imagine for a moment that you’re
miserable at work and you’re thinking
about quitting but you’re really good at
your job
colleagues come to you when they need
help clients praise you you have a
supportive manager and you may even be
paid really well would you walk away
from that now I know what you’re
thinking why would someone walk away
from what sounds like a dream job but I
know that I have and at first I actually
used to be so guilty and felt so ashamed
for feeling so miserable and wanting to
leave but the more that I shared my
story the more I realized that I was not
alone because it turns out that great
people quit good jobs all of the time
the real question is why there’s a
saying in American business that people
do not quit companies they quit leaders
for my personal and professional
experience I believe there’s something
much more at play than just people
quitting leaders I believe great people
do not quit companies or leaders great
today I want to talk to you about two
things one why that happens and two how
you can create a meaningful work
environment in which great people like
yourself would want to stay you see any
organization is comprised of two
categories of people employees and
leaders employees and leaders work
together under a set of defined rules
this is the
definition of a culture what’s
interesting is that the culture of a
company is similar to that of the human
body like your own body cultures have a
DNA imprint that transfers messages
created by the people working together
if we take a closer look at a cultures
DNA strands we will find that they are
encoded with information like values
attitudes and beliefs shared by the
people working together so in this
context culture then provides a sequence
of instruction and code for how people
are treated how decisions are made who
gets hired or fired and what behaviors
are rewarded promoted valued and
recognized and just like your body the
culture of a company adapts to any
environment that it finds itself in the
human body is a fascinating instrument
in that it can go from fight-or-flight
survival mode to thrive depending on how
favorable conditions are for growth and
sustainability cultures are no different
so you see when people at work are
unhappy especially great people it
stresses the entire organization this
leads to a company culture operating in
survival mode so what does a culture in
survival mode feel like if you hold your
breath the moment you walk into work in
an attempt to make it through the day
and
you do not exhale until you leave the
office and you do this day in and day
out that is a clear indication you may
be working in a company culture
operating in survival mode constantly
working in this type of environment is
that best uninspiring and at worst it is
exhausting the hard truth is many
organizations operate culturally in
survival mode so as you can see this
so what is a culture in survival mode
look like it is an environment we’re at
the top of a house there is a lack of
clear leadership and because there’s no
clear leadership this leads to a
misalignment of the vision or direction
where the activities and decisions made
throughout the entire organization do
not match its core values and since the
vision is misaligned
this leads to no clarity and the roles
and responsibilities of its people and
because there’s no clarity in the roles
this leads to compromised values or
beliefs and it becomes a place where
mediocre performance is accepted and
even encouraged once you have
compromised values this leads to toxic
behavior being tolerated by employees
and leaders alike and it becomes a place
where people are constantly disrespected
for no good reason and everyone’s
opinions are not valued as equally once
toxic behavior seats in this leads to a
cliquish environment and it becomes a
place where there’s a lack of diverse
thought the wrong people being promoted
and no appreciation for community
affinity and recognition of others
and guess what once you have a lack of
diversity and inclusion this leads to
stagnant organizational structures and
processes and it manifests into a place
that becomes too difficult and too
political to get any damn thing done
which leads to great people quitting
good jobs but it doesn’t have to be this
way on the other hand what does a
thriving culture look like I’m gonna
provide you three specific examples
it’s the successful online entertainment
company that disrupted an entire
industry with a thriving culture it is a
place where people are very thoughtful
and how they hire employees and leaders
for culture and never ever wavering from
that recruitment criteria it is a place
where only high performance is accepted
and valued it is a place where
creativity and innovation are the norm
and people are empowered to take charge
of their careers as well as the
company’s direction or take a social
media giant that created an entirely new
sector with a thriving culture it is a
place where employees and leaders share
the same open workplace it is a place
where trust and transparency of bounced
to create the perfect backdrop for bold
problem solving solutions it’s a place
where it’s about being accountable for
how decisions are made and what
behaviors are rewarded I personally
remember the very first time I
experienced a thriving culture it was
actually with a former client of a
financial services organization that
experience still brings a smile to my
face
ten years later I used to love going to
that client site because every day I was
part of something
we special it was so amazing everyone
had a voice and they rallied to solve
the company’s challenges and in meetings
I actually couldn’t tell who the c-suite
executive from the entry-level employee
and that is because in thriving cultures
the line between leaders and employees
are blurred because everyone is
empowered to take charge an increasing
number of companies are beginning to
realize that culture can be a key
distinct competitive advantage to
mitigate against market threats in a
global human capital trends report over
