The Culture You Lead Is the Culture You Create

Speaker A: Welcome to Consulting from the Couch, a, uh, podcast about leaders, what makes them tick, what drives them and the challenges they face. During the show, you'll get to know some of the most genuine people I've worked with over the years and you'll hear these leaders provide nuggets, tidbits and takeaways for the emerging leaders of tomorrow. This broadcast is brought to you by Brown Leather Couch Consulting, hence known as BLC Consulting. We're a communications and organizational strategy group that works in the electric utility space and with service related industries, helping them thrive in today's ever changing landscape. To learn more, go to blcconsultingllc.com in today's episode, I'm going to talk Chelli Phillips, award winning cultural strategist, speaker and creator of the Value Culture formula, a framework that's transforming how leaders build thriving, inclusive and high performing workplaces. She's worked with organizations to help leaders understand one key truth. Culture isn't a perk. It's the heartbeat of success. In this conversation we'll explore the power of leadership to shape culture, unlock employee engagement and build trust driven teams. On a personal note, Shelly is a peer, a fellow electric cooperative employee, and most importantly, a friend. Chelli, welcome and thank you for joining me today.

Speaker B: Thanks for having me. Looking forward to having a conversation.

Speaker A: Absolutely. So before we get into everything, if you would take a minute and just tell listeners a little more about Shelly Phillips.

Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, I think the easiest way to kind of do that is I tell everybody I'm a sweet tea sipping, sassy southerner. Um, and I've grown up throughout the electric cooperative industry, um, seeing that side of things, like the being a member owned organization, really understanding how our behaviors, how the things that we say impact our members, they also impact our employees. And so being able to take that and translate that into some of the other things that we're doing. Um, but even prior to that, one of the things that I'm really engaged with is storytelling because I think the stories of who we are and where we come from and how we go about things are so impactful. And so I had years as a journalist. I did news, local newspaper, I worked in radio news for a while. And then becoming an author, being able to share those, not just my stories, but other people's stories, um, and being able to see the impact they have when people can really resonate with that. Um, on a personal note, um, I am an avid SEC football fan. Give me a big Roll Tide any day of the week. Um, and I am pretty Much a confirmed coke zero addict. So anytime you run into me, I am probably highly caffeinated.

Speaker A: Nice. So let's hop right in. In the introduction, I, uh, mentioned something about culture is the heartbeat of an organization. How do you see leadership directly influencing that heartbeat day in and day out?

Speaker B: Yeah. So for me, culture, it can't live on a poster on the wall. It actually has to live in how people treat each other, how they communicate, and how they lead. So leadership sets that rhythm of that heartbeat to me. So when leaders model the behaviors, the values, uh, the vision that they expect from others, culture becomes not just a philosophy, but it becomes something that we actually practice. So I always like to say culture is either by design or by default. And being purposeful, leaders have to choose that design. And so that's why I created that value culture formula to give leaders a, ah, framework to create the workplaces where people want to join, stay and grow.

Speaker A: Let's talk a little bit about that value cultural formula, and I'm going to ask a question related to that now, and then we'll revisit that in a minute. So the cultural formula, vision, accountability, leadership, uniqueness and engagement, which do leaders most often overlook?

Speaker B: To me, it's accountability hands down. Um, most leaders associate that word with consequences, but to me, when it's done well, it's more about clarity, support and growth. So in my workshops and when I come in and do consulting work, one of the things that we dig into is what I call empowered accountability. And it really flips the script from who messed up to what do you need to succeed? And that one shift alone in how we approach things, can really energize a team and reinforce that trust.

Speaker A: So can you share maybe a specific story where a shift in leadership style, whether it's something that you experienced at your workplace or maybe something that you, um, in visiting other organizations, um, maybe had a conversation. Can you share a story about a dramatic change in a company's culture?

Speaker B: Yeah, sure. So I worked with an organization where their frontline teams felt completely disconnected from leadership. So we really worked with the supervisors and coached them on how the power of having daily communication, um, impact that. And by that I mean how showing up, listening, leading with empathy, all of those kind of things can be incorporated into that. When I say communication. So in six months, their employee engagement scores were jumped and they were able to see a big shift. How people recognized the role that they had inside the organization and how that connected with the vision of that organization and actually be able to say that my job My work contributes to the success of that organization. So it wasn't like creating new policy or anything like that. It was really about just having, having a new tone. And the culture shifted when the leadership behavior did.

