How do we build community and belonging? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are many ways to do this like team offsites or just being kind to each other. But Emily believes one of the most important things we can do is make sure that the community feels safe to people who come from many different perspectives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This could be through language, making sure your job descriptions aren\u2019t gendered. It could be through imagery, making sure your website represents a diverse group of photos. If you could be through your events, making sure there are vegetarian options at your company outing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doing this on our own is tough because you\u2019ll have plenty of blind spots designing changes from one perspective. It\u2019s important to bring in diverse minds to ensure you hear from different points of view.
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Trait #5: Proactive Mindset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Preventing issues is simpler than fixing them. Opting for a healthy lifestyle now, with regular gym sessions and nutritious meals, is wiser than dealing with health problems in your 70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, taking a proactive stance at work to prevent issues is crucial. Instead of waiting for problems to arise and then scrambling to resolve them, it’s better to address potential challenges before they become fires you need to put out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does a proactive mindset look like in practice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne thing that Dr. Anhalt recommends is to add policies that prevent burnout. Because burning out is something that\u2019s much easier to prevent than it is to fix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you wait until people are already past their limit, it\u2019s too late. They\u2019re exhausted, unable to perform at their best, and might even leave your company in search of an organization that can better support their needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, we want to make sure a person never gets to that place of burnout. Here are some simple ways to do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Offer a no questions asked mental health day policy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Discourage email and Slack on nights and weekends<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Allow work-from-home days<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Encourage people to actually take vacation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Add \u201cself-care time\u201d into your calendar
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Trait #6: Stability and Integrity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re building a company, things are bound to change. The product will change, the team will change, or the entire direction of your startup could change 10 times during your tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s expected, but at the same time, stability is important for our mental health. We need consistency in some areas of our life to weather the unexpected storms that are bound to happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, having a stable core in your team that people can count on can help you endure hard times. Or perhaps your product changes direction but your team\u2019s core values don\u2019t change the type of people you\u2019re bringing on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do we create stability in your company?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne powerful way is to create traditions and rituals. Traditions and rituals are actually at the heart of every ongoing culture, and work should be no different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They strengthen bonds, create reliability, and increase joy. You don’t have to overthink this one. You can try a bunch of traditions and rituals and just see what sticks. People will lean into the ones that they like and they’ll kind of lean away from the ones that don’t go as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Coa, they put a \u201cmission\u201d every Monday<\/strong> like \u201ctell us about a time you overcame a tough challenge in your life and what got you through it.\u201d The team posts their answers on Slack throughout the week and on Friday, everyone votes on which answer impacted them the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis practice has helped their team learn so much about each other. Plus this activity lives and breathes their values around transparency and vulnerability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another tradition Emily has seen is called Above and Beyond day. <\/strong>Once a month, someone gives a shout out to a colleague who has been extra kind, set a good example, or accomplished an important milestone. That colleague gets a special prize. Then the person who won gets to shout out the next person for the following month. It\u2019s a way to recognize each other and reward hard work. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA simple one anyone can do is celebrate anniversary markers<\/strong>. For every year someone has been at the company, they earn some kind of marker to indicate how long you\u2019ve been around. Maybe it\u2019s a patch on your company jacket or a wooden block that you keep on your desks. <\/p>\n\n\n\nEmily recommends having someone be the \u201cowner\u201d of these rituals to ignite the initial spark and continue the momentum.
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Trait #7: Communication and Transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Effective communication is everything for team success. Good communication prevents misunderstandings, solves conflict, and ensures we\u2019re all working cohesively toward the same goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A common misconception is that people can\u2019t handle honest and transparent communication. But the reality is, people want the truth, even if it\u2019s tough to hear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you communicate better in your company?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s important to create a structure of ongoing feedback. It\u2019s common for companies to wait until someone does something wrong before giving them feedback. But having a structure for feedback gives people transparency into how they\u2019re doing at all times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This could look like a quarterly conversation (recommended) or an annual review (less frequent, but still good). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another event that Emily does is Feelings Friday<\/em>, a space where her team talks about things that have gone really well. Wins, times where they\u2019ve felt supported, and shoutouts for one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s also an opportunity to share moments where they felt unsupported and share things that didn\u2019t go well. Or sometimes they share personal news like, \u201cI had a tough week because I\u2019m going through some personal stuff. Sorry if I\u2019ve been a bit distant lately.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThese meetings are a chance to catch small problems and prevent them from getting bigger. It also serves a way to genuinely hear what\u2019s going on in each other\u2019s lives.
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To sum it all up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We invest a significant portion of our lives in the workplace. While enticing perks may contribute to employee happiness, what matters most is fostering a thriving and emotionally fit culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Anhalt’s research further identifies seven key traits that make up an emotionally fit culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Healthy Leadership<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Agency and Trust<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Culture of Play<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Community and Belonging<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Proactive Mindset<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Stability and Integrity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Communication and Transparency<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
By embracing these traits, you can proactively cultivate an environment that radiates psychological safety, which promotes better trust, collaboration, and the well-being of your teams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We spend an enormous amount of time at work. Like 90,000 hours worth. If people are going to work this much in their lifetime, it\u2019s natural to be selective in choosing who they work for. This gave companies an idea: what if we offered people more than just a place to work? What if we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[74,39,65],"yoast_head":"\n
7 Ways to Create an Emotionally Fit Culture - Culture Summit<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n