Toxic phrases that have no place in the workplace
How often do you hear those words around your organization?
Wasn’t it only last month that a senior manager blocked a new employee’s suggestion with that exact phrase, adding: ‘”You just don’t understand how we do things around here”. Or even worse: “We tried it that way once and the guy who suggested it is no longer here”.
If all this sounds overly familiar, it is time to seriously examine the way in which your organization operates in today’s rapidly changing environment. Now a day no one has the luxury of remaining at status quo.
Organizations are forced to reinvent and innovate to survive. There is nothing called a fool proof sustainable formula for a continuous success or even to survive in the marketplace.
A true culture of continuous improvement
To move past an “event focused” culture to a true culture of “continuous improvement”, each individual must be aligned to the company’s vision and goals and also be equipped to act upon ideas to reach those goals.
The exchange of ideas must focus on the gap between the current state and the target condition, which is the framework for idea generation.This exchange helps create a picture of how we want the business to look in the future, orienting all problem solvers to focus on the vision, target or need identified for that area. Without a stated target condition, new ideas will be misaligned or too vague to create impact within the organization.
A culture of continuous improvement rests on the exchange and implementation of ideas. Companies often stop at the event-based model, only seeing improvement when a formal team is gathered to focus on an area. However, to build a true continuous improvement, you must build it into the core DNA of the company.
Creating a great company culture implies being open to new ideas and new changes – no fear factor. In creating space and engagement for the culture of continuous improvement there is also manifestation of increased capacity and increased willingness for change as well.
Anyone can copy your strategy
The most important thing about culture is that it’s the only sustainable point of difference for any organization. Anyone can copy your strategy, but nobody can copy your culture. So don’t leave it untended!
Good luck!
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The 6+ most dangerous words in business — https://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/lbc
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Company culture is everything. There does have to be that culture of continuous improvement, not just “event focused” as you said. Some people get stuck in the way things have always been done and are too rigid and don’t adapt to things like social media. But it’s all sorts of processes that can be held back by executives and employees using those 6 phrases. They’re not a good sign at all, and if they’re being used, then organizations have to be reviewed in depth and future strategies need to be revised.
There is one missing “It won’t hurt us”, particularly speaking in industries where technology can change overnight!
Thanks Sergio
Let’s add: “We’re different”