community Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

07
Jun 21
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Reciprocity Expected, Fact or Myth?

Tags : community expectations generosity reciprocity

Is reciprocity expected? Do you have espoused values that guide you for each favor or do you often expect something in return? A future favor paid back?

It might be generational, but likely it is more about community.

Communities pop up everywhere. It is not just the borders of a small town or urban street block. Communities are about people.

There are communities on social media, there are like-minded people doing things to help others in the name of religion. There are also generous people who just enjoy helping someone who needs a hand.

What about reciprocity?

Reciprocity Expected

Are the concepts of reciprocity developed in childhood or as an adolescent? Does it come from parental guidance or is it hard wired from birth?

When someone lends you a hand, are you obligated to return the favor? For many people, this is the expectation or the guilt, whichever side you fall on.

Of course, you can’t forget about the psychological or even the sales factor connected to this.

As many would quickly recognize, giving something often solicits an expectation of receiving something in return. It is sales trick number 4.

If you have ever felt that you’ve been snookered by a rather crafty salesperson reciprocity may have been involved.

Perhaps what is better for your community, your workplace, close friends and family, or your neighbor is to simply give. Lend the hand, be generous, and expect nothing in return.

Generosity is something to be proud of, do the kind of work and be the kind of person that others admire and respect.

Give reciprocity a rest.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

13
Oct 20
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Leadership Balance, Find the Middle Ground

Tags : balance community culture leadership

Harmony is typically not found in extremes. Regardless of which end. Leadership balance is where the best results will develop. Are you finding the middle ground?

Too many meetings, or too few?

Too strict and authoritarian or too soft and too lenient?

Are you too congratulatory and appreciative or too subdued and neglectful?

Everything in leadership is about finding the right balance and balance is often hard to achieve.

Culture and Community

In the workplace, the environment and culture are often suggested to be about creating a community. The community works best when everyone can find the right balance.

Unhappy communities often seek a form of asylum. They prefer to retreat, withdraw, or to be left to their own devices.

Differences are more notable and not embraced in unhappy communities. Instead, people feel divided and seek a safe space.

Often, they leave the community. Heads down and defeated they are disconnected and weary, physically, emotionally, or both.

A focus on self, defeats communities and builds an unhealthy culture.

In contrast, a quest for balance is a generous act.

Is there balance in your leadership?

Leadership Balance

Leadership is artful.

There are a few small pockets of people who believe that leaders are born. The educated population largely believes that leadership skill is developed and that great leaders are made.

The toughest challenges of leadership may not be about risk, vision, or processes and systems. The toughest challenge may exist in how leaders choose to set navigational examples, inspire, and build community.

It is a generous dance with balance.

Communities often don’t respond well to force.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

26
Sep 19
-

Workplace Culture Leverage Means More

Tags : community culture environment people workplace

Mankind discovered the advantage of the lever in the stone age. Sir Isaac Newton receives credit for framing the concepts associated with gravity. Does workplace culture leverage matter?

When asked about culture, many businesses will tell a story about their environment. They’ll mention their recent remodeling efforts, break rooms, or nature path that is around the back of the building.

These things all add value and may be important, yet they are really about shaping the environment which may have little or nothing to do with building a better culture.

Culture Contributions

Your culture includes contributions from many different angles. It is somewhat about the physical environment, yet it is also about people, communication, and symbols.

When the CEO says, “Let’s have a meeting outside of the office and be sure to BYOD (bring your own device) we’ll be accessing things during the meeting.” A segment, if not all of those receiving the invitation will get excited. They get excited because it is new, different, trendy, and gives them bragging rights about the greatness of the organization where they work.

This is leverage.

Workplace Culture Leverage

Each time organization leadership promotes or engages in emotion building activities or events, it stimulates culture. Culture is about people. Leverage is about moving something in a direction with more ease.

Organization culture is much easier to build when there is a compelling reason to participate. Pushing cultural values or creating fear is a short run game with little or no future leverage.

Avoid the mistake of assuming that culture is more about objects or material things than it is about people. Culture is created through our experiences and emotions. Passion, motivation, and the interest to build community all happen as a result.

Building something is always about more than the money that is involved.

Leverage everything that connects people.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
May 19
-

10 Reasons Why Your Culture is Unique

Tags : behaviors community culture habits organizational

Workplace, organizational, and corporate, it goes by many names. Your culture is always something special. The culture of your workplace is unique. Would you agree?

Your Community

In your workplace you have standards and norms, you have policies and rules, and you have all of the concepts that define who you are and what you are about.

It is your World. It is the place where people who join, and stay, follow the cultural norms. Certainly, there are rule breakers, exceptions, and those who make a choice not to stay. Largely however, it is a space of community. Everyone fits somehow.

Your Culture

Every culture is unique and here are ten reasons why:

Behaviors. Those that are observable by others. Not opinions but factual observations.
Standards. The standards of work flow and work process become group norms. They are connected to values.
Values. What are the published values? What do people feel and see?
Philosophy. You have a mission. In most cases this is published for everyone to see, including customers and vendors.
Rules. There are always rules of the game. These apply to everyone.
Climate. How individuals and groups interact. What is the protocol and the patterns of behavior.
Competencies. Skill requirements, the unique ways of doing things that no one else may do exactly the same.
Habits. Inclusive of how the group thinks and acts. Repetitive acts are often habits.
Meanings. Your language. How you speak. What are the acronyms and other lingo associated with you? You may hear it everyday, yet outsiders don’t know what it means.
Symbols. Could include everything from your logo, to a statue, or the architecture of your building. Even dress code, or the lack of one could apply.

If you think the company down the street, across the hall, or three floors above you has the same culture, you are probably incorrect.

Culture may change but not until the people do.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Tag Archives: community

Jun 21

-

Reciprocity Expected, Fact or Myth?

Reciprocity Expected

Oct 20

-

Leadership Balance, Find the Middle Ground

Culture and Community

Leadership Balance

Sep 19

-

Workplace Culture Leverage Means More

Culture Contributions

Workplace Culture Leverage

May 19

-

10 Reasons Why Your Culture is Unique

Your Community

Your Culture

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