Leaders often believe culture changes because of a new mission statement, a kickoff meeting, or a refreshed list of values. Those moments create awareness. Culture is shaped by what happens next.

Today’s post is by Natalie Johnson, co-author of Leading the Culture Journey: Elevating Everyday Actions to Create Extraordinary Workplaces.

Organizations don’t begin paying for a neglected culture when people leave. They’ve been paying all along.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Our reader poll today asks: How do you feel when you have a week with no scheduled meetings?

• Amazing! I can get work done and not be pulled in all directions – 56%
• Terrified! What am I going to do with all that open time? – 5%
• Wait…you guys have weeks without meetings?

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Learn the dos and don’ts of staying connected with clients as a consulting professional.

Client relationships are the lifeblood of your business. Be deliberate about maintaining them. Regular contact will keep you top of mind. Beware of excessive contact. They’re going to ignore you or block you if you’re in their inbox too much.

Find excuses to reach out to them like, “Hey, I read an article and I thought of you.” Or “I heard about a cool new technology and I thought you might be interested in it.” Send these notes and leave it at that.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Terry Conway shares his advice for operating a generational business.

Today’s post is by Terry Conway, author of Business is Simple: From A Family Cottage Business to World Processing and Markets.

I’ve always admired generational companies.  There is a certain bond among the family shareholders; they pull together to preserve family values. Family shareholders have a certain enthusiasm about caring for their enterprise and seem determined to continue its success.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Our reader poll today asks: Which dynamic best describes your organization’s approach to written communications?

• We focus purely on the message and don’t worry about the aesthetics around it. – 31%
• We balance our focus on the message while putting a lot of work into aesthetics. – 51%
  
• We focus mostly on aesthetics of the communication and worry less about message.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Passive-aggression is really challenging to deal with, because it’s so hard to see until it’s too late.

Sometimes people will say they agree with you. They love your idea. They say they’ll do whatever you need and give you all the resources you need to move forward. Then, they simply do nothing and passively resist your efforts. They might not give the resources they commit to or take the actions they said they’ll perform. 

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.