Leveraging Your Culture

On Tuesday, June 7, Lisa Yarussi joined SIF to lead a workshop called Leveraging Your Culture Through Effective Communication and People Strategies. The workshop was open to nonprofit leaders aiming to impact employee engagement and retention. We heard from participants that the workshop provided many practical tips for improving workplace culture. 

There are four main strategies that Lisa presented to help nonprofit leaders leverage their culture in order to drive employee engagement, retention, productivity and learning. When implementing the four strategies below, it is important to remember that effective communication is the core principle for successful execution. 

Clarify your employee value proposition (EVP)

Your employee value proposition should be clear and reinforced throughout the employee lifecycle.  Within the four elements of an EVP; salary & benefits, career path, working environment, and company culture – share how what you offer is special and unique. 

Understand the preferences and needs of your workforce

Know the needs and preferences of your workforce.  Be curious – ask, listen, and adjust. Currently, millennials make up 50% of the workforce, by 2025 it will be 75%.  Tune into what is important to this generation; they want to be coached, prefer a collaborative environment, desire regular feedback and alignment with company values.  

Foster meaningful connections in the new work model

Meaningful connections in a remote workforce require intentionality.  This means efforts should be planned, consistent, and creative.  Ways to connect and engage your people; onboarding, recognition, training, mentoring, check-ins, support for wellness, exercise, flexibility, and tools to thrive. 

Build a feedback rich environment

Leaders need to model and practice the power of feedback, both giving it well and asking to receive.  Feedback is a critical tool to drive engagement and performance.  A simple, yet effective model to follow for both positive and constructive feedback is SBI.  Capture the Situation.  Describe the Behavior. Describe the Impact.  

Effective communication in tandem with these four people strategies is a great starting point for learning how to leverage your workplace culture.

Learn More 

To learn more about Leveraging your Culture and Leadership, or to set up a training at your organization contact Lisa Yarussi at lisa@layupcoachingandconsulting.com