Harmonizing Team Culture and Leadership in a Hybrid Work Era: The Power of Purpose and Expectations

Can daily habits and clear expectations supercharge your team's culture, even in a hybrid work world? Join us as we journey through the significant yet often-overlooked elements that are key to nurturing a thriving team environment. Together with the insightful Dr. Linda Schubring, we examine the influence of purpose-filled gatherings and the powerful impact of intentional leadership choices on team dynamics. Discover the secret to creating spaces that not only encourage connection but also spark creativity and foster a shared sense of purpose. We also delve into our own transformative moments, inviting you to reflect on the experiences that have profoundly shaped your leadership journey.

Tap into the rhythm of a well-conducted team, much like an orchestra in harmony, by setting the stage with clear expectations. This episode resonates with the energy of a live concert, drawing vivid parallels to how defining the purpose of team gatherings can amplify engagement and foster a solid community vibe. Hear a captivating story involving the charming Jason Mraz, demonstrating how clarity of intent can lead to heightened involvement and satisfaction, both at a show and in the corporate arena. Closing on a lighter note, we can't help but tease the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl, complete with whimsical predictions about the halftime show and Usher's anticipated performance. Tune in for an episode that promises to strike the right chord in building a vibrant and cohesive team culture.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

You are listening to the Leadership Vision podcast, our show helping you build positive team culture. Our consulting firm has been doing this work for the past 25 years so that leaders are mentally engaged and emotionally healthy. My name is Nathan Freeberg and today on the podcast, we are going to be going on a bit of a thought-provoking journey into the essence of team building purpose. I am joined by our very own Dr Linda Schubering, and in this conversation we talk about some of the challenges and revelations about creating a positive team culture, especially in today's evolving hybrid workplace. We talk a little bit about the role that daily habits and choices play into fostering team growth and even talk about networking and purpose-driven gatherings and how humans how all of us have this deep-seated need for connection and belonging and how all of that plays into this. We invite you to reflect a little bit on your own fork in the road moments that you've had in life, those pivotal decisions that have shaped your path and your purpose. Linda and I both share just a little bit of insight into our own quest for purpose beyond the confines of maybe more conventional roles, and we talk a little bit about the importance of continuous growth and the pursuit of passion and leadership in life. This episode is really a call to leaders everywhere to consider how purpose, expectations and meaningful engagement can really transform team dynamics and culture. It's an exploration about how creating environments where people feel connected and valued can lead to innovative breakthroughs and a stronger sense of community, both professionally, personally and honestly, in any environment that you are in. So, as you listen, consider those moments of growth and the value that drives your work and how you can foster an environment that nurtures connection, creativity and purpose. So enjoy this conversation between Dr Linda Schubring and I as we ramble a little bit through the complexities of leadership, purpose and the power of coming together with intention. Enjoy.

Speaker 1: 2:14

There's no shortcut to running a marathon. There's no shortcut to building wealth. There's no shortcut to living a healthy lifestyle. It's just like daily habits. It's daily decisions and choices that we make. And I wonder if you're seeing because you've been doing a lot of networking and a lot of talking to people about our work, about their work, about the new workplace what we're seeing and I wonder if what you're seeing or hearing is any sort of like what's the quick tip or the shortcut to create positive team culture? And I guess A is there and B if they're not, which is my hypothesis as I'm going into this second grade science fair.

Speaker 2: 3:01

my hypothesis is there isn't, but it is like putting in the work, putting in the hours, doing things over time, and I think some of the things that we are hearing and noticing now are people still wrestling with what does hybrid work look like and the different values.

Speaker 2: 3:19

So if there's a value of productivity. Is it in person or is it having time with each other? A lot of times, people, when it's solitary work, they can obviously get more work done by themselves, but also hear that innovation and creativity. There's breakthroughs when you get people together, but there's also then greater relational dynamics to navigate when people are in person and what I'm noticing is that there is a hunger for connection and, dare I say, a sense of loneliness from time to time, I think, to see people networking. I've been to a couple of events and I feel like there's a genuine, like I want to get to know some people, and I'm not just there to work the room, I'm not just there to make the rounds and get all the business cards, because that's not most people don't carry business cards anymore.

Speaker 2: 4:12

And there's this desire to really get to know one another. I went to a networking event last week and it was called Purpose Driven Coffee, and what I really enjoyed about that networking event is, first of all, having people in the room that are not just doing a job but tapping into their life's purpose, or when they realized that they were at a fork in the road and they wanted to go this way or that way, or they made the tough choice.

