Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud yor
the Order KERNI Whoalbury and a waddery woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on a wondery country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through as this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow.
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She's on the Money, She's on the Money.
Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money with us. That's here to make your business smarter, your leadership shoper, and your workplace well less of a stress fest. I am Victoria Devine, retired financial advisor, author of the Business Bible, and owner of several successful businesses. It's never not going to be weird, Jessica saying that out loud, and today
it's a Business Bible episode. But don't scroll away if you're not running your own business, because this one is jam packed with tips for anyone in the workplace, whether you're managing a team, working on your career, or just trying to navigate office life like a pro. We've got you covered, from building a team culture that slaps to
handling those tricky Jessica, can we talk conversations? We're breaking down the top five HR rules to make work less complicated and dare I say, actually, enjoyable, love, be nice and joining me today? Is the hardest working side hustler. I know that thankfully doesn't have any employees, so it can be really rile on this show. It's just greatchy. Yeah, HR's the bin my business. So you're like, what time we did have a sticker on the shredder that said HR, Yeah,
submit to your complaint there. I mean, it was a flawless system until we had to grow up because we became an actual business.
Yes, it is a really important conversation to have. Culture really is the foundation of any business. You obviously have studied organizational psychology VD, so I feel like you're gonna have a little bit more insight into how that kind of impacted the way that you manage people in the workplace.
Oh my gosh, does it ever? I feel like I wish I could just step into being a mediocre, middle aged white man middle manager. Would be nice, will be nice because they just don't care. They're like, yes, we've got to talk. And then then what let you steal all weekend? Couldn't be me? Couldn't been dead before the meeting, wouldn't been me? Like I send meeting requests with catch up in brackets, good thing, don't worry, Yeah, because I am so worried that I'll stress you out over nothing.
But I also have a very clean framework of performance management if things aren't going as well as they should, which is important. Yeah, I feel like yes and no, Like it's kind of like helped obviously, but it's also hindered not making it bad. But I do put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that it's an enjoyable workplace and things are going well. And I don't know, I'm not a genius. I'm just a girl out here trying to do my best. We all, but
we do have some rules, you know, all right? Tell me about these rules? What's number one? All right? So first things first, I think it's about getting really clear on your HR policies early and also knowing your legal obligations. So from my perspective, HR policies are kind of like the rule book of how your workplace should work, and there's a free one online, Like you can go onto the fair Work website. They will have that HR Policies and Procedure document that you can download and edit to
your heart's content. Without them, I think you're setting your team up for some confusion and inconsistency, an unnecessary drama. And then if you're also a first time employer, it's a really good like expectation setter with you. You might not know that you have these obligations. Yeah, like you might go, oh, I didn't realize that I had to give them twenty four hours noticed for this type of meeting, or I didn't realize that I needed to do a B and C. And that doesn't mean that you're a
bad manager. It just means you've not led people before. And if you have led people before and you don't know these obligations, it's a good reminder to go and do that. So clear policies protect everyone. I know that lots of people will say, well, HR's they are to protect the company, And from the perspective of an employer, yes it is, and why is it, Because if I'm doing the right thing by you, Jess, I'm protecting the company.
Like I'm not here to do the wrong thing like HR, And having a HR person doesn't mean you can't take me to fair work if I did the wrong thing. It doesn't mean that you can't, you know, seek legal injunction if you need to, Like, yeah, it doesn't protect me in that way. So yes, HR works for me, but at the end of the day, I employ them to look after you and by virtue, look after me. Like our HR makes sure that I know what policies
and procedures exist. And surprisingly you can have internal HR, which we don't have, or external HR, which is like a consulting service. Yeah, that kind of come in a bit like a bookkeeper and just make sure that everything's all good. Yeah, Like, how would I know that employment law has changed if I've had my head in the
podcast realm for the last month. They email me and they're like, hey, they just so you know, update XYZX with your bookkeeper to make sure that you're staying within the breadth of what you need to.
Yeah, because as an employer, you have that responsibility, don't you. Hundred proceeds to make sure that you're on and.
