I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the very practical ways that leaders at all levels can build an amazing organizational culture through practice.
Last week I had the great fun of discussing some of those ideas in a virtual fireside chat with Bob Galen.
The video recording of that chat will be broadcast as part of the Agile Online Summit 2020, to be held the week of 26th October. The event is free for real-time access that week, and VIP tickets get you access to the content forever, to enjoy at your own pace.
Bob is chair of the Leadership Track for the conference, and I love his concept for an engaging set of talks: Rather than have us present material, he simply interviewed each speaker based on the abstracts we submitted. The resulting conversation gets the key ideas across, but with more ebb and flow and surprises–just like the kind of conversations we have in the hallways, restaurants and bars of in-person conferences.
I had never before had a proper chat with Bob Galen, and we were thrilled in this first one to learn that we both get very excited about what’s possible when leaders are intentional about building organizations with a great culture.
Lately I’ve been describing a great culture as one in which:
- People feel seen and appreciated for their strengths. Leaders create this sense when they facilitate an equal share of voice in discussions (often in meetings).
- People feel that it is safe to learn and grow. That safety comes from encouraging people to plan to learn, and then celebrating learning, in earnest.
- People feel a sense of belonging and connection. That sense can come from a shared set of lived values. Leaders can invite the practice of expressing appreciation to make values real through storytelling
It turns out Bob and I both have a passion about storytelling, and all the ways organizations can use stories to create shared understanding and culture.
I hope you’ll tune in to our session when it airs that last week of October (exact time TBD).