Speaker 2: 4:43

What I was noticing about the room was just there was just great energy in wanting to be with other like-minded people. That looked very different, but what I liked about it was it gave people some handles of how to have a deeper conversation with a small group. So we heard from this lovely speaker and the two guys that were hosting we had some time as small groups to say like what was one of those fork in the road moments where you started to realize, oh, I'm going to go this way or I'm headed that way For me. I answered the question of.

Speaker 2: 5:21

For a long time I really thought that I was called to work with university students, that the 18 to 22 year old was my sweet spot, that I had something to offer people that were experiencing vast amounts of change and growth and horizons opening for them. And I realized later on that it wasn't necessarily a call to university students, but that it was a call to work with people who want to grow and that realized that you can always add to your repertoire, you can always grow in your capacity to influence as a leader, and that's where we are now. So to be around people that are willing to learn new things, to unlearn some things so they can learn other things, is just so exciting to me. So maybe the question is to you have you had one of those fork in the road moments where you realized where some of your like, what your purpose?

Speaker 1: 6:18

Hmm, that is an interesting question, because I was watching a video on YouTube this morning about this guy who has been trying for 17 years to break three hour marathon and you did it after like 22 attempts or something like that, and I relate to that. But something he said was like life is basically made up of all the failures and all the attempts and all of the moments in between things. And so I think of purpose wise. It's like I'm doing it Like there's a part of me that still thinks of myself as a recent college grad, but also it's like no, it's the life, it's the recording this podcast, it's the picking the kids up from school, it's the responding to that person's email, it's like all of these things make up our purpose. And I don't know if it's like a grand, like listening to another podcast the other day about Bill Gates and his like new purposes, like curing malaria or something.

Speaker 2: 7:12

I don't know if I'm like on that trajectory.

Speaker 1: 7:14

But does that make sense? I don't even know. I'm just, we're just rambling here today. I titled this episode, Nathan and Linda's Ramble.

Speaker 2: 7:20

We've done a lot of work with helping people wrestle with their purpose and I think, to name, there are the Bill Gates of the world that won on cure malaria. You go for it Like you have the horsepower, the dollars to do that. And I think there are times where I met with a friend the other night and she just said I think part of my purpose, what keeps surfacing for me is kind of the word healer, which I thought was so beautiful because I know that she's had struggle and I know that she has navigated a lot, and so for her to say part of my purpose is to heal, it helps you realize that you're not just letting a bunch of things go, but that you are saying yes to the things that give you the most value.

Speaker 1: 8:04

Do you find that a lot of people can articulate oh, my purpose is to do this or to do that. Because where I struggle, I think what I was getting at in my ramble about life happens like a purpose in all the little things is. I don't know that I've ever felt that like, oh, my purpose is to do this one thing or the specific job or something. It is kind of in existence and I don't know if that means I'm missing a purpose or clear direction. But what have you experienced in talking with people about? Do you think the vast majority of leaders that you know and work with can articulate that? Or is it the rare person that says my purpose is to be a healer, or whatever that person said?

Speaker 2: 8:42

I think it's rare when their thinking has been distilled to something really consumable like to heal or to cure malaria.

Speaker 2: 8:51

I often get excited about talking to people about what they love, what they love to do, how they love to spend their time, who do they love? When you start to tap into the passions of leaders, that's usually when I see the twinkle in someone's eye. I see when breakthrough is happening. Quite frankly, it's so inspirational when people can name things that they love. I can also hear, like in times where people are maybe more negative, or they can name all the things that they don't like. Sure, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 9:22

Don't want to be around that person.

Speaker 2: 9:23

How can we foster conversations, especially in very polarized world? How do you foster conversations that focus in on the things that we love? I love leaders to come alive. I love when people realize some capacities that they have that they've never experienced before. I love to shine light on the things that maybe people take for granted like, oh shucks, that's not seal.

Speaker 2: 9:48

That's just what I do. It's very unique, Nathan, I think with you, you've always created platforms for ideas to be heard and innovation to be batted around a little bit and people to express themselves. I think about when you came to town for our quarterly meeting, whatever we were doing and you were reading Arnold's book.

Speaker 1: 10:17

It's so good.

Speaker 2: 10:18

It's so good. I think about that too. It's the learning that you were doing. That is really contagious, like I'm reading this book that Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote, but then just the laughter around it. Now it's kind of lingered with me.

Speaker 1: 10:34

What I've learned is that I love creating environments or creating places where people can feel connected, and After I read Arnold's book, which is called Be Useful it is as a side note it's hard not to read his book in his voice correct and which I think made it all the fun.