Like having a clear document or having a clear location to keep HR policies is going to mean that you know, everyone knows their rights, they know their responsibilities, and they also know how to handle things if things aren't going well. Like that's important. Yeah, absolutely, What does that look like in action? So obviously starting with essentials, what's your onboarding process? Yes, ours is still rogue, I'm really sorry. What do you
leave entitlement? So that should also be in your employment contracts? What do performance reviews look like? How are we going to do that? And also how are we handling conflict? You might and everyone does at the start of their business go it's sunshine and roses. That's never going to be conflict in my business. May well be conflict in your business. May your delunu come true? True, There's always going to be something, And it doesn't mean that the
conflict lasts. It just means you need to have a process for talking it through and nipping it in the butt so that it doesn't become a bigger thing. But if there's no process, you're gone spiral and you don't know how to deal with it. So from my perspective, it's keep it simple. All processes should be as simple as possible. They should be super easy to understand, also accessible to everybody. It's not some policy that you've said
that no one else is able to communicate. No one should have to, you know, decode some legal, bloody jargon just to understand how to apply for annual leve or to know what to expect during a performance review. And then this is my psychotic side stepping in document everything. Maybe this comes from my financial advice world probably, but like even when I've spoken to you about things, jess, what do I say? Send yourself an email? Yeap, doesn't
even have to be this like super formal process. But if you email something to yourself, you are time stamping it. You can't edit that, you can't edit the time, and email ends up in your inbox. And if ever anything should happen, you can go back and find all of those things and say, well, actually I do remember what happened because I sent myself an email when it was still fresh in my mind of everything that happened. Here is my file note. So you could file note it properly.
You could like do it on a word document. You could have like an internal CRM that you might manage those things through, but at the very least it to yourself is really helpful. So obviously having a printed handbook fantastic. But if something's happening and you're having conversations with people, document them. I prefer that to be a waste of time because, like you know, I've never had to do
this with you, thank god. But like if I had to have a serious conversation with you, Jess, I would send myself an email so that then I could go back and be like, well, what did I talk to Jess about the first time? You know, what did she say about this? So if there's a second follow up, I can be like, look, Jess, I documented it the first time, and this is what we said, this with the outcomes, this is what we've meant, this is what we haven't met. And I think that that's really important
because time makes things cloudy. So if time passes and I'm like, oh, yes, I had to chat to you about this before, and you go, yeah, what was I meant to do again, and you go, oh, I don't remember. Yeah, unacceptable. Also, there's no way you wouldn't have documented it your Jess. You would have come to the table. It's not the point.
I'm just using it as an exactly, But I think reviewing and updating regularly because your team is going to grow, laws are going to change, Your policies might need tweaking to stay relevant. And I think summary of all of that is just have clear, documented HR policies and if you have them and don't use them, that's great, amazing. Yeah, but I'd prefer you to have them and not need them, then need them and not have them.
Oh one hundred percent. How would you approach building the team when you're making those first hiring decisions. Obviously you create first choice in.
Me, Yeah, she's on the money team started off on the best push. It wouldn't have done better. No, So I have a theory and it's called higher slow, firefast. Oh it sounds real savage, but we have quite a recruitment process. If you're listening to this and you've ever been through it, I apologize, but I also don't because it means that you can find the right role and I can find the right fit. So it's about making
sure that there are multiple points of contact. I don't just like have a coffee catch up with someone and be like, hey, yes, do you want a job like poor Jess, Like you were put through even as my first hire, like online interview, interview, in person Q and a what would this look like? How would this work? I think even because I was into content for the Business Bible at that point, I made you go into
a sound booth and like we have that somewhere. Yeah, I made you record yourself and what you were feeling. Like that's probably not acceptable against not against just a bit weird, But at the end of the day, bringing somebody into your team is the biggest commitment ever, Like from my perspective, it's so scary as well, because like I don't know, I pay your income, Like that is a massive commitment and I don't want you to rush that process. And it's not just about your resume. It's
also about how they bring themselves to the table. What they're like, tenacity is like what their work values, their values, their cultural fit, their goals. Like So I think using multiple rounds of interviews is really smart and if possible, involve your team. So now that we do have a bigger team, whenever I'm hiring someone new, the first port of call will be a phone interview with somebody that's not me. Second port of call is an interview with me.
And if all of that is going swimmingly, you get invited to an interview with some of the team members and I'm not there. And that's purposeful because then you can be like, Jess, what's that actually like? Working for THEE what's your work life balance?
Like?
You know, what does your weekends look like? You know, what does you know work task allocation look like? How does team communication go? What's worked from home? Actually you don't ask all those questions, but then the team can also work out if you're somebody that they would interact with consistently on a daily basis. You get a vibe, you get a feel, And I think that to just rely on a resume is silly. It's very outdated, isn't it?
