Change your hair, Change your life. Change your meetings, change your culture.
Coco Chanel is attributed with the quote, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” It makes sense. When a woman’s life transforms, you often see an accompanying style change – the most noticeable is a new haircut or color. If I look back on my hairstyles, I can associate them with life changes. For example, I chopped off all my hair after having my first baby and wore a short hairdo. When we moved to Wisconsin from Atlanta, I didn’t need the long Tennis ponytail, so I switched to something shoulder length and easier to match my new lifestyle. When I shifted from corporate executive to consultant, I went for a classic bob haircut that signaled, “Hire me; I know what I’m doing.”
Simply put, a hairstyle is a symbol of change.
I am no legend like Coco Chanel, but I have been a part of some legendary company culture changes. Some have been successful, and some have looked about as good as my haircut after my first baby (not good). If you want to change your culture fast, change your meetings!
I worked with a business leader who didn’t just talk the talk; she walked the walk when it came to culture change. And it started in her meetings. She began her Friday staff meeting with a round robin where each leader was asked, “What feedback had they received this week?” and “What stories do you have that exemplify our behaviors?”
It took about one meeting until the group caught on that the week-long workshop they had attended about culture change was actually happening now and not sometime in the future. It wasn’t a concept, it was real! Leaders wanted to come to the Friday staff meeting prepared, so they changed their meetings to focus on feedback and storytelling. Their leaders did the same, and it didn’t take long before asking for or giving feedback and sharing stories was normal and weaved into the daily culture.
In this case, the culture change was successful, and they saw improved financial results. The “soft” culture change contributed to “hard” revenue dollars.
Do you want more accountability in your culture? Start your meeting by reviewing all open action items. Then, seek and share stories of attendees who are seeing accountability.
Do you want an organization that moves faster and makes decisions? Ensure the meeting is titled with clear action (INFORM, CONSULT, DECIDE). Decline anything without an agenda. Summarize all action items.
Do you want your organization to collaborate more? Set shorter and more frequent meetings. Share stories where collaboration has improved something. Start with a non-work-related icebreaker.
Most important, do you want to improve your business’s results? DO ALL OF THE ABOVE!
“Change your meetings, change your culture.” – Jessica Van Derven