Revolutionary Workplace Wisdom From The Culture Builders Bootcamp Training with Zappos Delivering Happiness Experts
After spending much time with The Culture Change wizards from Zappos…I thought I might share some of my thoughts and wisdom I gained over the 3 days, collaboration, talks and training we experienced in Kuwait..
I was invited to Kuwait to present my Consciously Constructive REVOLUTIONARY WORKPLACE system.
I metwith the Delivering Happiness global experts, Carlos Piera and Javier Munos, who presented their model at the Happiness Effect Conference in Kuwait, and participated in their facilitated 2 day Culture Builders Bootcamp, as well.
I was able to participate, and add some new perspective, and tools, for positive culture change, to my Lifemasters.co.za Consciously Constructive Revolutionary Workplace High Performance Optimisation Process and System.
Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappons.com) and Carlos have created a Culture Building consultancy team who have distilled the wisdom and experience from Building Zappo’s billion dollar High Performance business Path to Passion, Profits and Purpose.
The Bootcamp combines the core concepts, tools, best practices and wisdom that grew Zappos from $0 to $2 Billion, leveraging the foremost Science of Happiness.
Delivering Happiness Culture Change process is founded upon the business case for greater Happiness at Work.
In my Life Masters work we go to the next few levels, from Happiness at work, to Consciously Constructive Revolutionary Workplace High Performance approach. its more conscious. more connecting and more cohesive and holoistic in creating lasting shift and changes.
The foundation includes consolidated research and discoveries from numerous experts who have quantified the benefits and value of improving workplace happiness. mindsets, relationships, psychological capital and well being.
Happiness at Work Research reveals…
- 51% less staff turnover – Gallup
- 66% fewer sick days – Forbes
- 125% Less burnout HBR
- 31%+ increase in workplace productivity – iOpener UK / Greenberg & Arawaka
- 37% increase in Sales – Martin Seligman
- 44% higher retention – Gallup
- 300% greater innovation – HBR
Exponential Impacts and Results
We know from our own CLEARx research and interventions where we are able to create exponential impacts and results up to 2x to 4x, by applying our Consciously Constructive Revolutionary, High Performance, Workplace System
Companies and leaders who nurture and build a positive, supportive, high performance culture outperform most others in a more sustainable and humane manner.
By aligning People, Planet and Profits as the foundation philosophy, we are able to energise, align, activate and empower people to use more of their potential. This is usually very good for the business.
Happiness at Work Framework
The 4 primary elements of happiness include
- Vision / Meaningful work – Part of something bigger than self
- Connectedness and belonging – Relationships & teams
- Sense of progress and personal growth – Consciously Constructive development
- Sense of Control and Autonomy – mastery and control – also part of Resilience
Happiness – Range of Possibility and Impact
From the extensive research we classify happiness into 3 buckets
- Short-Term Pleasure – Rock Star Happiness – chasing the next high.
- Passion / Flow=- increased engagement – time flies …immersive experiences – Flow
- Purpose and Meaning – a Higher purpose than just MONEY…and goals that inspire
Building the #FutureFit High Performance Culture.
To create a high performance happy workplace where people thrive and have high levels of well being, 3 primary aspects must be balanced and formalized into a framework that supports and empowers higher performance in a positive and sustainable manner.
- Firstly the business must be organized around a higher purpose than just make more money at the expense of people and planet.
- Secondly the Science of happiness framework must be embedded into the workplace.
- Thirdly – Organisational CULTURE (Values and Behaviors) must be made visible, decoded, optimized and embedded into the day to day workplace behaviors, and support form the highest levels of leadership.
For greatest engagement begin with every person within the eco-system, starting with better ME (Personal), then better We (Team) , Then US (Company), then Community and greater impacts.
How to Begin the Culture Optimization Adventure
- Ask & Clarify – Discover the current status
- Measure and compare with desired
- Define the new Culture and required values shifts and new behaviors
- Launch an Live the New culture from the CEO downwards.
- Celebrate and reward leaders, champions and success
- Evolve – Measure, adjust, improve, rewards, redesign, re embed
Culture Optimisation Process
Culture Pact or Agreements of Engagement
- Desired Qualities of great Teams
- Desired behaviors, values and focus
- Handling conflicts process and positive approach
- Performance commitments
- Ownership of actions and outcomes – with accountability.
Ideal Leadership Qualities and Values.
As part of the Culture change process we use the positive Appreciative Inquiry process and team transforming activities, to uncover, combine and spread the positive past experiences, with great Leadership or high performance teams, across the group.
As part of the DISCOVER process, we uncover how, what and why, they were inspiring.
We then categorise where their positive inspiring qualities, principles and behaviors fit from 3 distinct groupings.
- IQ/skills
- Talents EQ/ Human Relationships
- Mindset qualities
Values Clarification Process
For the Culture Shift Process to be effective, it must begin with identifying each individual’s values first.
This is an important step to uncover, clarify and align everyone’s understanding, perspective and driving levers that control or impact personal actions and reactions.
It’s important for participants to understand that even though we might have identical or similar VALUES, our deeper meanings structure beneath the 1 word value will reveal our deeper perspective and driving imperatives.
To ensure greatest clarity an cross persona understanding each person shares how those values impact and guide their behaviors in and outside of the workplace.