One hundred percent our data? And like Jess, lots of people applied for roles that you applied for and you got it and you didn't even have a degree because you were the right fit. And yeah, have I regretted that maybe a little, but no. But have I regretted that no? Because you've been here for years now and have been an integral part of the team. I don't regret that for a second, So I think it's so
important to do that. But on the flip side, fire fast, I can tell you right now, if you talk to any manager who's hired someone you and they've known if it was a bad fit, they know within the first week, it does not mean that they do anything about that though, Like you need to nip that in the button, pull that person aside. Hey Barry, I'm really sorry, this just
isn't working out for you or me. It gives them the opportunity to go find something that works for them, and you the opportunity to find the right team member. Like it can lower team morale having the wrong person on the team, like it can impact your productivity. It can even hurt that person in the role because they might thrive somewhere else. You're impacting their confidence, like yeah, if they're not good at that job, let them go.
Like yeah, I feel some people might hold on because they feel almost like a failure, Like if they've made gone, oh I think I made the right decision, and then they go, oh, may it's not feeling right. Maybe they could go, oh, yeah, I was so confident or I saw xyz. Yeah, but do you think it's fair to say that until you have someone doing the job in your team in routine, Like people can put their best foot forward in an interview and it just not translate in the.
Way that And I think that you might look at me and go, Victoria, that's ruthless, that's awful, Like give them a chance if you can't show me your best in the first few weeks of your employment, like what is going on? Like you not meant to put your best foot forward during that period of time. And it probably does sound ruthless, But at the end of the day, for me, it's about clarity, it's about respect, it's about
being upfront and professional with that person. And I find that kinder than dragging it out and firing them in six months. Like I have interviewed and hired somebody before who had just got a new role, and I said, why are you here? Didn't you just say that you have a new role And they said, yeah, absolutely, I've been there for two weeks and it's absolutely not the right fit.
Yeah.
I had so much respect for that person because I was like, really, tell me about that, what does that mean? And ended up hiring them they've stayed. It's fantastic. But I had so much respect because they knew to pull the trigger early and they were like, I'm not going to waste the business's time. I feel like my time's being wasted. You know. The expectations they sat in the
interview were not what it ended up being. Like, I have a lot more respect for that, and I've also got a lot more respect for other people that I'm not going to drag it out. Yeah, it's not fair. That feels reasonable to me. I feel like it does. But you know, on the flip side, if you just got your new job and then you find a week later you're not the right fit, doesn't.
Yeah, but I guess hr or, like you know, making hiring choices more broadly, you have to take the emotion out of it a little bit. It's one hundred and before out right you have to make the decision that's right for you, right for the team. Because as much as like in an I Do world, no one would ever hurt anybody's feelings and everyone would get along and everything would be perfect.
See, I agree and I don't agree. So, like, taking the emotion out of it is important for clear decision making and I do that, but then I think it's important to inject your personality and your ethics and your morals back into it to be empathetic. Yeah, one hundred percent. There is what fair work says you need to do. Right, So, like, let's say we are terminating somebody, Like, there is what
fair work says. I need to make sure that I give someone twenty four hours notice before I terminate their role. I need to offer them a support person all of that other stuff. But is that the kindest way to do it. Yeah, probably not. We'll do that as a bare minimum, but there are additional things that I can layer on top of that, like making sure that I
have a very clear process of performance management. So if somebody isn't performing well, I'm not just going to go Okay, cool, we're done and I've given them warnings, but I haven't. I'm going to make sure that my language is clear, my warnings are clear. I'm going to make sure that when it comes to that termination process, I'm clear in giving feedback because if I'm not giving that person feedback, I'm not helping them grow in the next role, and I'm setting them up for failure. And a lot of
the time. It's not a personal decision. It's a technical competency issue and going cool. We've tried X, Y, and Z and it's just not working. But what can I do to be the kindest in this situation because it feels like trash but quiet. No one wants that. Yeah, So I think it's about making sure that you don't just take all the emotion out of it, because I think that empathetic leadership needs some level of emotion still to still have your wits about you. I'm not the devil. Yeah,
do you know what I mean? Your boss? Yeah, like I am your boss, but also I'm not a dick. Or maybe I am, but like I try really hard not to be sometimes. But let's go to a really quick break. I feel like we're just getting started. After the break, I'm going to dive into it. I guess the secret source for keeping your workplace running smoothly everything from communication, feedback, and building a culture that people actually
want to stick around for. So stay tuned. Alright, everyone, we're back VD.
