WHAT TO EXPECT

Imagine the performance of a company where all employees are aligned with the same vision. Culture alignment is essential to progress and success. How can organizations achieve a workforce that walks the talk through a greater connection to purpose? 

Al Cini is the Managing Partner of BCAT Partners, the developer of Brand & Culture Alignment Toolkit, a collection of instruments that measure and find gaps in a company’s brand and culture perception. Al believes a single ideal model that embodies a unified, best-self vision exists within every company, and employees can align themselves with that ideal role through connection to purpose.

SEGMENT #1 – Al Cini

Al Cini talks all things employee purpose, brand alignment, and adaptation to bridge the gap between department goals and company goals, all so your workforce can walk the talk.

SEGMENT #2 – Tech Tips

This week’s segment includes our tech segment with Michael Spremulli.  He discusses Clubhouse, the social media platform that is capturing the attention of millions of people.

“Think about the whole company as if it were a single person, doing our best work on our best day to keep all of our promises and achieve all of our goals…..Describe that person… In organizations that are aligned with their purpose, you get back from everybody the same description.” [12:25]

“When you’re really connected to your purpose everybody knows what the purpose is….they know why they’re there, and they know it all the way up from the executive offices all the way down to the people who answer phones and mop the floors.” [20:10]

“If I’m going to change my work, I should be changing in a way that I know somebody is going to recognize and thank me for. [29:26]

Company Culture as a Role Model [11:05]

“Think about the whole company as if it were a single person, doing our best work on our best day to keep all of our promises and achieve all of our goals…..Describe that person… In organizations that are aligned with their purpose, you get back from everybody the same description.” [12:25]

What is the telltale sign of culture alignment within an organization? Well, we all know the importance of looking to role models for excellent performance. Al explains that when a group of people focus on and are engaged with a common purpose, a role model emerges, much like an imaginary person representing its best self. Employees within aligned companies have the same vision of the role model in mind, while employees within unaligned companies have different ideas about what this role model looks like. 

With aligned companies, customer experience and employee experience are the same thing, leaving the same overall feeling. People work and buy from a company because they believe it will make them a better version of themselves, and the articulation of this version of self is the secret to an aligned culture.

Connecting to Purpose for Greater Alignment [15:59]

“When you’re really connected to your purpose everybody knows what the purpose is….they know why they’re there, and they know it all the way up from the executive offices all the way down to the people who answer phones and mop the floors.” [20:10]

How do you get different parts of an organization to align? The trick to breaking out of silos and avoiding department isolation is to make sure that everybody has a constellation of stars to follow as they’re navigating within the organization. Metaphorically, there is a star for the particular department, the work they do or their specific mission, and then the star for the overall mission of the company, why you do the work you do, and for what end goal. Intersecting these two whys gets people engaged in the larger work of the organization and inspires employees to take initiative. 

Encouraging Adaptation [24:30] 

“If I’m going to change my work, I should be changing in a way that I know somebody is going to recognize and thank me for. [29:26]

How can employees effectively adapt to better fit the evolving “role model” of a company’s culture? There is a gap between primary style, the hardwired way an individual works when comfortable, and adapted style, the way an individual works to fit the purpose and perform the job better. 

Al informs us of the Brand Culture Alignment Toolkit (BCAT), a tool that takes separate, adapted data points and merges them into a single appropriate one that points employees into one direction of adaption rather than many.  The BCAT laid out looks like this:

Question: What does the company role model look like, as a single person doing its best work on its best day? 

1. Survey members of the company, asking them to describe this person or “role model”
2. Reflect with the leadership team on who the employees think we are. Is there a gap between this role model and who we think our intentional best self is? 
3. What are a few things that can be changed about an individual to better align with the role model representing the best of our company?

Organizations need to set forth what is expected in terms of adaptation. 

Considering DEI, we must recognize that the role model cannot represent all employees across different genders and ethnicities, but rather is a consistently evolving composite of all of them. In addition, companies can miss out on excellent ideas to better the brand when hitting the little guy with “just do your job” and embracing “best practices”.

MIKE’S TECH TIPS [36:00]

Michael Spremulli has now been on Clubhouse for a month. The top benefits he has recognized include the ability to quickly find and connect with your niche, as well as the option to discreetly leave or further interact with a conversation as you desire. He also notes they have rooms for varied interests, running from HR all the way to health and spirituality. Michael’s top tip for new Clubhouse users is to find what fits your niche and start with small rooms for better connections.

WHERE TO WATCH OR LISTEN

The Geeks, Geezers & Googlization TV Show is live every Wednesday at 1 PM ET on Facebook, YouTube, Talk 4 TV, and broadcast on W4CY Radio, part of Talk 4 Radio on the Talk 4 Media Network.  The podcast is also available on Talk 4 Podcasting.

Following the broadcast, the replay will be available at the same links for YouTube and Facebook, our podcast website Geeks Geezers Googlization, and on most podcasts including Apple Podcast, iHeart, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher and more.