領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力黃金法則：自上而下的文化轉(zhuǎn)型藍(lán)圖 The Leadership Gold Standard A Blueprint to Culture Transformation from the Top Down

nttte

Ab·Inger

3

24

28

5

25

4

5

/

TheLeadershipGoldStandard:

ABlueprinttoCultureTransformation

fromtheTopDown

Contents

Here’swhatwe’llbecoveringinthisguide.Werecommendreadingthrough

theseinorderforthebestresults.

Introduction

3

6

Developaccountablepeople

11

Fosteracultureofhelpfulness

14

Nurtureemployeeengagement

20

Transformconflict

25

Buildrelationships

29

Recruitandretaintoptalent

33

Takecorrectiveaction

37

Measuringsuccess:Themetricsthatmatter

41

Conclusion

Introduction

Leadershipis

paramounttoanytransformationalchangewithin

anorganization,

especiallywhenitcomestocompanyculture.Culture

transformation

happensfromthe

52%

ofrespondentsinarecentArbingersurveysaidthatleadershipdevelopmenthasthegreatestimpactonimprovinganorganization’sculture.

topdown—makingyourleadersthekeytounlockingthe

benefitsofapositivecompanyculture.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|3

Thinkofitlikethis:youcanbringaboutchangefromtheindividualorteam-level,butit’smoreeffectivewhenyourleadershipteamisboughtin,settingtheexample,andleadingthecharge.

Totransformyourculture,aninvestmentinleadershipdevelopmentiscritical

toyieldingfar-reachingbenefits—and

there’scountlessstudiestobackthatup.

52%ofrespondents

inarecentArbingersurveysaidthatleadershipdevelopmenthasthegreatestimpactonimprovinganorganization’sculture.

80%ofexecutives

saythatstrengtheningorganizational

leadershipisahighpriority.Andit’sbeenproventhatemployeeswhogothroughleadershiptrainingshowa

20%increase

inperformance.

Notonlythat,buttoretainyourbest

employeesyoumustinvestinleadership.Withoutqualityleadership,employees

becomedisengagedatwork,leadingtomajorperformanceandretentionissues.Thisalonewillcostyourorganization.

Hiringanewemployeetoreplaceanoldoneisanywherefromanadditional

90%to200%

oftherole’sannualsalary.

Withthisdataonthetable,investingin

leadershipdevelopmentseemsobvious,yetit’seasiersaidthandone.Andifyou’rereadingthis,we’resureyou’dagree:whenitcomestoleadershipdevelopment,thequestionislessaboutwhythanhow.

leadershiptosteertheshipiscritical,andit’s

notthekindofinitiativeyoucanputonthe

backburneruntilnextquarter.

Throughourexperiencewiththousands

ofcompanies,we’vewitnessedfirsthand

theremarkabletrickle-downeffectthat

happenswhenorganizationsprioritizethe

growthanddevelopmentoftheirleadership

teams.Ifyou’relookingtomakeanysortof

culturechange,it’smostimpactfulwhenit

happensfromthetopdown.

Thinkofitlikethis:youcanbringabout

changefromtheindividualorteam-level,

butit’smoreeffectivewhenyourleadership

teamisboughtin,settingtheexample,and

leadingthecharge.

Ifyou’renowwondering,wheredoIstart?

Whatdoesagoodleadershipprogramlook

like?Whatdoesitinclude?HowdoIdefine

success?You’reintherightplace.

Inthelastfewyears,theworldofwork

hasseenmorerapidchangesthanever

before.Intryingtimes,theneedforstrong

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|4

2

4

1357

Inthisguide,we’lladdressthesequestions

byprovidingablueprintforculture

transformationstartingattheleadershiplevel.You’llfindthatgoldstandard

leadershipandculturetransformationgohandinhand—andbotharecharacterizedbyhowaleadernotonlysetsanexamplefortheirteam,butinspiresthebestoutoftheirteam.