We've talked about policies and hiring, but once you've got the right people in place, what's the next step for making sure that everything does run smoothly. Culture culture culture without ah at the end.
Culture got to make sure you have good culture. Culture is so important. But before you get culture, I feel like everybody throws this term of like, oh, culture is so important at work? Is culture that important? If you have shitty communication? Is shitty communication a symptom of that culture exactly? So the first thing I want to talk
about is communication. Great. It's funny because on our Friday Drinks episode, yes, we're always like, oh, we've got a dilemma, and what said ninety nine point nine nine percent of the time, Oh, if you just communication, Communication is that glue that sticks cell workplace together, Like it is something that you need to have open and flowing. But then also realize, if a change is being made often don't
take it personally. So I think it's sometimes people will go, oh my god, my boss decided to implement like a rule where we only get forty five minutes of our lunch break. Why are we taking this so personally? Like it's just a rule. Someone's broken it great, norries like pick it up, move forward, like we've just changed the
way that we're working. But without good communication, where places start full part things start to get tricky and hard, and consistent and clear communication is going to keep you on track. It's going to mean that you stay aligned, but it's also going to reduce friction, and it's going to create an environment where everyone feels heard and informed. And on top of things, you've got four c's Jessica
and I've talked about them before on the podcast. You've got clarity, consistency, context, and collaboration, and to have effective communication, you need to meet all four of these things. And it sounds lame, but having a framework makes life so much easier as a leader because so often I'll be like, but I told her in my head and then realize that maybe I didn't meet the four season That probably was an effective communication. I was just busy and trying
to get rid of it. So clarity is obviously being really specific, being really concise, like not saying things like oh, yes, we need to do better, great, saying something like okay, to do better, we need to deliver that draft by next Friday at four pm. Yeah, like being really clear. The next is consistency, So staying regular with your updates, making sure that things are shared, meetings via email or via slack repetition means that everybody is aligned. Context is important.
If you tell me to do something and I don't know why or when or where a how like how am I going to do that? Like? Oh, Jess, can you fix that project? What? Projects? And context is key even in just like the urgency like one hundred percent, like oh, the client doesn't like it? Can you change it?
Yes?
What? Like we need some context. So for example, instead of just asking, oh, can you make some changes because the client doesn't like it, saying the client asked for revisions to better align with their branding, the color a bit off? Could you please update it? They also would prefer to feature A instead of B. Yeah, Oka, no worries like Also, if you're providing context like oh, the client just didn't like it, that feels personal. Yeah, like ill, David,
we are not making things personal. We're taking the personal out of it. Like clients can be frustrating. If any of my clients are listening, turn this off right now. Delight your old delights. But it can be very frustrating sometimes when a client gives you feedback not effectively communicated, not effectively communicated, and you can't manage that. Yeah, So
manage your team. So I know that you have had this historically, just not at the moment, thank god, where a client has just said, oh, I don't like it, I want to make changes, and I've had to then go back to you just and be like, oh, the client doesn't like it. I need to then communicate with you. Look, the client has said they don't like it, they haven't given me a lot of context. Unfortunately, this is the feedback.
Have a look at the emails. These are the communications I've had with them before, and like you and I have had to sit down and decipher maybe what they meant because we haven't been able to do that. But if I said, oh, they just didn't like it, Jess and moved on, you think that I'm being a little bit flippant, Whereas the situation is a bit deeper than that.
