Culture Secrets - Episode 1

Introductory episode of Culture Secrets. Learn about the V.A.L.U.E. Culture formula and learn how workplace culture is the key to a successful business. In this episode, learn about your host, Chellie Phillips, author of the book by the same name - Culture Secrets.

Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.

Transcript

Host: Chellie Phillips  0:06  
If workplace culture is your jam, you're in the right place. Check out this episode of culture secrets, the podcast dedicated to creating workplaces where both employees and the companies thrive. Welcome to the culture secrets podcast. I'm your host Chellie Phillips and I just happened to be the author of the book by the same name. This podcast is all about building strong people centered workplace cultures, based around what I call the value culture formula. I believe all successful culture share a set of building blocks, and are built around vision, accountability, leadership, the uniqueness of the employees and engagement. Before we dive into defining and identifying what great company culture looks like, I thought you should know a little more about me and why the book and podcast came to be culture is what causes things to happen inside an organization both good and bad. This book has been 20 plus years in the making, I was studying and learning the basics of building strong cultures before it became a driving force in my professional and personal business. Let me explain. For 14 years, I worked on a college campus as a volunteer advisor for a national women's sorority, I had the privilege of spending most of my time with the women elected to leadership roles. If you weren't part of a Greek organization in college, you might not know they're basically run like a business. Some have budgets in the hundreds of 1000s of dollars, and these are managed by 18 to 22 year olds, there are events to plan wellness issues to consider and risk management decisions to be avoided. All while creating an atmosphere of sisterhood inclusion and collaboration. There is drama and cohabitating environments, there are differences of opinions that need to be heard. Each member brings their background values and beliefs to the table for the group to be a cohesive and attract new members each year, they built a strong thriving culture around a core group of values they all agreed upon. Looking back, these things are very similar to what should happen when we build human centered cultures inside corporate workspaces. In my 25 plus years working for electric cooperatives. I spoken numerous times on national, state and regional stages about the importance of communicating our value based system and how we need to connect and engage with our current and future workforce. So that we continue to be the electric provider of choice for millions of our members. In doing so, I've been recognized and honored with one of the highest awards given by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Liberal Arts Award for Excellence in strategic communication, I tell anyone who will listen, I drank the co op Kool Aid years ago and never looked back. I truly believe our business model can't be beat. And we are poised to attract the most innovative and brightest to work with us as we power the lives daily of our members. That ability comes because of the values we're founded on. And the fact that they match those people entering the workforce. In my current role as Vice President of Communications for Coweta Fayette EMC, right outside of Atlanta, I'm blessed to have a CEO who believes in creating a people centered culture. He supported my efforts in creating our nationally recognized internal development program, Vision EMC, which is now being implemented in other states across the US. It includes elements of professional and personal development. But its main goal is to build a collaborative work environment where employees feel they have a voice, and their contribution is valued. The program is in its fifth year, and we've seen the effects of our ability to retain and promote from within, as well as breaking down silos and facilitating communication across numerous departments. As I've led workshops and corporate training events on creating strong collaborative teams, increasing engagement, and how building strong personal brands can be a tool to edify and amplify your employee base, I've been able to test the concepts discussed on the pages of my book. It also helped us solidify my definition of employee engagement. In essence, employee engagement is the emotional commitment employee has to an organization. It's the strength of their mental and emotional connection to that workplace. It's their willingness and ability to contribute to company's success is how enthusiastic and committed they are to their work in the organization. When employees feel engaged, they care about the company, they do their best work to help achieve company goals. When employees are engaged, their number one objective is to contribute to the company's success. Employee engagement is not about employee benefits or bonuses. It's about feeling they are part of the organization. After the publication of my first two award winning books When in doubt deleted and get noticed get hired, I began taking personal coaching clients who are interested in creating an irresistible personal career brand designed to land them in the interview seat of their ideal career. Working with hundreds of clients reinforced how much workplace culture plays into the satisfaction that we feel with our careers. My clients were leaving their old positions because they felt undervalued, invisible, and disrespected. My clients were leaving their old positions because they felt undervalued, invisible and disrespected. What I've learned from them as we all have some basic needs concerning work, we want to feel like the work we do has value, and that we are contributing to the success of the company we work for. Today's worker wants to know their employee appreciates the time and effort given. And it's a bonus when our personal values align with those of the company we work with this work became the foundation of the value culture formula, which is found inside my book culture secrets, and that we're going to be exploring on this podcast. In my experience, we've all encountered one of those types of leaders in the workplace. First, they're great leaders who motivate and build us up. Secondly, perhaps we've been on the receiving end of a soul crushing bad leader who cares about nothing but themselves and ticking items off a checklist. Finally, there's that in between leader who is constantly throwing out one new initiative after another, making you get that sickly, I've been on a merry go round to long feeling, because they have no idea how to coach a team to success, but at least they recognize something needs to change. That's why leadership is one of the vital pieces of implementing a culture change in the workplace. culture isn't fluff. It's an investment in the future. As the leader, you have a responsibility to the people who work for you. It's your job to create an environment where both employees and the company thrive, so get it done. Fortunately, there are great examples all around us we can pull from. Over the last few years, I've had the opportunity to learn how culture impacts organizations. The value culture method provides the tools and methods you need to build a thriving workplace. And now I've been able to put it on the pages and share it an interview form with you here on this podcast. As a culture leader within my organization and industry, I know firsthand the power of value culture brings and how it impacts humanity personally, as you're listening to this podcast, or reading the pages of the book, I hope you to feel the impact this type of culture can have on your workplace. It's my hope that you take action on what you feel. We all seek to improve ourselves, but to do so in an environment and culture that benefits everyone in all positions, is why I'm here today. Thanks for listening to culture secrets. If you liked what you heard today, subscribe, drop me a rating and share the link with a friend. If you want to learn more or perhaps have become lead a discussion with your company or organization. Visit my website at WWW dot Chellie phillips.com That's ch e ll ie p h i ll ips.com. Remember, building a value culture is your competitive advantage and the backbone of any successful organization.