The second Culture Change phase is to clarify and agree the primary Ttam or departmental values in 3 specific areas
- Strategic
- Operational
- Social workplace.
This clarification and agreement must be accompanied by behavior examples and guidelines for each value in each of the 3 different contexts.
This is to ensure common understanding, clarity, and united application of the values in guiding the requisite behaviors.
Team then explore, agree the gaps, and commit, to best behaviors to close the gaps, from current to desired values and behaviors. This becomes a visible, Stop, Start, Continue action plan.
This approach enables behavioral coaching, measurement, recognition and rewarding progress an achievements to reinforce desired actions and behaviors.
Sample Operational Values and requisite behaviors
Value: Honesty
- We interact with direct, and open candor, with the intention to BUILD, not break.
- We are non political in our dis-agreements and conflicts
- No backbiting – only say things about co-workers you would say to their face.
Value : Courage
- You share what you feel, even if it’s controversial, in a positive manner
- You challenge actions that are inconsistent with our agreed and moral values
Value: Clear Communication
- You listen to hear the deeper meaning. You allow the person to complete, without interrupting their communication.
- We treat EVERONE with respect, irrespective of their position or perspectives
- We maintain calm approach and communication, even in stressful situation – NO Shouting
So make sure that each value has associated, visible, measureable behaviors linked to ensure clarity and alignment.
Values all Companies’ Need to Have
- Gratitude Notice Living values: Remarkable expression of a core value
- Be genuine and specific
- Make it count
- Be sensitive to personal styles – Different strokes for different folks
- Take time out to give thanks
The most powerful gratitude action is face to face. The next best is on paper. Third is an email.
By creating a visible score of gratitude actions, the person with the most gratitude comments is named some positive title. Gratitude ambassador, ninja, guru…e.tc.
Also link rewards to success and support of positive actions.
The Benefits of Gratitude at Work
- It takes very little time.
- Keeps staff thinking and focused on living, observing and supporting, the values
- The process drives connection, Mutual / Peer Recognition, respect, and a more positive workplace.
- This begins to build a positive fabric of powerful stories and actions which are the cohesive fabric of building the new desired culture.
- This also helps in creating criteria and behavioral assessment, guidelines, training, onboarding and staff development.
Gratitude/ WOW expression…process
- Persons Name: eg Tony D
- Value Lived / Expressed: Compassion
- Brief story how the value was lived: example of the experience …
This is a strong part of why we do our RAVE cards at our Team Building sessions.
Culture Building Activity
We use appreciative Inquiry as an inclusive process to build connection, cohesion, trust and respect. By creating a safe, positive interview process we get coworkers to get to know each other better…
Include interview questions like:
- What’s your personal Passion?
- What excites you most?
- What your main life goals
- What something unusual that makes you happiest
Interview Debrief
By engaging in a quick debrief after each interview we are able to embed commonalities, learning and perspectives. This deepens the trust, bonding and collaboration.
Happiness At Work Framework
As part of the Happiness at Work process, a foundation framework ensures greatest acceptance and take up
- Gratitude – increases happiness, reduce stress and some depression
- Mindfulness – increase emotional regulation, self-awareness
- Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and without judging…
- Helps with focus and maintaining attention.
- Take time for conscious circular breathing
- Observe your internal thoughts
- Be more conscious of your body’s state.
- Optimism –positive psychology approach
- The Study of what makes individuals, teams and communities THRIVE
- Exploring how live more meaningful and fulfilling lives, to activate their full potential
- Altruism – meaningful work = part of something bigger
- Flow – engagement and passion
Tapping into People’s Higher Purpose –
Uncover their Talents, Angers and Passions. This reveals values and areas where the person has most focus, energy, leaks, and potential.
Through the blending of the 3 Talent, Angers and Passions we can begin to create a personal Higher Purpose slogan.
Eg.. My PURPOSE is to use my Talents…. (List), and passions, ….(list) to solve Angers….(list)
If you can align a persons’ passions and talents to be more aligned with the workplace needs, you have a lot more energy, engagement and commitment from the person.
The next step is to do the ME to We higher purpose process that aligns, uncovers and embeds the organisational HIGHER Purpose.
Optimism and Resilience Matter
A foundation of a good high performance culture is OPTIMISM.
By developing optimisim into your people, teams and leadership mindset, with a focus on embedding positive behavioral actions across the board.
The ABC’s of Learned Optimism help staff to become more conscious of their habitual thinking styles and process, and then to begin to rewire a more effective thinking process.
The ABCDE activity helps to build awareness and rebuild and rewire more effective thinking and communications.
SWIFT Action Plans
All the discovery and alignment mean little – if behaviors and actions don’t change, so a clear and simple action plan is best for helping everyone be accountable and be held accountable for the new values based behavioral shifts.
Eg Action Plan:
- Initiative
- Leader:
- Who is involved:
- Due Date:
- Frequency:
- Measurement:
We often see organisations involved in way to many initiatives and projects for people to be able to focus effectively. Rather focus on a FEW key Levers and needle movers, and embed them down fully, before embarking on further initiatives. Juggling too many balls ensures some will be dropped.
This can erode trust, commitment and engagement.
Deliberate and steady is the way to optimise and shift your culture from a slow culture, to more dynamic Consciously Constructive Revolutionary Workplace High Performance “GO” Culture.
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