How I Empower My Team and Create a Culture of Systematic Trust (Yes, It Is Possible)
“It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” — Steve Jobs.
Photo: Create & Cultivate
The proof is in the stats. Millennials value company culture more than any other generation that’s come before them. In fact, according to Forbes, on average, millennials would be willing to give up $7,600 in salary every year to work at a job that provided a better environment for them. At We Are Rosie, our culture is built around systemic trust. We have a core belief that people have the best chance of success when they are treated with dignity and respect, and that comes along with trust. We want a team that can confidently demonstrate self-motivation, personal responsibility, and confidence.
My goal as a founder was to create a more human-centric approach to work and to build a community that reflects the company’s core values. My diverse childhood experiences as the child of a refugee have made me truly aware of what it is like to be overlooked, underestimated, and marginalized. This inspired me to want to cultivate a professional experience for my team where they are seen and appreciated as whole human beings.
Trust can be tricky for all leaders but particularly challenging for founders. I’ve used the analogy more than once that We Are Rosie is my third child. As a leader, it’s important to find the balance between seeing your vision through to fruition (helping your baby become a productive member of society) and identifying the friction points where you (and your baby) are better served by allowing others to take the reigns.
Ever heard the phrase by Steve Jobs that says, “It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” This is the crux of trust and it’s one of the many reasons we are so tedious in our hiring process for both our core employees and the incredible freelance consultants we deploy into large organizations. I actually believe that trust can, many times, be more important than experience when making a new hire. When you establish trust during an employee screening process, you are better able to create an environment for this person to thrive within your organization. You are also creating an opportunity for you to be the best leader you can be by avoiding the pitfalls that come along with mistrust.
As we move into an era where distributed and remote teams are the new norm, trust, or lack thereof, can make or break your team’s ability to achieve. When employees feel heard and respected, they will deliver their best work. I want people to be seen. I want people to know how much we appreciate the unique treasures they bring to our business. I want them to take ownership of their work and time. I want to support individuals as they recognize that there is a better way for work to happen.
Through my experience starting and growing a business, I’ve found six concrete action items that create a culture of systematic trust.
1. Embrace the Model You Serve
In addition to helping our clients discover better talent solutions, we also tap into our dynamic community of consultants. We turn our client's needs into possibilities through a fresh perspective and expertise. Our core team is small, but our power, by way of the We Are Rosie community, is mighty.
If you're unwilling to use the product or service you're providing to your clients, you are missing out on truly understanding the pain points that your clients experience and how to speak directly to them with solutions.
2. People First
Within the advertising industry (and many others if we're honest), the focus remains on the product or service, not the people producing the work. We're humanizing the way we do advertising by keeping our people first. Time is precious, and people want to work in a way that makes sense for their lives. The work comes and goes. It will always be constant. The people are what makes it magic.
3. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Our work moves fast and quickly. I set the example for my team to let go of the small things, which keeps us focused on building and collaborating together. When problems arise, we address them quickly, learn the lesson, and forget the details.
Most people start businesses so they have more control over their lives. It’s all for nothing if you are miserably trapped within your company. If you aren't having fun, you might want to reconsider your perspective. A small trick I’ve learned is that any time I catch myself saying or thinking “I have to” do something, I reframe it to “I get to” do this thing. That small mental shift takes me from a place of complaining to a place of gratitude.
4. Honesty Is the Best Policy
Embracing difficult conversations fosters an environment of trust. Being truthful about strengths and weaknesses keeps everyone clear on the best way to approach the work. If you're not being honest about your perspective, your energy will reflect that to all of those around you. Show up every day in your truth, and everyone around you will do the same.
5. Communication
It sounds cliché, but communication is vital. We achieve all of our goals through simple, clear, and timely communication, both internally and externally. No jargon allowed. Furthermore, we hold ourselves accountable to our timelines, our words, and our shared values. There is no blame game. We own it, address it, and move forward. It's a powerful, crazy concept that also works in all relationships.
6. Be Candid in the Hiring Process
When hiring great people, you must be honest about expectations. This is especially true with consultants that have other client responsibilities and time commitments outside of your business. This is actually one of the best benefits of working with consultants. There’s no need for the fake mask that tells you, “I can do it all because you’ve asked me to.” There’s no reason for the fluff, so don’t add any. Speak candidly about what’s expected and be open to hearing what’s expected from you. This process builds a tremendous foundation for trust.
When you establish trust during an employee screening process, you are better able to create an environment for this person to thrive within your organization. You are also creating an opportunity for you to be the best leader you can be by avoiding the pitfalls that come along with mistrust.
About the Author: Stephanie Nadi Olson founded We Are Rosie from a genuine realization of what it feels like to “not belong.” As a young mother with a career and also as a daughter of an immigrant parent of color, she knew what it felt like to be overlooked and marginalized. Because of this, she wanted to create a home and opportunity for people who often feel discounted. We Are Rosie is an extension of the work she has done with refugees her entire life and her soul’s calling to create a better way to do business. Stephanie has worked closely with big brands and major tech companies her entire career, so she has a unique 360 view of industry practices and the need for transformation.