Insevensteps(seefigure1),we’llexplorethecoreareasofleadershipthatshouldbethefocusofasuccessfulleadership

developmentprogram.Byzeroinginonthesefoundationalareas,you’llbeabletocreatetransformativechangewithinyourorganizationstartingatthetop.

Weadviselookingatthesestepsas

ahierarchy,witheachstepsettinga

foundationforthenext.Inthefollowing

sections,we’lldigintowhateachofthese

stepslookslikeinaction.

Attheendofthisguide,we’llprovidea

setofmetricstogaugethesuccessof

yourleadershipprogramandprovidea

measurementsystemtohelpyouhold

yourselfaccountabletotheprocess.

Bysuccessfullytransformingyour

leadershipteam,youwillultimately

catalyzeashiftinyourorganizational

culture.Readytobegin?Transformation

startshere!

FIGURE1:SevenCoreAreasofLeadershipDevelopment

Take

corrective

action

Develop

accountable

people

Nurture

Build

relationships

employee

engagement

Recruit&retaintalent

Fostera

Transformcon?ict

cultureof

helpfulness

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|5

Develop

accountablepeople

Researchsuggests

thatwhenwefeela

senseofownershipoverourwork,itnotonlyinfluencesourfeelingstowardour

organization;itactuallymakesusmorehelpfulandgeneroustowardothersaswell.This

stemsfromthinking

morebroadlyabout

ourimpactonthose

aroundus—ratherthanjustourownoutput.

51%

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|6

ofrespondentsinaGallupsurveyofU.S.workers

foundthatlessthanone-thirdwereengagedin

theirjobs.

Greatorganizationalculturesaremadeupofpeoplewhotakeaccountability,focusonresultsratherthanblame,productivelynavigatetension,andmostimportantly,

recognizehowtheiractionsaffecttheirpeers.

Developingaccountable

employeesisaboutcreating

acultureofownershipand

responsibility.Whenyourteammembersfeelthattheyhave

apersonalstakeintheirwork,

they’remorelikelytoinnovate,

lookforcreativesolutionsto

problems,andgoaboveand

beyondbecausetheygenuinelycareabouttheirwork.

Whenitcomesdowntoit,the

rootcauseofmostworkplace

challengesisthatpeople

naturallyfocusonthemselves—prioritizingtheirownneedsandchallengeswithoutthinking

aboutotherteammembers’

goals,objectives,orobstacles.

Thereareacountlessnumberofexamplesofthis.

Noneoftheexamplesonthe

rightareinherently“bad”but

greatorganizationalcultures

aren’tmadeupofemployees

who“aren’tbad.”They’re

madeupofpeoplewhotake

accountability,focusonresultsratherthanblame,productively

navigatetension,andmost

importantly,recognizehowtheiractionsaffecttheirpeers.

Examplesofcommonself-focusedbehaviors

Emailingacolleaguewitha

lastminuterequest,expectingthey’lldropeverythingto

accommodateit

Lookingtheotherwaywhena

problemarises,hopingsomeoneelsewillhandletheissue

Findingalliestotake“your

side”inaconflictwithanothercoworker,justifyingyourownstanceinadisagreement

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|7

Setclearexpectationsandgoals

Havingaclearsetofgoalsinplace(andmakingsure

everyoneknowsaboutthem)formsthefoundationforahigh-performingteam.Onceeveryoneunderstandswhatthey’reresponsiblefor,itleaveslessroomforplaying“hotpotato”withtasksathand.

Wheneachmemberofyourteamknowswhatyou—asacollective—arestrivingfor,ithelpseveryonefocusontheirspecificpiecesthatpuzzleandmotivatesthemtobemoreproductivewhentheyknowexactlyhowthey’reimpactingthefinaloutcome.

Turnmistakesintolearningexperiences

Reframingfailureasalearningexperiencehelpsfosteragrowthmindsetwithinyourorganization.Thismindsetpromotesresilience,adaptability,andawillingness

toembracechallenges,allofwhichareessentialforinnovationandprogress.

