Some companies have quirks. And definitely, there are co-workers that have quirks. Sure, this is an advertisement for Kohl’s department store in the U.S., but I found Jennifer Lopez’s quirk in this short video can either totally annoy you, or perhaps give you the giggles.
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Do you have any co-workers with funny quirks? Feel free to share.
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged corporate culture, Jennifer Lopez, kohls, quirks, work
Here are 4 great points from Mike Desjardins of ViRTUS. Make sure you click on ‘Read More’ to view the entire post.
via Some thoughts on strategy, leadership, and corporate culture.
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged business, corporate culture, Human Resources, Leadership, Organizational culture
It made me sad to hear the other day when I heard a company leader talk about how frustrating it had been to put on their summer function. This person had put a lot of time into the event and considered the interests of their employees to ensure that they would have a good time at the function. While the company had booked the event to take place in the afternoon, balancing both company time and minimizing personal/family time, there were a large number of staff who said that they couldn’t take the time off as they would fall behind in their work. This leader bemoaned that this often happens. Is this reason a legitimate excuse from staff or fear that if they take time away from their steady workload that pressure from management would follow.
I heard another story about how a seasoned employee said to a new staff member to just ‘keep their heads down and never plan to be a minute late from an out of office meeting’. Their manager even said, ‘Is it necessary to speak to your team beyond a greeting?’ This sounds absolutely archaic and surprising to know that this is actually still happening.
Has the economic climate injected so much blackness that the average employee can’t feel comfortable to take any additional time out of their work day? As far as I’m concerned work will always be there. And that’s a good problem. But good employees should not have to feel like they live in the company of a warden. These companies have some serious cultural flaws that need to be ironed out. The general expectation and demand of workflow needs to be addressed and understood that it is ok to take a break especially with your teammates and to let loose a little. Even if its just a minute or two. It’s those moments together that bring the team closer. Needless to say the new employee left that medieval company.
photo credit: Adam Foster | Codefor
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged business, Cautionary tale, corporate culture, Employment, human resource, work
Companies go through cycles in their own career as a company. Through these changes there will be times when corporate culture is affected by the growth. And sometimes a shift in culture is needed to stay on track of this new growth or direction. Not everyone will be on board though. Ironing out the rough spots internally can actually be one of the biggest factors in moving the company forward. Jim Fowler, CEO of Jigsaw has some simple messages on the concept of changing a company culture. Having observed companies in some tough spots over the years and the effect rough spots have on corporate culture, I think his advice is merited.
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged business, corporate culture, Jigsaw, Jim Fowler, Organizational culture, video
I recently read a very enlightening article on leadership styles – Bring out your inner Prince William. Never have I read an article that caused me to stop and reflect. Leadership is key. When motivating our staff or when needing motivation should we not look at the types of teams we need to lead to success?
Great Leaders know how to communicate with everyone – average Leaders communicate with everyone the same way. What is your leadership style? And if you only have one, why? Read this and become your own king, president, prime minister or entrepreneur when needed.
April 22 is Earth Day. Here at McNeill Nakamoto, we are concerned about our environment. Team McNak has made a strong effort to conserve energy and recycle materials, because every little bit adds up and will help set a greener course for us and the world. Here are just a few of the actions we’ve taken to be a more environmentally friendly office:
We make sure that we have paper recycle bins located in each office.
Our printers are stocked with used paper, so we can use both sides. We think twice about the necessity of printing a document or email.
We have recycle bins in our kitchen for aluminum, glass, plastics, and paper goods.
We avoid using disposable paper towels, and use kitchen cloths instead, laundering only when required.
We use stainless steel cutlery and dishes, and avoid using plastic goods: forks, knives, spoons, etc.
We have installed energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the office.
We recycle our printer cartridges.
We bring our travel mugs to the office, and avoid using disposable coffee cups.
We repurpose our marketing materials when a design changes.
At night will go around the office to ensure that all lights and equipment are turned off to save energy. This includes turning off printers, photocopiers, etc.
A staff member volunteers as our ‘green lead’…a person in our office who oversees all environmental initiatives.
Whenever possible, our staff walk or take public transit to work.
Please share what your company is doing for our earth in the comments below.
photo credit NASA Goddard Photo and Video
At McNak, we are fascinated with corporate culture. Check out this video from Vancouver’s 6S Marketing. A great example showcasing their corporate culture.
“We use corporate team building as an incentive to our employees…People don’t necessarily choose a company to work for based on the size of their paycheck. There are many other factors, and some of that is corporate culture.” – Chris Breikss, 6S Marketing C0-Founder & Director
People, and therefore companies, have little faith these days. Faith being the unwavering belief in another people’s ability or plan to create something great. This can be a teammate, a family member, or even themselves.
