The Leadership Burrito

In this final interview conducted for Season 1, Deborah has the opportunity to chat with friend and colleague from Cape Town, Kieron McRae. 

Kieron is a 20 year veteran of organizational change management and he has done some really complex change work in the areas of inclusion and diversity in a country where segregation was legislated and part of the societal fabric for more than 40 years.  In this episode, Kieron discusses his personal experiences of how more companies are starting to realise the importance of placing workplace culture on their strategic agenda and he encourages leaders to actively spend time crafting their culture and discussing progress in their executive management meetings. 

Kieron talks about how there is no silver bullet and how it takes bravery and courage to make some of the tough decisions that inevitably need to be made in order to  create a great workplace culture where there is transparency, collaboration and a commitment to lifelong learning. 

Ever wondered what to do when you have come to the realization that your workplace culture is not what you would like it to be? Where do you even start mopping up the mess? What tools and methods do you use and when do you employ technology and surveys to help in the process? The lovely Rae D'Umay out of Seattle, has all of these answers and more to share with our listeners. 

Rae is a veritable guru of organizational transformation and has worked with leading companies to effect lasting change. 

Transforming your workplace culture is hard work. But if you want to thrive in the new world of work, creating a great workplace culture is arguably the only work that truly matters for leaders to be focused on. 

Certified Empowerment Coach,  Rene Johnson is the author of "Leaving your Comfort Zone: How to lead your life from the Power Zone"and a renowned leadership and executive coach, facilitator and keynote speaker. Rene explains how leaders are responsible for leading change in themselves and others and she shares a wealth of practical tips and advice on exactly what individual leaders can and should be doing in order to create great workplace culture. As a parting thought, Rene also unpacks some strategies for dealing with a toxic manager and leading upwards. If you are a leader in the workplace or you have a toxic manager, you cannot afford to miss this episode. 

Author of "How to build a Happy Sandpit",  Colin J Browne, talks about his own personal experience of how one bad hire impacted his own organisation and how that experience led to his research into what creates a great workplace culture.  Colin has interviewed countless business leaders and has a wealth of knowledge to share around the commonalities he has uncovered and how you can use these lessons in your own organisation to create a winning culture.  To learn more about the work that Colin and his team are doing, or to enquire about the Iceberg boardgame, please visit Happy Sandpit (note for our US listeners, a 'sandpit' is a sandbox like you would find in a park or kids playground). 

Joining Deborah from Nottinghamshire in the UK, Andy Davies, Global Head of Enablement for People First, talks about the importance of authentic leadership and empathy in creating a great place to work. By simply being kinder, more transparent and having regular, candid conversations, we can truly transform workplace culture, even if there is zero budget for technology or coaching and change management. 

Andy discusses the power of having regular "check-ins" instead of only having an annual performance review or only having a conversation when an employee is not performing at the levels we would prefer.

From a leadership perspective, the work really starts here. What can you do to be kinder and more empathetic towards your employees? What changes would you need to make in order to have more regular check-in conversations and create a safe space where every individual feels safe to be their authentic self?

Visit our website for more content, videos and articles. 

Visit our website to learn more about some of Dr. Sepah's work on the performance values matrix and how you can better identify someone who will be bad for your culture, before you even hire them. 

Hilton Barbour joins Deborah from Toronto, Canada to talk about the crucial link between strategy and culture. Hilton unpacks some of the finer nuances that actually create your workplace culture, whether you are aware of these or not.

Given his background in Marketing and Strategy, Hilton also explains how your Marketing team is a crucial ally in helping you to craft your workplace culture and create your employer brand. Culture is not just 'an HR thing' and creating an amazing place to work, is really a strategic imperative and an undeniable leadership responsibility. 

For additional articles, videos and other supporting materials, please visit our website.

Additional resources, including articles and videos are posted on our website.

Visit theleadershipburrito.com and follow us on twitter and instagram.

Check out our website

Follow the Leadership Burrito on Twitter and on Instagram

Follow Deborah Hartung on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or visit deborahhartung.com