There are ten critical steps that my best clients, and their clients have taken to develop and implement a successful culture change.

1- Leadership must define objectives and create a written, graphic vision of their desired culture.

2- Enlist your whole leadership team, and identify your fellow champions, by the passion they display either in words or actions. Allow them to add to the vision.

Ask your team these questions,

A-What would make this the kind of workplace that made you jump out of bed every day, even faster than you do now?

B- If you were one of your direct reports, or an hourly employee, what would need to change to make you want to jump out of bed every day?

C- What stops this from happening now?

D- If you were a customer, what would make your experience so amazing and enjoyable, that you would take pride in being a customer of this company, and look forward to returning, with everyone you know.

3- Conduct an organizational assessment. Compare your executive team responses to the assessment data, and measure their understanding of the needs and perspectives of their managers and hourly employees.

4- Create an implementation plan that involves employees at every level. Market the culture change process, so it permeates the organization.

5- Identify one or two key issues that were raised in the assessment process and begin action.

6- Develop a communication process to make employees aware that you have listened to their feedback, and keep them apprised of progress.

7- Consistently make the relationship between those key issues, your actions, and developing and implementing an inclusive work culture.

8- Create an accountability system, and hold managers accountable for their employees’ ability to articulate their organizational culture, and practice behavior consistent with the new, or improved culture.

9- Demonstrate how implementing, and contributing to the culture change will benefit employees at every level as individuals, and as part of the whole organization.

“Everyone in your organization will be more motivated, if they have the answer to the question; “What’s in it for me?”

10-“Be willing to release employees at any level who refuse to progress, and hold you back. They’ll be happier somewhere else.”