So when you have context, great share it. But if you don't have context, also share that you have no context of us know, yeah, and provide as much information on the fact that you're in the dark as well. Is really important. And I think so many times issues arise because I'll be like, well, Jess, you didn't tell me, and then you go, oh, well, I wasn't told either, and I go, well, why didn't you tell me that you weren't told? It just becomes a whole thing and
it doesn't need to be. And then the last one is collaboration. So we're creating a space for two way dialogue, which I have sadly done in my business, where you give me feedback as much as I'm giving you feedback, and it's actually a really good thing. So I'm asking you, guys, well, what's your perspective on this decision I'm making, and vice versa. So sometimes I'm humbled and I'm like, I've got this
really great idea. It's called twenty twenty thrive. Right to name our whole thing twenty twenty thrive, you know what? My team came back and said, looks great, But Victoria, in text, it looks like you've said two zero tooth thrive. What's too zero tooth thrive? Yeah, sounds good when I speak it. So twenty twenty thrive slay when you put it on a heading looks terrible and I needed to be humbled. So we're not using that as aggressively. We'll use it on the podcast, but it can't be a
heading for something because it just doesn't translate. Yeah, can you imagine if my team were just agreeable, life would be easy but hard great idea, Victoria, that's going to really float everybody's vote like it would have been awful, Right, So I think collaboration making sure that people feel safe to challenge, but also they feel confident to share their opinions, and that can be harder done. Then said, yeah, you
really have to cultivate a safe spell. Yes, because I know in my business, thankfully, you guys can be like Victoria, that is a terrible idea, and I'll be like fair. Whereas I'm sure that there are people listening to this. If they told their boss that something was a terrible idea, they'd be like, get out of my office, or even worse, you know what I mean. So you've got to read the room.
So what I'm feeling is great communication isn't just about talking. It's about ensuring that everybody understands, they feel heard, they know next steps. I feel like, when in doubt, over communicate rather than assuming everyone's on the same page, because what do they say when you assume you make an ass out of you and me?
You've said that one time before I believe first, what.
About when things aren't going as planned though, or if you need to maybe recalibrate the way that you're doing It's almost like.
Communication is key here. Yes, really, it's actually crazy. But I'm also going to say feedback, communicate, feedback. The number four rule is make sure that you were using a framework for effective communication and effective feedback. It matters for so many different reasons. Right. You might think by just delivering some feedback and walking off, that's enough, and it's just really not.
So.
Feedback is one of the most powerful tools for people for personal and professional growth. And I think sometimes even framing it and being like, hey, like and thank god I haven't had to do this, I feel like I've given you feedback that you haven't liked before, but it's worked. Well. Hey, Jess, I'm going to give you some feedback. And I'm aware that this might not be the nicest thing to hear, but I hope you know that when I'm telling you this, it's coming from a place of love and wanting you
to be better and do better. And I know you can as opposed to me being critical, right, and then you can go, oh, Okay, you've kind of braced yourself for the feedback, but also you know that I'm aware that that could be a dick thing to share. I don't want you to immediately Gov said that she hated my thing, and that can all in the delivery. When feedback is done correctly, it improves performance. It improves like
the strength of your team, team dynamics. It builds trust, like I think that good feed feedback coming from somebody who wants you to do well is a gift, whereas some people think that just being rude or being like, well, I don't like it, Like, yeah, that's not feedback, that's opinion. And you need to decipher the difference between personal opinion and feedback as well. I think that's something that a
lot of people don't do well. They will deliver it and be like, oh, I think that's terrible, and then it's like, well, actually doesn't meet the brief like you might not like this. You know, it happens a lot in marketing, like people will say that they don't like something, but it's actually personal opinion, and then you realize there's a lot of research behind why it's presented that way. Have a think about how you're delivering it and where
this feedback is coming from. On the flip side, if you're giving bad feedback, poor feedback, or even no feedback at all, it leaves people a bit confused. They're like, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know how to do this. They're unmotivated, they might be a little bit resentful, and I think that is a really awful position to be in. It doesn't help for the culture. NICEAKA,
and we're all about the culture one hundred percent. So this is where you want to use a framework again, and my favorite framework is the situation impact action framework. So if you're giving feedback, let's do a little roleplay example. So you're going to describe what happened, so the situation focusing only on the facts. So example, in the last meeting, you spoke over Sarah while she was sharing her thoughts. Sarah doesn't exist while she was sharing her ideas. And
then you're going to explain the impact. So we're not going to talk about how on I just don't think that's very enough. No no, no, no, no, cut that out. We don't care about that. You're then going to explain why it matters and how it affected the team. Or the project, so it really interrupted her flow and made it harder for her to fully explain her point, and then she just seemed a bit hesitant to speak up again. Valid. Valid.
Then what's the action, So we're not just going to be like you spoke over somebody made her feel bad and drop the mic and walk out. Yeah, what behavior do we want modeled in the future. Look, let's just make sure that everyone gets to finish their thoughts before we jump in. I know you're really excited about that and really enthusiastic, So maybe just take a quick pause to check if anyone is like still speaking, make sure
they're done before you're jumping in. Great, really simple. When you're really simple, really easy, it's not about personal opinion, which I think is where feedback gets really cloudy. Yeah, it sets you up for success, and they're probably going to go, yeah, you're right, that will help me. Yeah, it's a simple thing.