Speaker 1: 10:51

But the art of gathering by Priya Parker. What I realized that I like doing is is creating environments that do have a purpose. That it's like if we're gonna gather for Even like he's having people over. But more specifically, like larger Events. Like I'm part of a small little 5k fund run company here in Portland and our events or stuff I do at the school or just other. Like I'm emceeing a fundraiser for this dance company that our friends own and Just trying to think of like how do you create a purpose in these meetings? How do you create I mean, I started the conversation talking about other shortcuts to like creating positive team culture and if that's like a you know a more permanent working team or a, you know, momentary, like a group of people coming together around a common cause for an evening.

Speaker 1: 11:38

How do you help them help everybody feel like they belong, like there's this common purpose that we're united behind. I've been involved in so many gatherings here where they just the first thing they start talking about is like all right, the bathrooms are over here and Make sure we're out by 8 and if you could please pick up your chair and you're like what are you doing? And I think that's why I've always loved like the start of concerts.

Speaker 1: 12:02

Oh, I like the last two concerts I was at was you two at the sphere and then cold play up in Seattle, and both of them You're just like, immediately part of something way bigger than yourself, and that feeling is what I kind of try to do, and or I'd like to think I try to do, and you know where there are other gatherings that I'm in. I'm wondering, linda, how do you advise leaders like to create that moment, as they're trying to build positive team culture, as they're trying to Bring their team together around the mundane quarterly business meetings around the like hey, all right, we need to check in about this goal. Around the hey, we got a cut three headcount. What are some of the things that you've seen work Well? Or how have you advised people, or maybe sure a story or two of some clients who have done something Particularly meaningful that others might benefit from hearing?

Speaker 2: 12:52

well, I find that the purpose statements before gatherings are really important and not as Because you even say the word con concert and I know that I kind of know what to wear or I know where to go, or I know what's expected or I'm really enjoying it like I'm a person in the audience. I'm not necessarily I have to be major engaged so I can stand up or sit down, depending on who's playing, and even people know then what. Because when you're talking about the, eventually I'll get to your.

Speaker 1: 13:20

Okay, we're just rampers rambling.

Speaker 2: 13:22

Yeah, there's no okay, when you're talking about concert, I was thinking, you know, people even know what a warm-up band does. So Probably about 20 years ago I was living in Orange County, california, and Jason Mraz was opening for a Lannis Morissette. And 20 years ago Jason Mraz was not that, he was not known, so he was the opener opening band. People are just gathering and they're really there to see the main act that they maybe purchased the ticket for. So I remember him. He's playing and no one's no one's like singing along because they don't know his music yet. And he's just strumming away and at some point he just stops and he said I know you're here to see Alanis, but we can still have fun and for me it was that example of naming a purpose, Like I know you're still doing this, but can we still do that?

Speaker 2: 14:14

And people were like, oh, and it woke up the audience and we were listening to his music in a different way. Once again, this is about 20 years ago. Anyway. So when people are naming that purpose statement, then they know how to act.

Speaker 2: 14:31

If you know if you're coming to a meeting, then do you need to be prepared or is it just a listening exercise? What level of engagement do you need to have? So the clients that we have that have purpose statements that guide some of their meetings, then they know is this a decision-making meeting? Is this a brainstorming.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Is this just a social hour?

Speaker 2: 14:57

Yeah, and so when people know what's expected, then they know how to play, and if they know how to play, then they know, then they feel a sense of belonging, and so obviously a lot of times people will say like I'm frustrated with this meeting or do I have to go to this meeting, and there was one organization that started to list some of the purposes of each of the meetings so people could self-select in or out.

Speaker 2: 15:23

So there were certain people that were invited to the meeting but if you needed to come and listen to this then you could join, but if it didn't align to what you need then they didn't join. But statements of purpose help drive behavior. It helps people know what's expected, how to play and how to engage. And if they'll be frustrated at the end like, ok, well, this was a decision-making meeting and we didn't decide, we just told jokes and bonded, so then people will be frustrated if they don't, if the purpose doesn't match.

Speaker 1: 15:58

That makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 1: 15:59

It ultimately comes down to expectations, right?

Speaker 1: 16:02

I mean, there's actually something in Arnold's book about that, like when you set clear expectations for people, they're more likely to do what you want or to reach the goal that you've set.

