unsupportive, exclusionary, or bureaucratic?
Chances are, it’s a mix of both.
A funny observation I’ve seen through my coaching work is that employees within the same company often have very different experiences of workplace culture—across all industries. This is where the fun begins… and where leadership blind spots start to show. Let’s dive in…
Mixed Emotions and Cloudy Visions
When senior leaders are asked about their company’s culture, their descriptions are often glowing—innovative, high-performance, fast-paced, flexible, family-like.
But as you move down the org chart, the language shifts. Sometimes subtly (creative vs. eccentric). Other times dramatically (high-energy and demanding vs. exhausting and stressful).
So, which is more alarming—the slight differences or the major disconnects?
Words matter.
When we pause to listen to the words spoken and unspoken, tap into the emotions being conveyed, and consider the context in which actions create circumstances, we can begin to see a clearer picture.
One person’s obsessive-compulsive disorder is another’s acute attention to detail and highly structured organizational acumen. So how do we determine if or when the line is crossed and we have moved from functional to dysfunctional?
We intentionally define the lines and build guardrails.
Imagine Aligning Your People’s Strengths with Your Strategic Objectives
What would be possible?
Would…
…your mission be realized?
…daily operations run smoothly?
…you lead your industry?
…you be among the “Best Places to Work” crowd?
Talent optimization transforms company culture by fostering an inclusive environment that aligns employee strengths and behaviors with organizational goals. This alignment creates a culture of excellence.
Top 3 Indicators of a Top-Notch Culture
- Effective Leadership: TO focuses on developing effective leaders who can better support and motivate their teams, contributing to a culture of mentorship and growth. Additionally, when leaders leverage people data and behavioral insights, they can make informed decisions about their workforce, leading to a culture of objectivity and equity.
- Supportive Work Environment: By focusing on employee needs and creating supportive conditions, talent optimization contributes to a positive work culture where employees feel valued and empowered. In turn, organizations see a rise in engagement rates which reflects a vibrant and cohesive environment where people feel energized to collaborate and contribute innovative ideas.
- Improved Retention: Companies focusing on TO experience lower attrition rates. This stability contributes to stronger relationships at work and a much needed sense of security. Additionally, aligning skills and behaviors with job requirements helps reduce burnout, which affects 77% of employees according to a Deloitte survey on workplace burnout.
Which of the three above do you enjoy at your organization? If it’s all three, great work! You are a rare and highly desirable breed.
If you feel there is room for improvement across all fronts, you are in good company. Culture is a journey, not a destination—it’s more Chutes & Ladders than Straight Line to Success.
Harmonizing Work and Life
Organizations are dynamic ecosystems. As such, a state of constant, evolutionary change through a multitude of failures and successes is the norm.
Every aspect of our lives is in a state of constant motion, this is simply universal law. Although the vigor and vitality of life and work can be overwhelming at times, the alternative – which is rigor mortis and death – isn’t the ideal state we typically pursue.
Let’s consider the forces at play as we move through a typical day.
Where there is motion, there is friction. We can use the force of friction to refine us and improve our current state or we can work against this natural force and suffer the pain of resistance.
Finding the balance – between motion and friction – that aligns with our vision is a large part of the “work” we do in the here and now.
As we move toward a more ideal state of being…improved health and function from an individual and a collective standpoint…there will be limiting factors, forces that work in opposition to our forward motion.
When we intentionally bring people together who have a diverse mix of strengths, unique perspectives, and shared values and we design their work and their environment to complement this amalgamation, the results are magnificent.
Shared Visions: A People-First Approach
My vision for Meraki is to create a firm that puts people first. For me, this looks like extending grace and intentionally redesigning the world of work with and for our people and our clients.
It brings me great joy when I meet other leaders who share this vision and hear stories about the many ways they are changing the landscape of work environments.
Check out Six Factor’s use of PI to support their efforts in building dream teams and empowering their people to excel.
Personally, I find Six Factor CEO Andy Parkins’ mission “to inspire people to find their greatness” heart-warming and edgy. How much better would the world of work be if every organization truly put their people first?
Healthy, Thriving Cultures Aren’t a Luxury Anymore
They’re a necessity.
If you have the faintest desire to build a brand and an organization trusted by employees and customers alike, your culture is the foundation.
But where do you start? And what data should you actually consider?
Numbers are great for balance sheets—but they don’t capture the drives, behaviors, and strengths of the people behind them.
If you want the full picture of your most valuable asset—your people—it starts with a 6 minute talent assessment. (Yes, really—it’s that quick.)
Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s designed.
And that’s where I come in.
Let’s take a deep dive into what’s shaping your company culture—and align your people for success.
Book a consultation, and let’s build a workplace that works!