Speaker A: People in general, in business, in life, they really undervalue communication. What do you think about that?

Speaker B: Oh, I totally agree. I mean like, people assume like when you say communications in the workplace, a lot of times they think about, oh, the email that came out or uh, oh, the newsletter. And communication is so much more than that. It's not necessarily a piece. That's communication is, did I recognize somebody in the hallway when I passed them? Did I talk to them? Did I stop by their cubicle today and see how things are going? Do I schedule time to have one on one conversations to make sure people, you know, know what's going on, that I, you know, that I appreciate what they're doing, even just to say thank you. Sometimes, like, you know, communication is such a big picture item that I think it gets lost in the shuffle. A lot of times people assume when you hear communication in the workplace, they're thinking, oh, another employee newsletter or oh, let's put signs up around the building or different things like that. And it's just so much more and so much deeper.

Speaker A: Integral part of communication too is listening. And then also in, uh, this instance you're talking around the workplace, there's a lot of unspoken communications. Your body language, way that you carry yourself, even your actions, the way you're walking down the hall or whatever. I don't know. You know, when we think communications, we do think of verbal or whatever, you know, from that perspective. But there's a lot of things that actually go into, into communications. Granted. Yeah, slanted viewpoint, but okay.

Speaker B: Yeah. And people know when you're genuine and when you're not. You know, am I just checking a box? Am I supposed to ask them this five questions? Am I supposed to have this conversation with them? You know, like, people need to know that your heart's in it. And that goes back to that whole, what am I portraying as that leader of that organization? So yeah, I totally agree with you.

Speaker A: Let's get into the value formula a little bit. So vision. So how can leaders turn a compelling vision into daily behavior?

Speaker B: Yeah. So to me, vision becomes really, really real when it's lived out in the daily decisions that we make. So, uh, a compelling vision should answer two questions for the employee. As far as I'm concerned, it should answer, where are we going? And what does that mean for me? So in one of the keynotes that I do, I talk a lot about using storytelling, how that's an important leadership tool that leaders really need to get comfortable with. So people relate this. Uh, back before we had the written language, we communicated things through stories, and that's how things were passed down generation to generation to generation. Same thing happens in the workplace that people really connect to the stories that we tell. And it's really important for leaders to use that tool and to connect their strategies to stories, especially ones that they can tell that feature the employees in the building doing the work or people that have even come before them doing it, set in tone. And so when they can create those stories to show the impact that you're having, that's moving you in that direction. That's when they create real meaning and how that vision gets translated into what we're doing day in and day out. And it really sticks with people.

Speaker A: So accountability, we'll revisit this. You framed accountability as empowerment. How does that change how teams function?

Speaker B: So I think when people understand that accountability isn't all about blame, that it's more about ownership, that's when they really begin to rise. And that's putting that accountability onto people. And, you know, I do a workshop that's called Communicate to Lead. And we really explore how we set those expectations through clarity, not control. And by that, when you can do that, teams become more, um, they shift from being what I call reactive to being proactive. And it really builds confidence, it builds autonomy, that, hey, I trust you to do your job and that you're going to get things done the way that needs to do. And that ultimately improves performance and then it also improves your engagement that you have with your employees there. And so when you can shift that feeling of it's the leader's job to make sure that everything happens to where it's the individual. I'm taking ownership of this. This is my role. This is what I'm responsible for. This is how I'm helping us reach our goals. This is how I am helping us reach that vision that we've all been told that we have a part in making it do that. That's when things really start clicking leadership.

Speaker A: Let's talk specifically about, uh, the LN Value leadership and traits. So in your workshops, which do you find missing most in struggling cultures?

