Leaders are Finally LISTENING

The corporate world has started to catch on to the fact that intentional culture building can lead to a thriving organization where a highly engaged team can reduce costs, take smarter risks, move with the speed of trust, and improve top-line performance while also viewing work as a place of connection and human formation. But catching on to an idea doesn’t mean that leaders are committed or equipped to improve their cultural architecture.

One of the main pillars of culture building in the Undivided Life® Operating System is Shared Experiences.

What QUALIFIES as a shared experience?

A shared experience is a unique event or moment, unlike any typical gathering or everyday corporate occasion. To be clear, a team lunch or happy hour is an expected part of most work cultures and, therefore, does not qualify as a shared experience. These experiences are common and easily described to others outside the organization as just another hang-out.

On the other hand, when a team enjoys a well-crafted experience designed and implemented for a desired outcome, it can be difficult to describe the richness of their encounter to friends and family who were not present. This particular feeling is encapsulated by Texas A&M University’s quote about the school’s tradition, “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”

WHY do shared experiences matter?

For many leaders, spending time, money, and energy on unique shared experiences sounds difficult, distracting, and possibly pointless. That point of view is short-sighted and uninspired.

There are countless organizational benefits when you can compose uncommon moments for your team. For starters, team members feel valued when they realize their company cares enough about them and their development to invest in these activities. Shared experiences also create new relationships, inside jokes, and a unique company vernacular that bonds team members together as they face the next set of challenges and opportunities.

Perhaps the most important result of these events is the newfound energy as team members are refreshed, motivated, and encouraged to bring their best selves to work each day, striving to win together and treating business as a team sport.

What are some EXAMPLES?

We work with our consulting clients to curate the best experiences to fit their teams’ personalities and needs. We have found that planning and executing high-quality events does not need to be difficult, but it does require a high degree of commitment and intentionality. Each event is carefully constructed to achieve a desired outcome, and every detail is thoroughly planned to maximize the impact.

Throughout my career, I have orchestrated cooking competitions, talent shows, book clubs that conclude with interviewing the author, surprise Q&A with nationally known leaders, disaster relief work, onsite and offsite service projects, multi-day all-hands events, funny company boybands (like MegaWatt and N-CINCO), internal presentations from team members similar to TED talks, outrageous team trivia challenges, a reflection series on each person’s “why,” and interactive team improv with our partners from Divine Comedy.

Are you ready to take your COMPANY CULTURE to the next LEVEL?

The Undivided Life® Operating System can turn your focus on company culture into a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Contact Us to get started today.