What’s Being Said In Your Workplace?

If you were to walk me around your workplace, attend some meetings, sit in the shared space at lunchtimes, what would be the spirit and tone of the conversations I would hear going on?

How are your workplace conversations?

Are they personal? Is there an environment of trust where people are willing to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences?                                   

Are they positive? While we don’t always agree, is there an underlying positivity about your workplace that addresses challenges collaboratively?

Are they productive? When they need to, do the conversations result in outcomes that result in actions that progress the work and effort?

It may not always be this way, but if it is never this way then that’s a difficult workplace to succeed in.

“In business, we can easily get caught up in the headlines and statistics of performance and forget that in amongst the results are people.”

Business is a bio-system – a system of living organisms that can directly or indirectly interact with others. In my experience, most people are usually trying their best, despite the environment.

The focus on what business does can at times remove the focus on how it can do it best – via an engaged and vibrant workforce. Sometimes, leadership can be a double-edged sword – the very need to show leadership can threaten the engagement of your people.

But by paying attention to the issues that your people care about you can build a better culture from the ground up.

In her article ‘5 Practices of Exemplary Leaders’, Teresa Goode emphasises the need for leaders to bring people along the journey. In particular, ‘encouraging the heart’ is a great opportunity to build personal, positive and productive conversations.

“To succeed, business needs to embrace people. Business needs to breathe life into and not just take the life out of its people.”

So what can you do to help your business help its people?

Test your workplace today. Listen out for the conversations that are going on in the workplace. Observe how people are engaging each other. Is it personal, positive and productive?

If not, then it’s time to do something. Always ask why? Why do you think that? Why do you say that? Why do you feel that way? Why do you do that? For what purpose?

Always support and address the needs of the people around you – not just for their wellbeing, but for the sake of your business.