You’llnoticethatthenextgenerationofemployeesisn’t

afraidtofail.AnEYstudyrevealedthat

80%ofGenZ-ers

saidthatembracingfailureatworkcanhelpthembe

moreinnovative.Asaleader,italsohelpstogetcurious

abouthowmistakeshappeninthefirstplace.Oftentimes,askingquestionsabouthowanerroroccurredreveals

gapsintrainingorprocesses—thatyoucanhelpresolve.

Fosteringaccountableemployees

Asaleader,thereareafewthingsyoucandotofosterasenseofaccountabilityinyouremployees.

Thiswillserveasthefoundationfortherestofthetransformationprocess.

1

2

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|8

Haveperformancecheck-insoften

Havingfrequentperformancecheck-insisacrucial

practiceformaintainingaproductive,engaged,

andalignedworkforce.Employeeengagementis

actuallystronglycorrelatedto

reviewcyclefrequency,

sothemoreoftenyou’reabletohaveperformance

conversations,thebetter.

Encourageemployeestoscheduletimewiththeir

managersregularly(monthlyisagreatcadence!)to

gaugetheirperformance.Werecommendusinga

templatelikeArbinger’s

3A+DevelopmentFramework

thatallowsbothmanagersandemployeestoevaluateeffortandimpact,ratherthanjustoutcomes.

Fosteringaccountableemployees

34

4

Ensureeveryoneunderstands

theirimpact

Openlycommunicatingtheimpactofindividual

contributionsbuildstransparencyandtrustwithinyour

organization.Rightnow,only

21%ofU.S.employees

trusttheirleadership,andopeningupconversations

abouteffortandimpactatanorganizationallevelhelps

torebuildthetrustthatsomanyorganizationsare

currentlystrugglingwith.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|9

TRYTHIS:

ImpactCheck-Intool

Usethistooltoguideyouasyoucheckin

withthoseyouaffect—yourcustomers,your

teammembers,andyourpeers.It’sagood

ideatoestablishregular,quickcheck-ins

withthesepeopleatanagreed-upon

cadence.Leadershipshouldtrythisfirst

andserveasanexamplefortherestof

theorganization.

Downloadfillable

formtemplate

Download

Howtouseit

1

Identifyapersonyouimpact.

4

Considerpossibleadjustments.Identifywaysyoumightimprove

2

Writethedateofthecheck-in

meeting.(Remember,theseshould

yourhelpfulnesstothisperson.

happenregularly!)

5

Meetwiththispersonandsharethethoughtsyouidentifiedin

columns2and3.

3

Identifywaysyouhaven’tbeen

helpful.Thinkabouthowyoumay

havemadethisperson’sjobharderorfailedtomakeiteasierwhenyoucouldhave.

6

Gettheperson’sfeedbackaboutwhatyouhavesharedwiththem.Agreeonaplanofaction.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|10

Fostera

cultureofhelpfulness

Collaborationrequiresalevelofself-awarenessthatisonlypossible

whenemployees

feelempoweredandaccountablefortheirwork.Asaleader,it’s

yourjobtofostera

cultureofhelpfulnessbyencouragingemployeestocreatemoremeaningful

connectionswiththosearoundthem,and

empoweringthemtoworktogetherinmoreproductiveand

creativeways.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|11

Acultureofhelpfulness

beginswith:

Clearlydefinedroles

Whenemployeesknowexactlywhat

they’reresponsiblefor—andwhere

theirpurviewstartsandends—they’re

betterequippedandmorelikelytooffersupportregardinganareathattheyown.

Leadbyexample

Managerswhoputthemselvesinserviceoftheirteams—inotherwords,practice

servantleadership

—boostemployee

moraleandyieldhigherprofitsfor

theirorganizations.Whenmanagingaworkforceof

accountableemployees,

youwon’thavetomicromanageteammemberstocompletetasks.Your

employeescanbetrustedtogettheirworkdoneandcancometoyouasa

helpfulresourceforclearingroadblocksornavigatingbigdecisions.

