Culture begins at the top

Culture begins at the top | 5 keys to re-engaging your employees | Hybrid model could be key in flower-delivery business Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] October 26, 2016 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [SmartBrief on Leadership] [SmartBrief on Leadership] Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] Leading Edge [Culture begins at the top] [Culture begins at the top] (Vimeo/S. Chris Edmonds) Culture is maintained by executives, who are also the only ones who can shape real change in organizational culture, S. Chris Edmonds says in this article and [video]. Without direction from the top, "strong personalities fill that void" and typically lead to an "I win, you lose" culture, he argues. [SmartBrief/Leadership] (10/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [5 keys to re-engaging your employees] Disengaged employees are the norm in today's workplaces, and Steven D. Goldstein offer five principles for restoring trust and engagement. They include transparency and prioritizing a few issues rather than many. [Leadership Freak blog] (10/24) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] FREE EBOOK: The Smart App To succeed in today's competitive app economy, marketers and product teams need to define success and ROI at the beginning of a project—not the end of it. [The Smart App] explains how to use mobile analytics to guide your app development from day one. ADVERTISEMENT Strategic Management [Hybrid model could be key in flower-delivery business] Many traditional florists are closing, and startups selling flowers face headwinds of their own. Success in the flower-delivery business could lie in partnerships between brick-and-mortar shops and innovative startups, a model The Bouqs is testing, writes Kyle Stock. [Bloomberg] (10/24) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Smarter Communication [It's not enough to be heard -- your message must also inspire] Leaders must distinguish their message and tie it to an actionable option to make a lasting impression, writes cognitive psychologist Carmen Simon. "We spend lots of time on the content, and on ourselves ... but we don't spend enough time on strengthening the association between what is said and who said it," Simon writes. [TanveerNaseer.com] (10/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Conversation can be the bureaucracy killer] TechCo is a company that uses little to no formal hierarchy, and author Catherine Turco says it shakes assumptions about the strength and flexibility of open communication and its power to supplant bureaucracy. "We can rethink the conventional bureaucratic firm by rethinking communication," she says. [Strategy+Business online (free registration)] (10/19) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Customers First A weekly look at serving customers better [How much choice do you really have in your decision-making?] Becoming energized to make conscious choices for yourself, your life or your firm is an important step, but you are likely already influenced by an architecture of choices that other have made for you, according to authors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. This inertia hinders consumers' ability to act while acting as an effective tool for businesses. [Farnam Street] (10/19) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] SmartPulse As we near the end of the year, what are your feelings on 2016? It was just another year 30.97% I can't wait for it to be over 28.06% It was a fantastic year! 23.87% I'm not sure how it'll turn out -- it's a nail-biter 17.10% On balance, 2016 has been OK. What's alarming is almost a third of respondents found it to be a dreadful year. Whether it was business performance or personal turmoil, many of you faced big challenges. The question for leaders is what are you doing now to prepare your organization for a better 2017? Are you beginning your planning process early? Securing more resources? Hiring to fill gaps that hampered performance? Having the tough performance conversations that haven't been addressed yet? While many performance factors are outside your control, that's not an excuse for doing nothing. Take some time to reflect on what will make 2017 better and start planning for those changes now. Otherwise, you'll be answering this poll question the same way next year. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [ThoughtLeaders] and the host of the upcoming [Executive Insight 16], a leadership conference being held in New York City this November. How actively do you encourage employees to contribute to their community? [Vote] [Very -- we even make it part of their work evaluations] [Vote] [Kind of -- we suggest they participate in the community and suggest how to do so] [Vote] [Not very -- if they participate, it's up to them] [Vote] [Not at all -- we demand so much at work that they don't have time for community] In Their Own Words [Steel company president on leadership and values] Jim Beckman is a career Crucible Industries employee who helped the company emerge from bankruptcy. "You'd be surprised how you can persevere as a human being, with the right set of values, if your fundamental core beliefs don't get shaken," he says. [The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.)] (10/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Daily Diversion [The whys and wherefores of Bigfoot] For an animal whose existence is doubtful, Bigfoot shows up in some form in myths throughout the world. Ed Simon explores why the myth speaks to people so pervasively across time and cultures. [Aeon Magazine (U.K.)] (10/25) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] I think it's a mistake to ever look for hope outside of one's self. Arthur Miller, playwright [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Sign Up] [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters] [Advertise] [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience] Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions] [Update Your Profile] [Unsubscribe] [Send Feedback] [Archive] [Search] Contact Us: Jobs Contact - [jobhelp@smartbrief.com] Advertising - [Laura Thompson] Editor - [James daSilva] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2016 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â