Speaker 1: 16:12

If that's something as simple as emptying the basket of coffee grinds when you're done, or having things in on time, or whatever that is, and what I felt like at the kids' school right now, there's a lot of. There's like a new principle coming in and there's a bunch of other big changes that people are just like what's happening and some of the, I think, failure of the school leadership is they haven't set clear expectations around timing for things. We had this big sort of state of the union meeting but nobody really knew what it was about. We found out we couldn't ask questions at it, and so there's like to your point, when people kind of know what to expect in a meeting or a gathering, they're more likely to leave likely having gotten what they wanted. And if not, then you know, maybe have another way to do, like to to get those needs met or have those questions answered, or whatever the case may be.

Speaker 2: 17:01

Yeah, cuz that, yeah, and the expectations shape the attitude.

Speaker 1: 17:04

Yeah, right, yeah, how of, how you know I wonder if there are, like in the business world or as with leaders listening to this, can think About like what are some of those I don't know sort of low-hanging fruit Expectations that you can set for your people so that they can know how to behave, and then it's easier to Respond if someone you know is on either side of that expectation, not meeting it or whatever.

Speaker 2: 17:26

The easiest question that people ask that we find is what am I supposed to wear?

Speaker 1: 17:31

What am I supposed to wear to this?

Speaker 2: 17:32

gathering and that for me sends a, sends a indicator of I want to fit in, I want to belong, I want to know. You know what that means. So I'll often for some of our gatherings I'll just say could be business casual, or whatever makes you feel Fabulous.

Speaker 1: 17:47

Yeah, you do say that and I love it.

Speaker 2: 17:49

I do. I do because and some people just take that really seriously and I think that's fine we want people to express who they are, or if it's casual, it's really like we did have a I don't know if you remember the excursion that we did team building exercise for a group of executives and we said where Comfortable shoes, we will be in the arboretum, too many a lot of wing tips, a lot of heels, yeah the wing, tips and heels.

Speaker 1: 18:16

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:16

I felt bad for asking them to go into the Forest, but anyway. But so, thinking about applying that same need of, I want to know what the Expectation is of dress, so that I can fit in or so that I can, you know, not be in the extreme, or should I wear a certain color, or is this a certain? What will the photo opportunities be? So there's that piece, and how will you then apply other places like come ready to engage or come prepared, thinking about these, these things, or we're gonna walk away with a decision. So what does what does that mean, then? Or this is just a celebration, and I think a lot of it is.

Speaker 1: 18:59

It taps into that desire for meaning, a desire for Making their time worthwhile and all of these things contribute to positive team culture because when you correct, you feel like you're on the inside, like you know it's expected, you know what to wear, you know what sort of level of thinking that you need to bring to this engagement or to this meeting. Is this, like you said, a decision-making, a brainstorming? At whatever you, I think that entire culture of the organization is Elevated, because then everyone feels like, okay, we're on the same page here. You don't have the one person that comes wearing sweats when it was supposed to be cocktail tire or you know whatever, then feels left out and, oh my gosh, da, da, da feel so dumb.

Speaker 2: 19:40

So it's might sound overly simplistic, but sometimes just setting that level of Basic information for people can be one of the greatest things to build positive team culture yes, because you know how to act and interact and then and I think the positive team culture too is is getting more comfortable with you know differing opinions and not having it move to sides or polarity, but rather you know holding some tensions and being comfortable with your own voice, being comfortable with who you're doing the work with, for sure.

Speaker 1: 20:16

Well, Linda. Thank you, this is a fun podcast. Do you have any final thoughts?

Speaker 2: 20:19

Well, my final thoughts are from time to time I enjoy the random conversation and the nuggets that I'll take away and ponder and consider the next time we either host events or I go and meet a group of people or invite others into a specific conversation, to remember that it is important to not all. I mean you can sometimes kill it with purpose, to be like and remember we're doing this, but helping people know what's expected helps them know how to belong and be a part of the good things that you want to do.

Speaker 1: 20:53

It's really good Thank you. And thank you for listening to the Leadership Vision podcast, our show helping you build positive team culture. If you have questions about anything you heard us say here today or any of our other resources, please reach out to us. You can send us an email to connect at leadershipvisionconsultingcom, or you can visit us on the web at leadershipvisionconsultingcom. There you'll find all sorts of resources about strengths and teamwork and everything in between, and we would love it if you'd subscribe to our email newsletter. Subscribe to this podcast. Wherever you get your podcast. I'm Nathan Friedberg.

Speaker 2: 21:28

I'm Linda Shebring.

Speaker 1: 21:29

And on behalf of our entire team, thanks for listening. Thanks, linda. Are you going to watch the Super Bowl this weekend? Of course I am, it's the Usher Concert. I wonder if he will live up to his namesake and help people find their seats. That would be great有, if anyone questions me will some good advice from me as well.