Offeremployeementorship

Mentorshipoftenleadstothe

developmentoflong-termprofessionalrelationships,whichhelpsnurturea

senseofcommunityatwork.Mentorscanhelpcoachjunioremployees

onnavigatingteamdynamicsand

promotingempathy.Plus,mentees

gainconfidencethroughmentorship,enablingthemtoofferassistanceto

othersintheirjourney.Asemployeesbecomemoreself-assured,they’re

morelikelytostepforwardandprovideguidance,advice,orassistanceto

colleagueswhoneedhelp.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|12

Acultureofhelpfulnessinvolvesmorethanjustsuperficial

cooperation—it’sabout

nurturinganenvironment

whereemployeesgenuinely

careabouteachother’s

successandwell-being.Theseconnectionsarebuiltontrustandunderstanding,promotingopencommunicationand

reducingmisunderstandings.

We’lltalkmoreabout

establishingrelationshipsinafewsections,butbyingrainingemployeeswithawillingness

tobehelpful,you’resettingthegroundworkformuchmore

fruitfulworkingrelationships.

Teammateswillbemuch

morelikelytoreachoutfor

assistance,shareideas,and

worktogethereffectively.Thiscollaborativespiritnotonly

leadstomorecreativesolutionstoproblems,butalsobreaks

downsilos,allowingdiverse

skills,andperspectivesto

cometogether.

Acultureofhelpfulnessinvolvesmorethanjustsuperficialcooperation—it’saboutnurturing

anenvironmentwhere

employeesgenuinelycareabouteachother’ssuccessandwell-being.

Howtouseit

1

Listthreeindividualsorgroups

affectedbyyourwork.(Youcan

alsoadaptthisapproachtolargeraudienceslikecommunities,

classrooms,orjurisdictions.)

4

Developonetothreepracticalstepsthatyoucantaketoassistthese

individualsorgroups.Thiscould

involverefiningyourapproach,

sharingresourcesmoreeffectively,

offeringguidance,orothersupportive

2

Foreachpersonorgroup,takethe

timetograsptheirprimaryobjectives.

actions.

Gaininsightsintotheirgoalswithintheirroles.

5

Organizemeetingswiththeidentifiedindividualsorgroupstosharethe

observationsyou’vemadeinsteps2to

3

Reflectoninstanceswhereyour

actionsmighthaveposedchallengesorsetbacksforthem.Behonestaboutanyhindrancesoroversights.

4.Engageinopendiscussions,gatherinput,andcollaborativelycreatea

clearactionplanalignedwiththeirgoalsandyoursupportiveefforts.

Downloadfillableformtemplate

Download

:ttoGivetool

TheMeettoGivetoolencouragescooperativethinkingandmutualsupportwithinteams.It’saproactivewayofidentifyingothers’

goalsandunderstandingexactlyhowyoucanhelpthem.Itcanbeusedforregularcheck-insbetweenteams,newworkingrelationships,orprovidingtargetedaid

inaparticularareaorsituation.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|13

Nurture

employee

engagement

Yourpeopleareyourorganization’smost

importantasset.Withoutengagedemployees

whoholdthemselves

accountableandexpress

helpfulnesstowards

others,you’reprobablygoingtofindcompletingeventhemostsimple

oftasksachallenge.Forthisreason,nurturingemployeeengagement

iscriticaltoyour

organization’scultureandcohesion.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|14

FIGURE2:EngagementComparison

Disengaged

employee

Runsfromresponsibility

Easilylosesfocus

Avoidsworkingwithothers

Complainsoften(ornotatall)

Underperforming

Lackofmotivationto

completetasksorgoals

Isolatesthemselffrom

socialevents

Whileengagementcansometimesbeadifficultmetric

toquantify,you’reusuallyabletotell

ifanemployee

isengagedor

not.Let’sstart

thischapterby

identifyingsomeofthemostcommondifferencesexhibitedbydisengagedandengagedemployees(seefigure2).