Speaker B: You know, to me, the one that I think that really gets the most impact is approachability. You know, a lot of leaders say they have an open door policy, but do you really, are you really approachable? Um, does your team feel like they can actually come to you and have a discussion, or is it more of authoritarian and rigid where they're like, if I show up, I'm going to get chewed out because, hey, there's an issue and I want to talk through it. So approachability, to me, you can't build trust in people if people are afraid to bring you bad news or share ideas. And so to me, the leaders who are the most approachable, um, those are the leaders that actually foster that innovation, that loyalty, resilience, all those kind of positive things that we want in the workplace. And it's a real small shift, you know, for someone to be able to do. It's a small behavior with massive cultural impact to me is, you know, when, when you are that leader that people feel like they can have conversations with or that that leader that actually gets out of the office, out of, and actually is seen in the building and is going from department, department or engaging with people where they are, that's when that approachability really happens. Maybe they're intimidated to come to the CEO's office, but if the CEO is in the break room grabbing a cup of coffee, somebody may have that conversation. Especially if that, ah, CEO has done the work to make sure that they know their employees, know what department they're in, know what they're working on, and they can even say, so how's so and so going? And then we can have a conversation that leads to those kind of things that people feel recognized, which is, you know, one of the things that we struggle with. And that is recognition isn't necessarily a paycheck change. Sometimes recognition is just people realizing, hey, I'm doing a good job for you. And so approachability, number one to me, one of the biggest things that leaders can do to make massive impact.

Speaker A: I'm familiar with the six traits, but not revealing the secret sauce. Will you tell the listeners what the other five are just so they'll have an idea?

Speaker B: Yeah, sure. So, um, first off, there's self awareness, because great leadership starts from within us. And great leaders have to understand their strengths, their blind spots, their triggers, their values. Uh, because if you don't understand yourself, you'll never be able to share who you are and what matters to you, to your team. So that self awareness allows you to really connect authentically with your team. The next is vision. Um, just like we have visions for our organizations, um, a great leader has to be able to see what's possible not just for the organization itself, but for the other people. And you have to Be able to help other people see that too. So visionary leaders have to have clear purpose and clear direction. And so that helps you become a better leader when you can help other people see the path that they need to be on as well. We talked about, um, accountability, um, and approachability, all that kind of stuff. Communication is a superpower for any leader to have. And you've got to be able to communicate with clarity and confidence and empathy. Um, and it's not just giving feedback, but it's about being that encourager, getting to know people where they are. Um, and, you know, the thing with communications is that we have to be adaptable. And so really successful leaders learn how to adapt their communication to the different audiences and different people that they're talking to. Next is empathy. Uh, and really, that saying is true. You really have to show people that you care. They don't care what they know. They just care that you care. And so that act of listening that we mentioned earlier, leading the compassion, um, and that becomes really, really key, especially if you have a challenge inside the organization or you're going through change. And then finally, great, um, great. Leadership is built around resilience. Um, tough times don't build character, they reveal it. So if you have flaws in yourself, they're really going to show when you're under stress and when you're having times of adversity. And so being resilient, being able to be that calm under pressure, being able to bounce back from setbacks, um, really helping your team learn how to navigate and do it confidently and with some optimism can really go a long way. So those would be the six traits of leadership. Throw back in that account, that approachability, and you're there.

Speaker A: Great. Thank you for sharing those. Let's go to the you in value, and that is uniqueness. How can leaders create culture that truly celebrate individual strengths and backgrounds?

Speaker B: Yeah, and so I think that really kind of starts with visibility. And what you're doing as a leader is making your people feel seen. Um, employees want to see themselves reflected in the organization in the stories that are told. Um, they want to see themselves reflected in the growth opportunities that are available and in the feedback that they receive. So one of the things that I do is I coach leadership to move from that. Your role is to just fit in, but it's really to stand out. So how can I help my team members stand out? Um, when I was working a lot, um, in a previous life, I was an advisor, um, on a college campus with a sorority. And, you know, one of the things that we really worked with them when they were getting ready to go out into the workplace and everything is, is how do I want to be known? What are the skills that I want to be known for? How can I be seen for the right things? And that's what you really do as a great leader for your team is you want them to be successful. You want other people to see them having the success. And you know, for us that means, um, really recognizing and rewarding people for what makes them different. Not necessarily. Or wanting them to dilute themselves so that they just blend in. My role is to really amplify the gifts that my team members have and make sure that I put them in the right role so that the job that I am asking them to do really plays off of their talents and strengths that they have. That's a win win for both of us. The company's going to be more successful and the employee is going to enjoy doing more of what they do.