Instead, they have facts. Facts about what worked well last year, what skills someone has demonstrated, and about what experiences people bring to the table.
The interesting thing is that these facts are all based in the past. Past success, past performance, past experience. With little faith, these past-based facts can begin to drive future business decisions.
“The team tried that last year and didn’t see any results, so let’s try a different approach.”
“You haven’t proven yourself yet, so I’m not going to give you this upcoming project.”
“That candidate doesn’t come with any experience in our field, so he probably won’t be of any benefit to us.”
The past dictates our future when we solely rely on facts.
Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t need proof or evidence from the past. It doesn’t compare where we are today to where we were. Instead, it looks to where we could be and creates a path from here to there.
In this environment, be it at home, at work, or in the gym, you are surrounded by trust, confidence, and inspiration. You innovate constantly as there is always a new future to be created. You dream big dreams and then turn them into goals. You develop your people before they prove themselves “worthy enough” for that development. You hire based on cultural fit. You take big risks and see what sticks.
For some, running your life (or company) based completely on faith is unbelievable.
For others, it’s the only thing that works.
This guest post was written by Matt Corker, Leadership Development Advisor at lululemon athletica
Matt Corker has a serious addiction to big ideas, bold goals, and strong communities. After working for the University of British Columbia in alumni and student affairs, Matt was drawn to lululemon athletica – a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company that creates components for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives. In his role of Leadership Development Advisor, Matt is responsible for delivering new-hire orientations and professional development 
opportunities that empower their great staff to achieve their dreams and live a life they LOVE! Matt has a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and International Business from the Sauder School of Business at UBC and will be starting his MBA at the Copenhagen Business School in the fall. He has a strong background in leadership and development and a big heart for social media, inspiring minds, and giving out great high fives. More information about Matt can be found at http://thatsacorker.com.
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged business, confidence, corporate culture, Leadership, Lululemon Athletica, Matt Corker
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged business, corporate culture, Organizational culture, skiing, video, Whistler, YouTube
We hear the word thrown around in business all the time. “We’re innovators; Innovation is key to our growth; innovation is what our business is all about.” The list goes on. I wonder how many companies out there have innovation as part of their mission statement, positioning statement or core corporate mantra? My guess is it’s a LOT!
In today’s rapidly changing world, innovation is key to being competitive. Without innovation, companies and their products quickly become relics of the past – the world keeps turning folks and with it a world of change with every spin.
Despite the never-ending need to innovate on the product side and a robust investment in product innovation and research and development, many companies neglect the innovation on the talent side and with it, leaders are hesitant to innovate from the inside out.
Fear of change results in a state of paralysis and again…if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. Technology, culture, capital, people, and the way they all work together are constantly changing, so if your team isn’t innovating on both a personal and cultural level, you can be assured others are, and in the process, leaving your place in the market, in the dust.
Innovation begins at the personal level – call it your spirit, your heart, your soul or whatever else works for you – but change needs to happen from within before it can be rolled out to a department, an organization, or an industry. And sometimes the most dramatic innovations that positively affect companies aren’t on the product or service side at all, but are aspects addressing the more intangible, such as talent, marketing, process, or culture.
As human beings we must adapt to change – it’s an inherent force of nature – as our environment changes, so must we in order to best thrive in our surroundings. Change isn’t always pleasant, nor is it always a fearless process of flawless execution. Quite often it’s scary, dubious, unsettling and packed full of ‘what-ifs’. But then isn’t that core to all challenges in life? Imagine a life without challenge and without personal growth and innovation…pretty boring stuff.
What all this comes down to is defining innovation and how it fits into your personal world and your company’s culture. Think about innovation differently. Innovate on the very definition of the word and through this process you’ll find personal and professional windows of opportunity for innovation that set you and your company apart from the pack.
Change – it’s a good thing. Well Martha said that until she found herself in a jail cell.
This guest post was written by: Guy Borgford , Vice President Strategy at FGI.com
Guy has worked in digital media and marketing for almost 20 years and has extensive Fortune 500 brand, agency, and publisher experience. Previously, Guy led global marketing efforts for such sites as RollingStone.com
, Rhapsody.com and Film.com, working with clients such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sony, Coors, Hallmark, Hanes, Anheuser Busch and FOX. In addition he has also worked with numerous web startups as a senior consultant as is currently the Vice President Strategy for FGI.com whose clients include Jones Soda, Paramount Pictures’ SceneIt?, Microsoft, Lexus and Redhook.
Posted in Management Excellence
Tagged change, corporate culture, FGI, Guy Borgford, innovation