Engaged

employee

Takesonresponsibilities

Goal-orientedandfocused

Collaborativeandhelpful

Providescreativesolutions

Produceshigh-qualitywork

Motivatesthemselvesandotherstoachievegoals

Connectswithteammates

vs.

Statistically,disengagedemployeeshavean

18%lowerproductivityrate,

andonaverage

costacompany$3,400forevery$10,000the

employeemakes.Sonaturally,everyleader

wantstostriveforanengagedworkforce.

Butit’saboutmorethanthebottom

line,it’saboutfosteringanenvironment

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|15

whereeveryonefeelsconnectedtolargerorganizationalinitiativesandtheirpart

inthem.Plus,employeeswhofeellike

theirworkmattersaremuchmorelikelytoinnovate,outperform,andstickaroundforthelonghaul—whichinturncreatesabetterworkplaceforall.

(Gallup

hasestimatedthatadisengaged

employeecosts

anorganization

approximately$3,400forevery$10,000of

salary–or34%.)

Calculatethecostofemployeedisengagementonyour

teamusingthisformula:

Step1:

Step2:

Step3:

[Youremployeeheadcount]x17.2%

=Numberofdisengagedemployees

[Medianannualsalary]x[34%]

=Annualcostperdisengagedemployee

[Step1]x[Step2]

=Totalcostofdisengagement

Provenwaystoboost

engagementatwork

1.Rememberyourcolleaguesarepeoplefirst

Oneofthemostimpactfulwaystomakeyouremployeesfeellikethey

matterandbelongisbytreatingthemlikepeople.It’scrucialforleadersto

rememberthattheircolleaguesarepeopleoutsideofwork,andrecognize

themultifacetedlivesofemployeesbeyondtheirjobtitles.Someways

todothiseffectivelyarepromotingwork-lifebalancebyofferingflexible

scheduling,understandingpersonalcommitments,celebratingsignificant

lifeevents,providingmentalhealthresources,andcreatingspacesforopen

dialogueaboutnon-worktopics.Theseeffortsnotonlyacknowledgethe

diverselivesandexperiencesofemployees,butalsocontributetoamore

supportiveworkenvironmentthatvalueseachindividual.

2.Showappreciation

Showingappreciationisanotherimportantwaytofosterapositiveand

motivatedworkenvironment.Researchindicatesthat

69%ofemployees

wouldworkharderiftheyfelttheireffortswerebetterrecognized.Forthat

reason,employeeappreciationsignificantlyboostsengagement,which

leadstoincreasedproductivityandjobsatisfaction.Whenemployeesfeel

valuedandappreciated,theirmoraleandsenseofbelongingimprove,

whichstrengthenstheircommitmenttoyourorganization.Youcan

demonstrateappreciationbyprovidingregularfeedback,recognizing

accomplishmentspublicly,andinstitutingemployeerecognitionprograms.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|16

3.Askforfeedback(andlisten)

Seekingemployeefeedbackdemonstratesyourcommitmenttocreatinganinclusiveworkplacewhereeveryonefeelsliketheymatter.Whenemployees

perceivethattheiropinionsarevaluedandtheirfeedbackleadstomeaningfulchanges,theirengagementandmoralesoar.Infact,companieswitheffectivefeedbacksystemshavea

14.9%lowerturnoverrate

thanthosewhodon’t.

4.Fosterpsychologicalsafety

Justasimportantasaskingforfeedbackiscreatinganenvironmentwhere

employeesfeelsafetoshareit.Psychologicalsafetyreferstothesharedbeliefthatanyonecanexpresstheirideas,takerisks,andvoiceconcernswithout

fearofretributionornegativeconsequences.Whenemployeesfeelsafeto

sharetheirthoughtsandperspectives,itencouragescollaboration,innovation,andcreativeproblem-solving.That,inturn,leadstoimprovedteamdynamics,increasedemployeeengagement,higherjobsatisfaction,andawillingnesstolearnfrommistakes.

