Think Differently. Achieve More.

If I abandoned ship in the middle of a storm, leaving my shipmates behind without making an effort to bail some water, what would that say about me as a person? As a leader?

Yet, most of us think nothing of bailing when times are challenging in our work environment instead of taking lead to create change--to help save the ship in the midst of a storm. We wait for our boss, the CEO, or others around us to deal with the tough issues when, in reality, every person has the power to influence others to build a better workplace.

Imagine for a moment a workplace where:

• You and your coworkers share a clear and common purpose
• You have open and respectful conversations
• You can easily build commitment to new ideas and ways of doing things
• Simple tools and processes guide decisions, actions, and accountability
• Each day provides opportunities to learn and grow; and you and your coworkers have complete trust and confidence in one another

This workplace exists--a workplace where people think differently and achieve their goals, crush the competition, turn customers into enthusiastic fans, and love going to work every day! We call it a Collaborative Workplace; a workplace where simple tools and common-sense frameworks invite people to make things happen. In a Collaborative Workplace people think differently and achieve more. It requires a shift in your thinking that drives a better approach to how you work with others.

“To change the world, you first need to change your thinking.”

We’ve been working with clients for more than 20 years to build a stronger workforce, because a stronger workforce drives a stronger company. Things get easier, stuff gets done. Their employees don’t quit (mentally or literally), and the number and quality of applicants interested in joining them soars.

One of the most compelling results came from our client, John, a Chief Operating Officer of a large health system. In a January coaching session, John shared their many successes of the prior year: new service lines, better quality, more satisfied patients. For the first time in many years, they hit their profit targets.

When asked what drove this success, John replied, “It’s simple. We’re just treating people better. We’re thinking differently about our team members, and that’s affecting the decisions we make and the results we achieve. We work together to make the changes we all want to see in health care.”

Using simple tools and frameworks, our client experienced positive business and personal growth. You can, too.

There are four workplace cultures: Defensive, Paternalistic, Open, and Collaborative. In this 6-part series we’ll introduce you to each of these cultures, starting with the Defensive workplace in article two, published later this week. It’s likely you’ll quickly recognize your company culture among the four. If not, don’t worry, the sixth and final article will provide a free survey to identify your workplace culture, along with answering, “Now what?”

 It’s one thing to recognize your culture, but another to address it. Don’t wait for someone else to change your environment. Be a leader amidst the storm!