They know exactly what they need to do, no harm, no file, They can fix it for an extent.
And it's funny because that example would literally never happen with you, Jessica. It would happen with me. I speak over everybody I do, and you are like the thoughtful one that goes, oh I have a point and they raise my hand. Yeah, like you put your hand up
or something. So like that's a terrible example. If you were imagining Jessica in it, just imagine that that was being delivered to me, because I would feel much better if someone was like, oh, you did this thing and it impacted somebody else in the future, you need to do this. I'll be like, Okay, cool, no worries. Yeah, Whereas if somebody was giving me feedback and they're like, stop talking over jess I'd be like, oh, sorry, and you feel bad about yourself and that doesn't help anything.
It doesn't help anyone or anything, because then I don't even realize when I did that. Was it at lunch or was it at dinner? Like do I do it all the time, Like, yeah, we're nipping it in the butt, Can I say yeah.
I also think it's really important when using this framework to think about who you're delivering to in the way that they lack to receive feedback. And I think a particularly relevant example is exactly what you were just saying with how you interrupt. For you, it's because of you and eurodiversity and I think I'm.
Glad I have an excuse.
Yeah, But I think it's also like really important when we're talking about like, obviously this is a great broad framework, but people are so unique and the way that I receive feedback, the way you receive feedback, I think getting to know your team and I feel like we're going to maybe talk about this a little bit in about
five seconds. Maybe I'm really ahead, am I rup? But I think like that's a really important thing and acknowledging that certain behaviors may be results of your adversity or past experience or things like that as well.
And I know that talking over people can be perceived as being incredibly rude, right, but I think that we're at a point in our team. I'm not saying it's acceptable. I do try my best, please, I'm not saying that that's okay, But I think that when I do that accidentally now still people aren't like Victoria think she's more important, Like I think that because we fully comprehend each other and I've shared that, people are like, oh, she's just
so excited about the next point. Yeah, And sometimes the teams like they sit down, like go back two steps, please go back two steps, because we're actually not talking about that yet, we're still not done here. And I think that that can be a really good way of managing it as well. Like a lot of people might take personal offense, be like, oh my god, I can't believe Victorious spoke over me again in that meeting. It's not because I don't respect you. I promised you that.
And I think that having that context is really really important.
I completely agree, and I think it filters really nicely into creating that great team culture. How do you make sure that you know, whatever business company culture you're building is something that people actually want to be a part of.
You've actually just got to post on social media all the time. Oh yeah, I've got a post like really attractive pictures of yourself and your team, like and your team loving you. That's how to do good culture. End the episode there. In fact, do you know what's funny about that is I have met so many people who have been like, oh, actually, our internal team culture is nothing like you see online. I think that's a very
common thing. I think it's a very common thing for businesses to be posting online about this and thinking that culture comes from what the content they share, and I think it's important to point out because I'm so aware of that, Like, I think you and I can agree, I don't even have to agree to this, but like our team will probably be like, yeah, what you see online is exactly how we are in person, because it's just what naturally happens. But I think building a culture
starts from internal, and it starts from the top. So like, if I'm not role modeling the behaviors that I expect, how do I expect other people doing them? And if we're not doing them internally, how are we expecting people to see them on the outside. How are we expecting to talk about how great we are if we're not actually great internally. I can't think of anything more mortifying than being like, yeah, I really respect my team, and then my team in the background rolling their eyes like
iwa that gives me the ick so hard. So if we think about the best workplace culture we can, we're going to imagine people are super engaged and supported and they're genuinely happy to show up, and that kind of energy doesn't just happen, And I guess the opposite is a workplace where tension and competition end up taking over and nobody feels valued, and then everyone just waits for the countdown five o'clock when they can run out of
their laptop, shut bag on back. And bad culture drains teams, and it fuels turnover, and it kills productivity, and I mean a thriving colture. It doesn't just boost morale. It actually turns your workplace into a place that people want to stay and grow and do their best. And I'm very lucky that I used to work as a culture and engagement consultant and so I work on a say, stay and thrive model. So that's my concept that I
work on. And if you can meet all three of these things, I think you're well on the way to having a good team culture internally and externally. And whether you're an employer this applies obviously, But if you're an employee, having a think about this. So, I want people to be saying good things about my business when I'm not around. You don't need to say it in front of me. That doesn't matter. But like imagine, Jess, You're at a barbecue on the weekend and someone says, jes where do
you work? And you say, I work a cheese on the money. Are you going to go, oh, I work at cheese on the money and they go how is it? And then you go whatever, let's not talk about work, or you go, oh my gosh, I love my job. I do this, I do that right, So I want people saying good things. The second is stay, So that's about tenure and having low turnover. Are people incentivized and want to stay with the company, Like, are they in a position where they want to stay for the longevity?
