Welcome! Join us every week as we dive into the dynamic and crucial, yet often misunderstood and barely tolerated world of Human Resources (HR).

TO say that the last year and a half has been a challenging one would be an understatement for most of us. Overwhelming. Frustrating. Disorienting. Isolating. Exhausting. Unexpected. Unnerving. Sound about right?

The crazy of 2020 and all its realities didn’t magically disappear when the clock struck midnight on December 31st – as I suspect many had hoped that it would have. We’re halfway through 2021 and most of us are still overwhelmed, frustrated, disoriented, isolated, exhausted and unsure.

A friend of mine often says, “squeeze an orange, you don’t get grapefruit juice.” What’s inside comes out. Pressure reveals character.

What has the pressure of the frustration, isolation, exhaustion and uncertainty of the last year and a half squeezed out of you and your organisation?

Among the many things that this pandemic has tested and laid bare, your company’s culture without doubt has been one of them. Before you dismiss this as one of those irritating, fluffy HR conversations, hear me out. There may just be some food for thought … just maybe.

First, let’s agree on what culture is. It’s simply a shared way of doing something. One leader puts it this way … “Organisational culture is what leads when leadership is not there.” It is all of the unspoken rules, and it’s everywhere. We have a shared way of doing things in our homes, our schools, our churches … everywhere.

So, whether you have been intentional about creating the culture that exists in these spaces, or you’ve never given it a second thought, the truth is that one exists even if by default, and it plays a major role in how you show up in each of these areas of your life – including how you and your organisation have shown up in these turbulent times.

What culture is not

It’s not a set of fancy words on paper. It’s more than talk. People first, team, respect, values, mission, fun, collaborative – words and phrases we so proudly throw around and that are found in our carefully crafted company statements. But talk is cheap if not backed up with consistent action, especially from the top; the entire leadership team, supported by board buy-in. The truth is, bad culture costs you. It costs you in disengagement, turnover, absenteeism, lost productivity and so much more. Turning a blind eye and choosing to ignore the culture conversation is expensive.

Are we satisfied with having team members who do just enough and endure until end-of-day, and who ultimately don’t care whether the company does well or not (just pay me in full and on time please and thanks!), because they haven’t bought into the company, their job, or you, their leader?

Or are we willing to walk the talk and do the work that it takes to create an environment that pulls the best of out of our people and sets everyone up to win – both the team and the company?

If COVID-19 has caught you flat-footed on the culture conversation, now more than ever, as we emerge and adapt to our rapidly changing environment, is when leadership should be deliberate about getting clear on the culture you wish to create and maintain. Now more than ever is when our organisations need the sturdy rope of a robust culture to hold our teams steady on these ‘stormy seas’.

We don’t get a do-over and we can’t opt out, but we can take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and build on what works and commit to changing what does not.

It’s never comfortable accepting that you’re a sour grapefruit and not the sweet Seville orange that you preferred to think that you were. However, here’s a question for you. What if even amid the overwhelm, frustration, isolation, exhaustion and uncertainty, your organisation had the ability to see opportunity, show resilience, agility, creativity; innovate and reprioritise?

There’s a culture for that, but it requires vision, leadership, courage, and intentionality.

Mirror, mirror on the wall … are you willing to face the reality of it all?

Talk more soon,

Carolyn

My name is Carolyn Bolt. HR happened upon me seven years ago, and there has been no turning back from this challenging, critical, very rewarding and often frustrating matter of people since then. Reach me at peoplematter.s21@gmail.com.