Speaker A: I love that. And I mean you're basically, you're positioning them for success, you're setting them up for success. Uh, I love that. Now the last is the E engagement. So we got vision, accountability, leadership, uniqueness, and then engagement. What makes people feel deeply connected to their work today? And what do leaders get wrong with this?

Speaker B: So engagement comes when your employees, your team is being heard, being valued, and they know they have a purpose. And to me, a lot of time leaders confuse activity with engagement. Engagement is not a pizza party. Engagement is not, here's a T shirt. Engagement is not, here's a gift card for your great work. Those are all great things. I'm not saying don't do those things, but that's not engagement. So real engagement happens when employees feel like what they do matters and that their leaders actually notice. And so real recognition. Not a pizza party for the entire company, but real recognition where I'm having a one on one conversation with you and I tell you, hey, I've noticed these great things that you're doing. You're helping us accomplish X, Y and Z. If I do it in team meetings, if I do it in all company meetings, however, it is. The other side of that though is that you as a leader need to know how your team wants to be recognized. There are some people that are incredibly uncomfortable if you call them out in a big setting, even for positive reasons. And you can do more harm than good. And so you got to really know your team. That goes back to that approachability thing is that you've been out there knowing what's going on, but giving feedback, making sure that they understand this is the expectation. Let me know how you're going with that and what I can do to help you succeed in that. What's working, what isn't working, where are the goals that we're going for and really, you know, mission aligned work, you know, that's really the key to everything, is that everybody understands their role and the part that it plays in the success of what we are trying to do. When you do all of that, you have made them feel heard, you have made them feel valued and you have shown them that they have purpose. And that is ultimately the key to engagement.

Speaker A: Uh, I love it. Again, I think that this one, it's critical and you made a great point about recognizing the employees. We're in a time right now where, what is it? How many generations are in the workforce?

Speaker B: Four, Four or whatever, Sometimes five.

Speaker A: Yeah. And the way that you recognize a baby boomer and they feel comfortable with that is not how you recognize a, uh, whatever the latest generation is. I don't know, the way you recognize

Speaker B: me, Generation Alpha now.

Speaker A: Yeah. The way you recognize me, a 56 year old is not the way that a 20 year old likes to be recognized or whatever. And like you said, with a leader being exposed to the employees and being uh, seen and having approachability and just simply knowing your employees, that helps you with that. So uh, yeah, engagement is, you know, is critical. So that's the value, culture, formula, vision, accountability, leadership, uniqueness and engagement. So let's shift gears a little bit and let's talk about something that leaders maybe sometimes struggle with. Empowerment and trust. What's the difference between, I'm going to use uh, some fancy words here, empowered autonomy and just hands off disengagement.

Speaker B: So empowered autonomy means that to me it comes with its own, it has boundaries, but it comes from trust and support and disengaged freedom. Or just the free for all is a, uh, sink or swim mentality. So the difference to me is communication and like what I've seen in the trainings and stuff that I do is that we really have to start talking about setting clear outcomes but also giving the flexibility to know that there's probably more than one path to get to the outcome that we need. And that's where the autonomy comes in, is that I'm going to allow you to get to that outcome that we need. The best way that you know how to do it with the best skills that you have and everything else. And with that comes that accountability that we talked about. Earlier, because at that point in time, trusting you to get the outcome based on your skills, your point of view, your idea of how things should go. So that's creating that accountability, ownership. You now have ownership of this project, the direction that we're going, and you're not overwhelmed with it. Because I'm allowing you to take the path that best works for you to get there. We all know there's my way, there's your way, there's 20 other ways to generally do a project or get whatever. And so when I can allow you to take the path that you're most comfortable with, that uses the skills that you have appropriately and everything, then I'm allowing you to work to the best of your ability. And that's where it really comes from. Without the boundaries and without the guidelines, it's a free for all. And then you get that feeling of, uh. A lot of people feel like I've just been left out here floundering, trying to figure out how to do things and how to get them done. And that's where you get the disengagement. That's where the satisfaction stops dropping. Because even though I'm telling you can do whatever you want or you can have, like without any kind of boundary or guidelines, then people really flounder trying to figure out how do I make things happen. So it's a balance between the two. But, uh, I really think people appreciate knowing that it doesn't always have to be my way. I have a way that I would done it. And you know, and things have changed. You know, I hate to say that in 30 years that I've been in the industry and I've been learning these things, the way we did it 30 years ago is not necessarily the way we need to do it 30 years now. And there are a lot of leaders that don't make that shift. And they think that the only way we could do it is the way we used to do it. And so being flexible enough to know that there's new opportunities out there, there's new software, there's apps, there's all kinds of way of looking at things and doing things, like being open to trying those things gives people the ability to have input, to have their ideas and they feel like they have some control over the project and everybody still ends up with the outcome that you want and the department ends up looking great.