Do they see a career there, do they see that they are respected and you know, enjoying it, or are they looking for a new job. Yeah, So I want to meet those two. And then the third one is the strive component. And I feel like this strive component, it is something that you can't pay people for. You can pay people all the money in the world, but this is about cultural fit and hiring the right people because if you have hired the right people, they will
strive for your business. They will go above and beyond. They won't have to be asked to go above and beyond, because if you have a good culture, you're not asking people to stay late. But you'll notice things happening in the background, like they're saying good things about your business. They are you know, promoting it. They're you know, staying in their role and they're going above and beyond because they feel respected and they feel like, you know, they're
really contributing to the greater good. They understand that there's effective and clear leadership. They understand that there is you know, career opportunities for them on the table or you know what. Not everyone's looking for career opportunities. Some people just want a steady job and that's cool too, But like they understand that their position is respected. And I think that
that's what culture looks like in action. So you know, three things are going to contribute to having highly engaged employees. And to go back to meeting a culture and engagement consultant, we know that businesses that have engaged employees have fifty percent higher shareholder return than businesses that have disengaged employees. Are crazy, So just by focusing on culture, you are impacting the bottom line of your business. Yeah, And like
I could go into it for days. We don't have time, but I could go into it for days about how your team are what makes your business successful. And that's why often when I'm interviewed or I'm talking to people and they're like, you've done so well, and I'm like, gues, it's not me, it's my team. I'm not even flipping it off me. I'm like, I wouldn't be where I would be today without a solid team. But my solid team comes from being respected and having that back and
forth relationship. And I mean, to me, good culture is the difference between a workplace people endua and a workplace people thrive in. And so I think when you create a culture that alignes with your team's values and makes them feel connected, you're not just building a team, You're kind of building loyalty and creativity and success. They can still leave though, because we had a team and believe more than a year ago now. And I think it's
so important to understand where you sit. So like, obviously I've done say stay and strive and stays great, But like, what if you outgrow the role, that doesn't mean that you become disengaged with a culture. If somebody in my business has outgrown a role. For example, Gabby in our business, I could talk about her because she loved this. She worked in marketing in our business. She started as EA worked her way up, did market and then God offered an epic marketing role at the AFL. I can't compete
with that. Yeah, so what am I going to do? Be mad about that or be grateful that I got to be along the journey of that. Yes, I loved the fact that we got to be a part of her journey. I was sad that she was leaving, but now I'm so proud that she's on the money helped her get there.
Yeah, slay Absolutely. I feel like there's five rules set a really good foundation for HR and for managing people in general, not even just from like a business owner perspective, but also just anyone in the workplace. You know, these are the things that you want to be looking for. This should be the standard that we're holding our employers to.
Yeah. And if you have listened to this and you're like I'm not say, I'm not stay, I'm not strived, look for a new job. I'm sorry to the employers listening, but like, if you're not doing those three things, you're not engaged, and it's good for them that you're going to move on, but also it's great for you because you're going to find somewhere that you actually feel valued totally, absolutely, And I think if you're running your own business or managing a team, or you just to be a better
cowork or friend at work, these rules are universal. It's all about setting clear expectations and fostering open, honest communication and building a culture where people actually want to show up a big one. Oh, I think we've done for today. But before we wrap up, Jess in the new year, Business Bibles having a glow up. We love to see it, we do. We're giving Business Bible its own dedicated feed again.
That is right. It is getting a revamp. There are some really fun things planned and I know you're going to love it. So make sure you hit the link in our show notes to subscribe so you don't miss a thing. Because Business Bible episodes are no longer going to be on the shees on the Money feed. Whether you're already a loyal Business Bible fan, thank you, or you're new to the series, this is the perfect time
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