50 percent of CEOs surveyed are
currently attempting to change their
culture in response to shifting talent
markets in today’s competitive looming
environment there is a threat of
disruptive technologies such as
artificial intelligence with robotic
automation your very livelihood may be
at stake
without a thriving culture you cannot
according to a Harvard Business Review
adaptability is a key distinct advantage
of thriving cultures and companies that
get this understand that culture is the
key to sustaining market competitiveness
well I’m not saying that thriving
cultures are perfect thriving cultures
are about performance thriving cultures
adapt most of all thriving cultures gets
results
are you ready to take on the challenge
of owning your experience in creating a
employees stop accepting the mediocrity
being dished out by colleagues
management and leadership teams alike
ask the hard questions get involved in
problem-solving be part of the
conversation and take time to reflect
what is stopping you and your colleagues
from coming in and doing your best work
and liberally share those ideas with
everyone around you last but not least
employees if you have done everything
and I do mean everything and there still
is no change after a concerted effort
you have the power to walk away and find
an environment that aligns with your
values
but remember employees you are the
validators of a culture so if you stay
and become complacent you also bear
responsibility should your colleague
walks away leaders take charge of the
narrative you create every single day
leaders you are the regulators of a
culture step up to your role accordingly
step up you do not have to accept
survival mode as your reality or the
reality of your people and that also
doesn’t mean leaders to go and dump the
problem onto HR to create yet another
forced employee engagement program and
then walking away because what you’re
essentially doing is putting the burden
of your leadership responsibility of
owning and shaping culture onto a
business function instead of onto
yourself leaders how are you conveying a
vision that makes people excited to want
to come to work walk the halls and talk
to your people and figure out what do
they need didn’t need empowerment to
make their own decisions processes
improved coaching new experiences
political obstacles removed just like
the body it is your decisions and habits
as a leader that either creates a
thriving culture or reinforces a culture
and survival mode so imagine that
instead of being miserable at work you
woke up every day excited and energized
to create a thriving culture that
becomes so amazing you not only attract
the best possible colleagues but you
help build a business that can adapt and
thrive in the digital economy employees
and leaders have the power to shape the
conditions of the work environment and
maybe with your help we can wake up in a
world where great people do not quit
good jobs but good jobs do not quit
great people thank you [Applause]
miserable at work and you’re thinking
about quitting but you’re really good at
your job
colleagues come to you when they need
help clients praise you you have a
supportive manager and you may even be
paid really well would you walk away
from that now I know what you’re
thinking why would someone walk away
from what sounds like a dream job but I
know that I have and at first I actually
used to be so guilty and felt so ashamed
for feeling so miserable and wanting to
leave but the more that I shared my
story the more I realized that I was not
alone because it turns out that great
people quit good jobs all of the time
the real question is why there’s a
saying in American business that people
do not quit companies they quit leaders
for my personal and professional
experience I believe there’s something
much more at play than just people
quitting leaders I believe great people
do not quit companies or leaders great
today I want to talk to you about two
things one why that happens and two how
you can create a meaningful work
environment in which great people like
yourself would want to stay you see any
organization is comprised of two
categories of people employees and
leaders employees and leaders work
together under a set of defined rules
this is the
definition of a culture what’s
interesting is that the culture of a
company is similar to that of the human
body like your own body cultures have a
DNA imprint that transfers messages
created by the people working together
if we take a closer look at a cultures
DNA strands we will find that they are
encoded with information like values
attitudes and beliefs shared by the
people working together so in this
context culture then provides a sequence
of instruction and code for how people
are treated how decisions are made who
gets hired or fired and what behaviors
are rewarded promoted valued and
recognized and just like your body the
culture of a company adapts to any
environment that it finds itself in the
human body is a fascinating instrument
in that it can go from fight-or-flight
survival mode to thrive depending on how
favorable conditions are for growth and
sustainability cultures are no different
so you see when people at work are
unhappy especially great people it
stresses the entire organization this
leads to a company culture operating in
survival mode so what does a culture in
survival mode feel like if you hold your
breath the moment you walk into work in
an attempt to make it through the day
and
you do not exhale until you leave the
office and you do this day in and day
out that is a clear indication you may
be working in a company culture
operating in survival mode constantly
working in this type of environment is
that best uninspiring and at worst it is
exhausting the hard truth is many
organizations operate culturally in
survival mode so as you can see this
so what is a culture in survival mode
look like it is an environment we’re at
the top of a house there is a lack of
clear leadership and because there’s no
clear leadership this leads to a