Speaker A: Great answer. I just want to contribute a little bit here in the electric cooperative world. So being a quote, supervisor necessarily doesn't make you a leader. I mean, you can lead from any position within the company so you don't have to supervise anybody. But being a supervisor doesn't necessarily make you a leader. But I think with a position of being a supervisor there are probably some expectations that you will be a leader. Right? I don't know that the co ops do. We do a very good job at preparing someone who's been in the grind day to day and then all of a sudden you say, hey, you're going to be a supervisor and you're going to have employees working for you that are in the day to day grind. And that's a big mind shift for someone who has been has that kind of get it done mentality. Right. And then all of a sudden they've got to back off and kind of create this empowered autonomy and doesn't exist. And like you're saying the way that the folks that they're supervising may accomplish the task, the project or whatever, there's 20 ways to do it and most likely the folks working for them are younger and it may not be the way that they would have done it 10 or 15 years ago or whatever, but they're getting it done. What are your thoughts just about that in general?

Speaker B: You know, I don't think we've done the best job in that. Like you really have to move to a coaching mindset. And as younger and younger generations move into the workplace, that's the expectation that they have, is that I'm going to have someone that is going to show me the ropes, build me up, encourage me, put me on a path, help me with my growth plan, all of those kind of things. It's not necessarily a, uh, you know, get her done and get out of here kind of situation anymore. And you know, unfortunately a lot of promotions happen because of, you know, people retire, they move and it's the next person in line and everything. And that person has learned from um, the person that was there before who was not taught a coaching mentality because they weren't toe to coach, taught a coaching mentality from the person before that. And it's a self perpetuating kind of problem that kind of moves through. It's not that they're not talented at their job, it's not that they're not high producers. Um, but there's a whole set of people skills that come with being great leaders, not just a supervisor. And that's the piece that we're lacking.

Speaker A: Yeah, and let me interrupt you right there and I'm sorry, but just because you are a number one at your job Whatever that job may be, just because you are the best at that, that doesn't necessarily translate into being a great manager, supervisor or whatever. Because what you mentioned about the people, the people skill set and stuff like that, a lot of times people make the assumption and people get promoted because they were the best. Fill in the blank. And so that's going to translate into them being a great supervisor or manager or whatever kind of position for failure.

Speaker B: Right, Exactly. You know, you can be the best widget counter in the world, but you may not be the best manager of people. And so, you know, uh, uh, and also you may not have the desire to do that and someone may put you in that role that you never really wanted or you're not prepared for, because maybe you, maybe you are the person that. I want to come home. I mean, I want to go to work, I want to count widgets every day and then I want to go home and I don't want to think about work anymore. And then I'll show up the next day and I'll count my widgets and I'll do a great job at it. Then I'll go home. You know, with that role of leadership, uh, there's a lot of stuff that goes into that role. Not just your people, but your processes, your budgets. Like you're dealing with issues and problems and coming with solutions. And you know, some people don't have that desire. They're happy in the role that they're in and they do a great job in it. And sometimes we make them feel like you don't have any other. You have to move into this role whether you want it or get the best for it or not. And so, you know, on the flip side of that is that, you know, we need to, it goes back to that whole, that all of our, all of our team is unique. We need to understand what their strengths and their talents are and we need to use them to their best of abilities. And then if we do see, you know, the thing with us being in leadership roles is we should be recognizing people throughout our organizations, you know, who we think need to be developed, who do we need to be moving into these roles and everything? And who do I need to start now? Who do I need to be putting into positions to prepare them for that, giving them the training that they need, having them start running some smaller projects, having. Start being on employee teams, having them see how they work in these situations so that we can really start developing the people side so we can have that full 360 leader that we need instead of someone who is just great at a process.