5.Provideongoingcoachingandtraining

Coachingandtrainingplayapivotalroleinenhancingemployeeengagementbyfosteringskilldevelopment,personalgrowth,andasenseofinvestment

inone’scareer.Researchshowsthat

40%ofemployees

whodon’t

receiveeffectivejobtrainingwillleavetheirpositionswithinthefirstyear,

underscoringthepositiveimpactoftrainingonengagementandretention.

Employerscanprovidecoachingthroughanumberofdifferentavenues,suchasone-on-onementoringsessions,workshops,onlinecourses,andpeer-

to-peerlearninginitiatives.Additionally,offeringopportunitiesforfeedback

andregularperformancediscussionsaidsinthecontinuousdevelopmentofemployees,strengtheningtheirconnectiontotheirrolesandtheorganizationasawhole.

6.Liveyourmissionandvalues

Communicatingyourorganization’smissionandvaluesdrivesemployee

engagementbyprovidingaclearsenseofpurposeanddirectionforeveryone.Whenemployeesunderstandtheorganization’soverarchinggoalsandcorevalues,theyfeelmoreconnectedtotheirworkandthecompany,whichin

turnleadstoincreasedmotivationandjobsatisfaction.MillennialandGenZemployeesindeedtendtoplaceagreateremphasisonacompany’ssocialresponsibilityinitiatives.Consideringthatby2025,millennialswillmakeup

75%oftheworkforce,

itshouldbeatoppriorityforyourleadershipteam

tonotonlycommunicateyourvaluestoyouremployeesandcustomers,

butalsomakesurethatyou’rewalkingyourtalkwhenitcomestosocial

responsibility.Evenifyourbusinessisn’tamission-drivenorganization,

makingcommitmentslikecharitabledonations,participatinginfairtrade,orimprovinglaborpolicieshaveamassiveeffectonemployeeloyalty.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|17

7.Equipyourteam

Makingsurethatemployeeshavethenecessarytools,equipment,

andtrainingtoperformtheirjobseffectivelyiscritical—itdirectly

impactsemployeeproductivityandjobsatisfaction.Whenemployees

feelwell-equipped,they’rebetterpositionedtomeet(andexceed)

theirresponsibilities,leadingtoanincreasedsenseofconfidenceand

achievementthatultimatelyimprovestheirengagementlevels.Arecent

surveyof1,857U.S.employeesfoundthatalmosteveryemployee(96%)

saidtheyaredissatisfiedwiththetoolstheyhavebeenequippedwithto

managework.Asaleader,ensuringyourteamhastherighttoolstheyneed

tosucceedisahighlyimportantfactorintheirday-to-dayengagement.

8.Maketimetogetsocial

Organizingsocialtimeforemployeesiscrucialtomaintainingstrong

connectionswithinateam.Eventsliketeamlunches,gamenights,retreats,

andclubmeetingsprovideopportunitiesforteammemberstointeractin

arelaxedandinformalsetting,fosteringcamaraderieandbuildingtrust.It’s

beenproventhatsocializingasateamimprovescommunicationpatterns

by50%.Whenemployeesfeelconnected,they’remuchmorelikelyto

collaboratewell,helpeachother,andparticipateatwork.

9.Demonstrateyourtrust

Demonstratingtrustisimportantforleadersasitcultivatesanenvironment

ofempowerment,collaboration,andconfidence.Whenleadersexhibit

trustintheiremployees,itboostsasenseofownershipandresponsibility,

encouragingindividualstotakeinitiativeandcontributetheirbestefforts.

Whenthere’strustatwork,employeesare260%moremotivatedtowork,

have41%lowerratesofabsenteeism,andare50%lesslikelytolookfor

anotherjob.