misalignment of the vision or direction
where the activities and decisions made
throughout the entire organization do
not match its core values and since the
vision is misaligned
this leads to no clarity and the roles
and responsibilities of its people and
because there’s no clarity in the roles
this leads to compromised values or
beliefs and it becomes a place where
mediocre performance is accepted and
even encouraged once you have
compromised values this leads to toxic
behavior being tolerated by employees
and leaders alike and it becomes a place
where people are constantly disrespected
for no good reason and everyone’s
opinions are not valued as equally once
toxic behavior seats in this leads to a
cliquish environment and it becomes a
place where there’s a lack of diverse
thought the wrong people being promoted
and no appreciation for community
affinity and recognition of others
and guess what once you have a lack of
diversity and inclusion this leads to
stagnant organizational structures and
processes and it manifests into a place
that becomes too difficult and too
political to get any damn thing done
which leads to great people quitting
good jobs but it doesn’t have to be this
way on the other hand what does a
thriving culture look like I’m gonna
provide you three specific examples
it’s the successful online entertainment
company that disrupted an entire
industry with a thriving culture it is a
place where people are very thoughtful
and how they hire employees and leaders
for culture and never ever wavering from
that recruitment criteria it is a place
where only high performance is accepted
and valued it is a place where
creativity and innovation are the norm
and people are empowered to take charge
of their careers as well as the
company’s direction or take a social
media giant that created an entirely new
sector with a thriving culture it is a
place where employees and leaders share
the same open workplace it is a place
where trust and transparency of bounced
to create the perfect backdrop for bold
problem solving solutions it’s a place
where it’s about being accountable for
how decisions are made and what
behaviors are rewarded I personally
remember the very first time I
experienced a thriving culture it was
actually with a former client of a
financial services organization that
experience still brings a smile to my
face
ten years later I used to love going to
that client site because every day I was
part of something
we special it was so amazing everyone
had a voice and they rallied to solve
the company’s challenges and in meetings
I actually couldn’t tell who the c-suite
executive from the entry-level employee
and that is because in thriving cultures
the line between leaders and employees
are blurred because everyone is
empowered to take charge an increasing
number of companies are beginning to
realize that culture can be a key
distinct competitive advantage to
mitigate against market threats in a
global human capital trends report over
50 percent of CEOs surveyed are
currently attempting to change their
culture in response to shifting talent
markets in today’s competitive looming
environment there is a threat of
disruptive technologies such as
artificial intelligence with robotic
automation your very livelihood may be
at stake
without a thriving culture you cannot
according to a Harvard Business Review
adaptability is a key distinct advantage
of thriving cultures and companies that
get this understand that culture is the
key to sustaining market competitiveness
well I’m not saying that thriving
cultures are perfect thriving cultures
are about performance thriving cultures
adapt most of all thriving cultures gets
results
are you ready to take on the challenge
of owning your experience in creating a
employees stop accepting the mediocrity
being dished out by colleagues
management and leadership teams alike
ask the hard questions get involved in
problem-solving be part of the
conversation and take time to reflect
what is stopping you and your colleagues
from coming in and doing your best work
and liberally share those ideas with
everyone around you last but not least
employees if you have done everything
and I do mean everything and there still
is no change after a concerted effort
you have the power to walk away and find
an environment that aligns with your
values
but remember employees you are the
validators of a culture so if you stay
and become complacent you also bear
responsibility should your colleague
walks away leaders take charge of the
narrative you create every single day
leaders you are the regulators of a
culture step up to your role accordingly
step up you do not have to accept
survival mode as your reality or the
reality of your people and that also
doesn’t mean leaders to go and dump the
problem onto HR to create yet another
forced employee engagement program and
then walking away because what you’re
essentially doing is putting the burden
of your leadership responsibility of
owning and shaping culture onto a
business function instead of onto
yourself leaders how are you conveying a
vision that makes people excited to want
to come to work walk the halls and talk
to your people and figure out what do
they need didn’t need empowerment to
make their own decisions processes
improved coaching new experiences
political obstacles removed just like
the body it is your decisions and habits
as a leader that either creates a
thriving culture or reinforces a culture
and survival mode so imagine that
instead of being miserable at work you
woke up every day excited and energized
to create a thriving culture that
becomes so amazing you not only attract
the best possible colleagues but you
help build a business that can adapt and
thrive in the digital economy employees
and leaders have the power to shape the
conditions of the work environment and
maybe with your help we can wake up in a
world where great people do not quit
good jobs but good jobs do not quit
great people thank you [Applause]
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