Lumina Chicago’s Post

As a leader, I totally agree. Words only go so far—while it's important to express your values or your company culture goals, that's only the first step towards building a strong company culture.

Fostering trust and connection inspires people to follow willingly.

When you build real, authentic connections with the people you work with, you start to see them not only as a professional colleague, but a whole person as well. In my experience, this is when you assume the best, give grace when needed and increase engagement. It's so critical, because when you invest in building relationships and prioritize your employees' well-being, it fosters trust, collaboration, and overall success within the organization, too.

Building strong relationships with employees is a crucial aspect of effective leadership. Research shows that leaders who prioritize relationships and lead from a place of positivity and kindness tend to perform better. Being open and honest with your team members creates trust. Transparency helps build a healthy work environment where everyone feels valued and informed. Great leaders inspire their teams by setting a positive example. Show enthusiasm, share your vision, and encourage creativity. When employees feel inspired, they are more likely to engage and contribute. Understanding and managing emotions is essential. Empathize with your team members, actively listen, and be aware of their feelings. Emotional intelligence helps you navigate conflicts and build stronger connections, company culture has a significant impact on employee well-being, often surpassing salary and benefits. So, investing in positive relationships is not only good for your team but also for overall organizational success.

A happy employee= a productive employee, instead of rushing to see numbers and metrics out of individuals leaders and founders should invest time to actually understand the comfort zones of their employees - they'll pretty much figure everything out on their own after that. Been micromanaged and it made me realise to never apply the same principle to anyone in my team- ever

I absolutely 💯 agree. My team has always known it is about them. When you put people first the work gets done. Actions are always important. We can have all the strategies and be the creator of program and experiences that help people leaders be better but if we are not emulating the content in the programs we create then what good is it. We have to lead by example, be testaments of the leadership we needed, wanted and are educating others to be.

Lights, Camera, Beer 🍻

The saying, “Your actions speak so loudly, I can hardly hear what you’re saying,” has stuck with me. Though ususally used to point out negative behavior, it speaks to positive actions too.

Ask the questions, why would anyone listen to me? Why would anyone follow me? Am I setting the example I would be happy people follow? (careful if you used questionable methods to get ahead early in your career…can’t get mad if they play your ? game then).

I have had the opportunity to work in many different cultures. One thing that I have always said it takes a lot of time and effort to build a great culture and it can be ruined in a very short amount of time. Culture is something that all businesses should be extremely aware of.