Speaker A: So let's shift and let's actually talk about real world culture shifts. Tell me about a culture reset that led to measurable change and what actually sparked it.

Speaker B: So one of the things that I, ah, can really point to is with a co op actually that I worked with, um, is having what I call siloed departments. We all know how siloed is happening. You know, like people get very focused on, this is my job, I'll handle this, this is my department. And quit looking big picture about how departments should interact with each other, how one person's role impacts another person's role across the building. And so, you know, we were working with that kind of thing. There was a lot of finger pointing, um, some poor morale. And so one of the first things we do is we start with a culture audit or that employee engagement survey is to really see where are our issues and then building out a very, uh, a shared vision and accountability plan with input from all of those levels. You know, like in the co op world we're talking about like from lineman to the CEO. And one of the things that able to see is like in less than a year they were able to see that increase in job satisfaction and like even faster restoration times because people were working better and communicating with each other. And then we see communication across the board improve because we were able to see things happen like, you know, work orders getting processed better and more accurately. And so that impacts your accounting department and your billing department and all of these other kind of things. And so really knowing that when you do a culture reset, that uh, it can't just be one department or the other, it needs to be full fledged in everybody realizing that what we do in one area has an impact on others. And the silos are one of the hardest things to really bust because people get really comfortable in. I'm working in my own world. I see the things that are happening in my world, but I need to get that bigger picture and start looking at how what's happening here impacts other areas. And is it causing a slowdown or is it causing issues or are we even talking to each other to even know if those things are happening?

Speaker A: So besides the communication piece of it, during this culture reset that you saw, and you said over time you saw communication improving, was there any other leadership behaviors that you saw shifting during this time?

Speaker B: Um, so one thing I'd point to is a lot of times people think accountability is micromanaging and it's not. People hate to Be micromanaging. And so one of the processes that I teach, and I'll walk you through it, just kind of big picture is what I call the check in, not check up method. And so when we do that it allows leaders to set the stage, um, to provide resources and then become the check in the coach at that point in time, not control. So it shows that they trust their people and it gives them kind of room to shine. And one of the things that we do that is like, um, I'll give you some examples is like when you have micromanager versus a coaching leader. So kind of the tone in the way that we talk to people, you know, like, so a micromanager may be like, have you got this done yet? Whereas the coaching leader is, how's it going? What do you need to get this accomplished? Um, your macromanager is I'm watching everything that you're doing. I'm controlling every step of it. I need to know exactly what you're doing at 8:30 today. I need to know what's happening at 2, blah, blah, blah. You know, the coaching one is just providing that support and giving them, hey, give me a check in, let me know where things are going. You know, micromanagers tend to be very defensive, whereas your coaching leaders are all about showing trust and offering to help people get to wherever they need to do. And so one of the ways that we really do that is like how do we put that into practice in the real world? And you know, it's even something that I do with my own teams. But for me one of the easiest ways that you can do that as a leader is to schedule super quick check ins. And um, I'm talking 10 minutes max, maybe even five minutes, um, depending on what size of your department is and how you have to do it. If you're going cubicle, cubicle to cubicle. And I do think it's important that it's face to face. This is one of those things that um, can occasionally be emailed. But I think you need to make the effort to get in front of people and actually let them see that you care about what's happening and how that it's going. And you know, you simply ask simple questions like um, what's working? Well, is there anything that you're stuck on? Um, is there anything I can take off your plate? Um, do you need me to help you get some information to get something done? And we're focusing on the outcome, not necessarily the activity itself. Like I'm not tracking, you know, have you contacted 27 people today. Have you done these kind of things, like, um, I am not as involved in the step by step as I am making sure that we're getting to the ultimate outcome that we need. And then the biggest piece of that is being present so that they know that if they do have issues or if something starts to go off the rails, or if it looks like I'm not hitting deadlines, my role is to listen, be there, and try to help remove any roadblock that's out there and really encourage problem solving. Let's work on this. Let's see what's going on. And so that simple check in. That simple doing what we ever do is a way that we can incorporate that communication piece, that we can become more that coaching piece. And what it does is it builds trust on both sides. I can see that work is happening. I can see that they're putting the effort into making things happen. And the employee can see that I am trusting them to do it without giving them. You need to do step one, now, step two, step three, step four, step five, step six, and have it done by 222 today. And so that's when some of those big shifts can really happen and you start seeing some of those changes take place.