10.Betransparent

Whenleadershipteamsprioritizetransparencywithemployees,it

establishesacultureofopencommunicationandmutualrespect.Infact,

organizationswithtransparentcommunicationpracticesexperience47%

higherlevelsofemployeeengagement.Empoweringteammemberswith

informationthat’srelevanttotheirjobsandperformancemakesthemfeel

morevaluedandconnectedtotheorganization’sgoalsanddecisions.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|18

GETTHIS:

Acultural

competitiveadvantage

Establishedin1982inSan

Francisco,PetFoodExpress

carvedanicheinthepetsupply

industrybyblendingcutting-

edgepetnutritionwithtop-tier

employeetrainingandcustomer

service.Thisapproachpropelled

theirgrowthfrom6to63stores

by2017,cementingtheirposition

asanindustryleader.

However,PetFoodExpress

facedstiffcompetitionfrombig

boxstoresthathadcometo

dominatethenationalmarket

throughsheersize,brand

recognition,andaggressive

advertisingandsales.Considering

thesemarketrealities,company

leadersbecameconvinced

thattheirprimarycompetitive

Thoughfun,lively,andwarm,the

companycultureisanythingbutsoft.

Acentralfeatureofthatcultureisthe

sharingofstraightforwardandhonestfeedback,stemmingfromagenuine

desiretohelpemployeesgrow.AsAmyVargas,adistrictmanager,noted,“NowthatIhavethetools,Idon’thesitate

togivethetruth.”ThishelpfulhonestyanddirectnessisthefoundationofthewayPetfoodExpressapproachesteamperformancemanagementandisat

theheartofthetrustthatexistsateverylevelofthecompany.

advantagewastheuniquecultureofPet

FoodExpress—thespecialwaythattheir

employeesworktogetherandservetheir

customers.Iftheyweretocontinuegrowing

profitably,theyneededtoprioritizeand

preservetheirculture.

PetFoodExpressworkedwithArbingerto

scaleitsteamperformancemanagement

philosophy.Now,leadersgiveeach

employeethedecision-makingauthority

todowhatisrightforfellowteam

membersaswellasmakedecisions

thatimpactcustomers.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|19

Transformconflict

Conflictatworkcan

havefar-reaching

implications,affectingnotonlyindividualwell-

beingbutalsoteam

dynamicsandoverallproductivity.Whenleft

unresolved,workplace

conflictscanleadto

increasedstress,reducedjobsatisfaction,and

diminishedmotivationamongemployees.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|20

85%

15%

56%

Considerthese

statisticsaboutwork

conflictbeforewe

headintothischapter:

85%ofUSemployees

have

somelevelofconflict

atwork

Managersspendaround

6hoursperweek(roughly

15%oftheirtime

)solving

workconflicts

56%ofemployees

who

experiencedconflictat

workreportedthatitled

themtostress,anxiety

and/ordepression

Now,thekeyasaleaderisnottoavoidconflictaltogether.It’stofind

waystoproductivelyworkthroughconflictandtransformitintobettercommunicationandcohesion.We’veplacedconflictasstepfourin

thisguidebecauseit’saloteasiertoproductivelynavigatewhenyouremployeesarealreadyaccountable,helpful,andengaged.

LEADERSHIPBLUEPRINT|21

Whiletherearemanydifferenttypesofconflict,andthere’snoone-size-fits-allsolution,wehavethepowertolookatmostworkplaceconflicts

differentlywhenwereframeourperspectives.

Conflictandemployeemindset

Tobetterhandlechallengesandconflict,

wemustreframeourmindsetstobetter

understandourownjustificationsand

motivations.Whiletherearemanydifferenttypesofconflict,andthere’snoone-size-

fits-allsolution,wehavethepowertolookatmostworkplaceconflictsdifferently

whenwereframeourperspectives.

Whilewecomplainaboutthemistreatmentwe’rereceiving,thatmistreatmentproves

toourselvesthatwe’vebeenrightaboutourcolleague.Inthissense,weendupvaluingproblemsmorethansolutionsandconflictmorethanpeace,whichisn’taproductive

outcomeforanyone.

Oftentimes,weforgetthatourcoworkers

arepeopletoo—withcomplexlayersof

emotionsandexperiencesoftheirown.

Questionstoaskwhenfacedwithaconflictor

adifficultcow