5 Best Ideas on Creating a High Performance Culture

Do you want to be safe and good,
or do you want to take a chance and be great?
- Jimmy Johnson, Two-Time Super Bowl Championship Coach

In case you missed it, I was live streaming on LinkedIn Live recently about some of the best ideas on high performing cultures. This topic is so important because it sets the tone, raises the bar and sets you and your company/organization up for success.

Read on for five of the best ideas. Also, pop on over to LinkedIn to watch the free replay of the live stream CLICK HERE NOW.

And before you dive in, I'm sure you have some best ideas of your own. Hit reply and share some of them with me. I'd love to hear from you and I promise to share them with the other readers.

So drum roll please....🥁 🥁 🥁

5 of the Best Ideas for Having a High Performing Culture are:

#1. Psychological Safety

Simply stated, "Is it safe here?" If your employees cannot answer this question in the affirmative, then your chances of having a high performing culture are low.

I first read about psychological safety in a Harvard Business Review article (HBR,High Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety, August 24, 2017, L. Delizonna). In a nutshell, psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake.

According to Delizonna, "The brain processes a provocation by a boss, competitive coworker, or dismissive subordinate as a life-or-death threat..." igniting a fight-or-flight response, and highjacking emotions and problem-solving capabilities.

The fight or flight response leads to stifling cooperation, hindering creative problem-solving and weak or unfocused strategic thinking.

#2. Create a Culture of Belonging

From the first day on the job, you want to create a sense of belonging. Daniel Coyle in the "Culture Code" describes these as belonging cues.

How do you engage your employee? Do you seek their input and value others' opinions?

Maybe you've experienced a time when you really felt like you belonged and that your presence in the company was appreciated and valued. It's no different for the people you lead.

From my experience, feeling valued has a significant positive impact on performance and results in contribution to the bottom line.

#3. Shared Vulnerability

The courage to trust others, the courage to at times share leadership, courage to take risks to achieve great things are signs of vulnerability. There are times when you need to take charge and there will be times when you can let others take the lead, and the credit.

Own up to your mistakes and admit that you don't have all the answers. It takes great courage to be authentic.

Sometimes a simple question like, "Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this problem?" is all it takes.

You might be surprised to find that solutions to a problem can come from unlikely sources.

#4. Cooperation within Your Teams

How do you build cooperation? Lead by example. Your actions speak louder than words or slogans.

Create opportunities for teams to work together. Create opportunities for them to socialize outside of work. They need to build trust with one another.

Selfless behavior versus selfish behavior. The worst thing that you can have is sort of a passive aggressive behavior where they fein cooperation but really they are only concerned with one thing - themselves.

Exit the bad apples. You won't know how much damage they have already caused until you do.

#5. Purpose and Vision

What is your why? What is your vision, the destination so to speak, of where you want to take your company or organization?

Establishing purpose gives everyone in your organization a clear idea of what the company stands for. And creating and sharing a vision for what the future holds creates clarity for everyone in the organization.

Where are you focused? Be clear. Define your culture. Assess where are you now and where you want to go.

Some final thoughts

When it comes to culture, what you acknowledge and appreciate sets the bar high. Make it a a big deal to show appreciation for the actions and behaviors of your employees that embody your company's most important values.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  Don't worry.  You cannot over-communicate belonging, shared vulnerability, safety, cooperation and purpose/vision.  

The key here is frequency and repetition.  Your people need regular reminders to keep culture and purpose top-of-mind.

All the above having been said, building trust is the keystone to having a high performing culture.

Remember, it starts with you.

Until next time!

P.S. You can see the free replay of my latest LinkedIn Live right here!

P.P.S. Comment, like and share this article. I’d love to hear about your ideas on high performance culture. I