Speaker A: I used to call it the five minute doorway meeting. I would pop in and stand in the doorway and just kind of like, hey, what's up? What can I do to help today? Is there something that I can take off your plate? I used to always ask, what was a pain point that was maybe, you know, keeping somebody from getting something done. Great takeaways. Three quick questions and we'll wrap it up. What's one daily habit any leader can adopt to start improving culture today?

Speaker B: Super simple. Learn to say thank you and be very specific about it and be very frequent about it. Because recognition matters so much. It's cultural glue to me. Um, it tells the employees that you're seen and that you matter. And it's totally free. It does not impact your budget at all. Just learn to say thank you. When people give their time, when they give their effort, when they do something well, when they have a great idea, when they bring you a problem that you might not have been aware with, when they feel comfortable enough to trust you with a conversation, just learn to say thank you. It goes so far.

Speaker A: And I would, uh, add, be genuine when you say that too. So, yeah, that's great. What's the biggest cultural myth you wish every CEO, uh, or leader of an organization would abandon? Biggest cultural myth that they, they would just scratch it off and be done with it.

Speaker B: I have this conversation all the time. Culture is not HR's job. Culture is everyone's responsibility inside the organization. And it starts with the tone at the top. So if you're a leader, and I don't necessarily mean it's top at the CEO level, which it does, but I'm talking top right now of anybody's team, format, function, whatever, it starts there. If you're not modeling the behavior, if you're not living the values, no one else is going to, and no one else is going to think it matters. It really is that golden rule, do unto others as you'd have them do under you. Um, but you have to show up as that leader the way that you want everybody else to show up in the organization too.

Speaker A: I love the comment about it's not HR's job. And I totally agree with you there too. Last, where can listeners learn more about your cultural Secrets framework and resources?

Speaker B: So if they want to learn more about the value culture formula, uh, you know, go buy my book Culture Secrets. Um, it's on Amazon, it's at bookstores, whatever. Um, if you're having trouble, uh, or if you have workshops, uh, I do love to come speak, I do workshops. And you can find out all about that on my website, which is chelliefillips.com and then if you want to just have general conversations all the time, um, I am a prolific poster on LinkedIn. I share a lot of content there from blog posts, um, all kinds of stuff. Uh, so you can find me on LinkedIn and connect there and would, uh, love for you to do so. I love to have conversations, engage in conversations like we're having right now. Um, and you know, let's start shaping cultures that people don't want to leave. Happy to help you get there.

Speaker A: And, um, listeners. Shelly is very modest. It's a best selling book on Amazon. She has, um. How many books have you written now?

Speaker B: I think there's eight.

Speaker A: There's eight of them, yeah. And then she's very modest about her speaking engagements as well. She came down and visited a couple times to a leadership group that we had internally and was amazing. So she downplays it a little bit, which is how she is. But she's amazing. Shelly, thank you. I mean this has been awesome. You've given a powerful message today. So you've just kind of just given us a master class and how leadership shapes culture. And it's not just a buzzword, but it's with behaviors, habits and intentions. So thank you a bunch. I appreciate it.

Speaker B: Uh, I appreciate you having me and look forward to many more conversations years to come.

Speaker A: Absolutely. And again, we'll put the information in the show notes about, uh, Shelly Phillips and where you can find out all the good stuff that she has to offer. So thank you for listening today. And if you enjoyed this episode of Consulting from the Couch, be sure to follow us by going to blcconsulting

Speaker B: and

Speaker A: leave a quick review or share it with someone who loves hearing stories about leaders. So until next time, I'm Steve Goodson and talk soon.