High performance and success are not dependent on one simple factor or as a result of one or two things. The entire context you operate in greatly impacts your results. This context includes the culture of the company – how things get done, how decisions get made, what works and does not work as far as behaviors and what gets rewarded and how.

The key to building a high-performing culture is to make sure you consider “‘what“ and “how“ you will get to your destination points – the clear definitions of where you are going in a specific time-frame.

The specifics of a high performance culture are unique to your company because they are based on what will work best for you to get you to where you want to go within the parameters you have defined. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to culture. However, here are 10 key elements in creating a high performance culture that probably will fit most organizations:

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High levels of employee engagement in an organization are linked to superior business performance, including increased profitability, productivity, employee retention, customer metrics and safety levels.

That’s way we all want employees to be engaged at work, right? But how can we actually get there?

Here are 20 simple tips:

1. Communicate clear goals and expectations to your employees – The majority of employees want to be a part of a compelling future, want to know what is most important at work and what excellence looks like. For targets to be meaningful and effective in motivating employees, they must be tied to larger organizational ambitions
2. Share information and numbers - Let them in on what is going on within the company as well as how their jobs contribute to the big picture. When you keep you employees informed they tend to feel a greater sense of worth. Keep communication hopeful and truthful – do not be afraid to share bad news, instead be more strategic about how you deliver it. Improve performance through transparency – By sharing numbers with employees, you can increase employees’ sense of ownership
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Change is an inevitable part of the modern business environment. But change rarely comes easily.

Organizations, and the people within them, must constantly re-invent themselves to remain competitive. As a result, today’s leaders must do more than manage the status quo – leaders must be champions in change readiness – the ability to continuously initiate and respond to change in ways that create advantage, minimize risk, and sustain performance.

Here are 14 tips:

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As social media platforms increasingly dominate communications in private lives, businesses are adopting them for the workplace. Although it is difficult to quantify how many companies use internal social media platforms, a number of corporate software companies have sensed the opportunity and offer various systems.

But are these social media applications and technologies ready for an even greater challenge – supporting companies successfully navigate major business change programs?

Companies struggle to be successful with such initiatives. According to numerous studies, anywhere from 60 percent to 80 percent of change programs do not live up to expectations.

Social media tools can reduce the time an organization needs to navigate change programs and deliver a better change experience from the employee’s perspective – this, in turn, builds a foundation for employees to be more continuously change capable in the future.

Social media can be an important addition to a traditional change management program, one that can dramatically increase the acceptance of change and advance an organization more predictably toward its business goals.

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Fast-moving technologies, rapid global expansion, shifting business models, mergers and acquisitions all hold out dazzling possibilities.

But leadership remains a huge challenge, even for companies relatively unscathed by the economic by economic turmoil. Today, employees continue to seek guidance from their leaders, who must find time to reassure their people while trying to establish a pole position for the future.

Top 50+ management resources you may have missed: (more…)

Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they show up for work each day filled with passion and purpose?

A red flag should go up if you answered “no” to any of these questions. Why? Because there is a direct correlation between employee engagement and performance.

No matter how good your strategy is, when it comes down to it, people always make the difference.

Doug Conant, former president and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company, explains how to improve staff morale:

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Many company’s have discovered that using hashtags effectively can put Twitter and social media campaigns over the top. But what happens when a hashtag campaign backfires?

An attempt to launch a Twitter campaign in the midst of a bitter strike affecting thousands of passengers did backfire for Qantas.

The company hoped to generate some positive PR with a post asking followers to suggest their dream in-flight experience using the hashtag #qantasluxury. But Qantas didn’t count on angry customers hijacking the Twitter competition to vent their frustrations with the airline.

McDonald’s launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #McDStories – it was hoping that the hashtag would inspire heart-warming stories about Happy Meals. Instead, it attracted snarky tweeps – some sample tweets:

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