This story was originally published on August 8, 2019, and has since been updated.
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Management 101: How to Prepare Your Team for Change in 2020
Prepare for it, implement it, and overcome resistance.
Keeping up with competition and new marketing avenues means that you need to change things frequently. Sometimes you can just make minor tweaks, but other times you have to implement a major process change.
Unfortunately, only about 26% of transformation initiatives succeed. What can you do to make your business one of the places that change sticks? It all has to do with how you prepare for a change, implement it, and overcome resistance.
Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate
Preparing for a Major Change
If you’re in the position to determine what changes need to be made, the best advice is to include employees in the problem-solving process as much as possible. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to embrace and implement the new processes.
For instance, if customers frequently complain about turnaround time, you might create a new process designed to make things more efficient with the input of your staff who can give you an accurate look at what holds up their work. Or, perhaps you need to update a creative workflow to improve quality.
Once it’s time to communicate the change, think about who has the right skills to lead the initiative. Key change management skills include critical thinking, analysis, excellent communication skills, the ability to train people, and a deft touch with diplomacy.
Perhaps the right person is you! Or, it may be another leader in your organization or even a group of employees. The key is to know who will be most effective in leading the charge and to make sure they understand their responsibilities.
Research shows that one of the most common reasons for failure is that a plan is managed too top-down, with upper levels of leadership determining every detail of how change should happen. Experts say that success starts with focusing on every individual.
Implementing Change
The day has come—the change is ready to roll out. Congratulations! There are several steps to successfully introduce a new business process.
One key is to start small if you can. Is it possible to roll out the new initiative to a small group within your company that’s excited to try it? If so, the benefits that the group gets from the innovation may help prove its usefulness to more resistant staff members.
Whether you start large or small, it’s vital to communicate, communicate, communicate! Explain the problem the company was having and how the process modification will make a difference. Help your employees see the vision behind the change. More importantly, realize that all changes – even good ones – include some kind of loss to those involved. Even if the loss is simply that they were the fastest on the team and they might not be anymore, it could be a big deal to that individual. If you acknowledge and talk about those losses openly, it can help people overcome their fears and resistance. Ensure that productivity will likely fall while the team grows accustomed to the new change, and management is anticipating that.
Finally, if possible, walk through the implementation of the adjustment step by step, including a presentation of the intended changes and the timeline, so that employees do not feel caught off guard during any of the process. This will help people change their habits little by little, instead of having to throw everything out and start over. Also, people may have less opposition to small changes compared to large ones.
Overcoming Resistance
Handling resistance is a part of every change, especially significant ones. The good news is that if you do this well, you may build your team into a stronger unit than it was before.
The first step to overcoming concerns is to provide adequate training. Remember that a significant change won’t necessarily “take” on the first overview. You’ll need to train it, remind them, and possibly train it again. Remember that you’re trying to overcome ingrained habits—it takes time and patience.
Secondly, be sure to listen to and address concerns. You can create problem-solving teams to deal with bumps in the road that come up. Get employees to encourage each other to use the new process. Many times people respond better when they hear from a peer rather than a boss. Specifically, according to the Edleman Trust Barometer in 2017, trust in work peers is over 60% while trust in executives is below 38%. Plus, studies show that peer credibility is a key reason messages are heard or ignored.
Rewards or incentives tied to the new process may help as well. Be careful to define these clearly, because once people begin to get something extra it’s hard to take it away. You want to plainly say if the rewards are only available for the first month of the new process, for instance.
Finally, show everyone the positive results as they start to come in so that employees can see the fruits of their labors and fully understand why the change was made for the better. Continue to communicate about the process, concerns, and any problems that crop up. Over time, people will see the benefits and the new process will become much more second nature.
Protecting Your Business During the Change Process
Change isn’t just tough on your employees, it can be tough on your systems and software also. You need to make sure you are protected in case something goes wrong and you experience an interruption in your business.
One thing to do is to make sure you have a complete backup of all your data before the change goes live. You may want to make backups more frequently as the new process takes hold as well, just to be sure that you have what you need if something happens.
Consider getting business income insurance to cover you if you have an interruption in your operations. This coverage can help you with income, relocation expenses if needed, payroll, and more. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong, but it pays to be prepared.
Finally, you might consider slowing down your content production while the change takes hold. It’s a helpful way to reduce your responsibilities so that you can focus on the new process and training your employees to follow through.
Change Is Good—If It Sticks
The key to all change management strategies is that you want your new business process to stick. When you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll have a far better chance of that happening.
Managing change is scary, even for a business owner, but going through the process can make you a better manager. A team that does something challenging together is more cohesive as well.
You don’t have to be afraid of change. It’s a necessary part of being in business, and with these tips, you can navigate change management successfully.
About the Author
Jori Hamilton is a feminist writer from the Pacific Northwest who enjoys discussing social justice, empowerment, and how to improve the workplace. You can find more of her work in her portfolio here.
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