The Culture of Doing the Work

My leadership team at LaBov was setting goals for the new year and one of their recommendations was to focus on improving the culture. Improving our culture has been an ongoing goal for years and I think that's pretty healthy...you always have to be getting better.

But how do you improve on the great things that our team has been doing? They have several recognition programs, have just won the Sloan award for workplace flexibility, offer great 401k programs and outstanding celebrations and communications from a monthly meeting to weekly updates and cookouts, etc.

Reviewing their great achievements as well as their thirst to improve culture really produced an epiphany for me. Their cultural efforts have been great. But the culture we need to tackle is the culture of doing the work every day. Making that even more fulfilling and meaningful.

You can have all the Thursday afternoon ice cream socials and company cookouts in the world, but if you go back to work after that and it's a hassle, then you've missed the point.

So, we're focusing on the day-to-day culture of getting the work into the company and through the company. Making it simpler, perhaps. Making it more of a joy. If we can do that better, the Thursday afternoon ice cream will taste even better.

Barry LaBov
LaBov Advertising, Marketing and Training

www.labov.com

Replacing Fear with Purpose

Who wants to disappoint someone? Who wants to fall short? None of us do.

But most often when we face those issues, we are filled with fear. It permeates us, it rushes through our veins. And everyone around us knows it.

If we trade fear for purpose, we can only improve our performance.

If we are filled with purpose and openly discuss potential pitfalls and failings, our tone, our words and our actions are totally changed. And...the perception of you by others involved is equally different.

Animals smell fear. Humans do, too. But, we can also sense purpose in a person. Make the trade.

Barry LaBov
LaBov Advertising, Marketing and Training

www.labov.com

Stay away

I consulted with a company, a very good company. One of the execs I worked with didn't want me to speak to any of his people, and if they happened to talk with me, they were interrogated about what we discussed, what I asked, etc.

Well, that exec is gone and in a distant outpost of that company. Funny thing, the very people he kept me from are now performing at a much higher level. My appreciation of them is tenfold. They are flourishing.

Seems he was keeping me from learning a few things: 1) the strength of his people and 2) the weakness of his performance.

There usually is a reason that you are kept away from others. When that happens, make the person who is doing that very, very unhappy.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

To Russia, from LaBov

According to the stats, our LaBov Report blog is most read in the USA, which makes sense. But our number two location is Russia. And soon, it may replace the USA as number one. That's interesting. Is it because my name, LaBov, sounds Russian (my family is from that area of the globe)? I was once at an airport being picked up by a car service. The driver's nametag said "Ivan." He looked at my name and said (insert Russian accent here), "LaBov, good Russian name. Welcome, comrade." He then went on to explain how my family was no doubt Russian and why "that is good thing."

No matter, it's an interesting sign of the times we live in. We communicate and message to and with people from everywhere. There are almost no boundaries.

We can learn and be entertained by a book, a web site, a blog or the lady sitting next to you at a baseball game. As long as our "receiver" is on, we can accept any message transmitted to us, from anywhere.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com