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janhoistad@drjanhoistad.com

5 Cultural Shifts to Improve Business Outcomes

DJHP / Leaders There’s not a business around that doesn’t have a culture. Some companies actively develop their cultures while in the startup phase, whereas others leave culture to chance, never settling on their vision for the company beyond what products or services they intend to sell. If you weren’t an active participant in the cultural development of a company, it may be in need of a cultural shift. And as a leader, here’s what you need to do to make it possible: 1. Commit to the shift. Shifting a company’s culture takes time and patience. Don’t start unless you intend to see it through to fruition. Doing anything otherwise can cost you staff, and those who do stay will likely feel discouraged, which can erode your employee engagement, lower productivity levels, and stifle innovation. Before tackling a cultural shift, evaluate your current company culture with key decision makers in your business. Look at its strengths and weaknesses, as well as your priorities, such as growth or profitability. Then, settle on your vision for an organization that lives its values and gather the resources to make it possible. 2. Embrace new values. Cultural shifts start from the top, so you must start talking the talk and walking the walk if you ever hope to make a positive change in your business. Adopt these new values as your own. It’s an opportunity to not just improve a culture but set the stage for your own professional growth. To help with this [...]

Grounding Your Career and Business Development Expectations in a New Reality

 DJHP / Leaders / Careers Astronaut Scott Kelly had much training in the art of navigating while being untethered by gravity and is suffering sore muscles now that he's landed. Back here on planet earth the heads of many bright, highly motivates men and women are bumping an unanticipated career ceiling. Up to now they describe a career trajectory that has followed personal growth expectations as well as those projected by the culture. However, instead of the former upward (and sometimes rapid) mobility of their earliest years, they are now praised, asked to be patient—and given an increased workload. Any available opportunities are few and many are lateral moves.  At the same time, there may be no opportunities for advancement or they may see others, less experienced, advancing before them. Having taken on responsibilities and expenses of couple-hood and parenthood with related obligations and activities that allow little personal time, these men and women report feeling trapped and isolated. Frustration accompanies anxiety because they have so much experience, energy and more to give. This desire is typically not tied to a desire for greater income as the top priority. Instead, they desire a challenge and opportunity to feel stimulated, do great work and grow in responsibility and leadership. Turning inward, these feelings impact self-confidence and self-concept. Keeping up appearances at work makes home-life a safe haven. But mates and kids are often sacrificed. The need to project an image of having it all together on the job runs counter to [...]

Stacking the Deck for Success: How Business Can Learn from the Medical Residency Training Model

DJHP /Leaders As roughly one-third of Boomers prepare to exit the workforce, companies are fast becoming aware of need for next generation of workers: Millennials. In fact, an estimated 86 million of them will be part of the workforce by 2020. That’s 40 percent of the total working population. This impacts both business and education alike. We’re working harder and faster than ever to figure out effective ways to educate and train this new batch of workers in the skills necessary for tomorrow’s workforce. Working closely with educational systems is important to develop long-term strategies, but what do we do in the interim? How do we ensure that we’re meeting the demands placed on businesses by the ever-changing marketplace. For the near future, what you can do is develop one strong solid part of your strategy to create a learning environment and consider the medical school residency model — which is education by apprenticeship — as an approach. Core Characteristics of the Apprenticeship Model TV shows like Code Black or the early days of Grey’s Anatomy capture some of this model. In the “emergency room setting,” they role-play a culture in which medical residents and doctors are all working from the same values and intent toward the same outcome. They’re individually and collectively: Hell-bent on learning, intense growth, and teamwork.Continuously reminded — implicitly and explicitly — of their higher purpose. They know their work matters.Given the tools, structure, and support around each task.Know that wisdom and experience is responsible for [...]

Seeking the Feedback You Need

DJHP /Careers As a Millennial, I’m quite familiar with all of the characteristics that make up a “Millennial.” There are hundreds and hundreds of articles that categorize, compartmentalize, and classify Millennials. Although I do not agree with every single thing that’s printed about us, one topic that consistently comes up is the need for feedback, and it really rings true. Specifically speaking, I’ve had a number of jobs where the level of feedback ranged from zero to 100 — 100 being that everything I did was nitpicked and critiqued. Although I crave feedback and thrive in environments where feedback is fairly consistent (and constructive, I should add), I’m here to tell you that you can’t always get what you want and to offer some suggestions or techniques that may help the situation. Here are a few suggestions that I’ve found useful: Ask for the feedback. The first place to start is to just ask for it. This is my biggest mistake. I’ve been in positions where I wanted feedback and was frustrated for not getting it. The problem wasn’t that my superiors didn’t have any; it was that they didn’t know I was open to it. Consider asking for a bi-monthly 10-minute meeting to discuss progress, answer any questions, and catch up. Seek feedback elsewhere. It may be difficult to get specific feedback about your position from others outside of the environment, but having a friend, mentor, or even just someone to talk things out can very helpful. Use these [...]

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