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Keeping secrets in the internet age is nearly impossible. Things that companies may have got away with a generation ago in terms of their substance not matching up to their public image won’t fly today. A single PR gaffe can be tweeted around the world in seconds, and if a company’s values don’t match those it proclaims, you can bet someone will find out and tell the world about it. Corporate culture cannot just be lip service, but has to be in alignment with organizational goals and visions. It requires understanding the world and an organization’s place in it, and adapting as necessary to remain relevant. But cultural transformation isn’t something that can be decreed and carried out, like a dress code. It has to involve passion on the part of every person in the workforce, from the mailroom to the C suite.

Transforming culture

It’s much harder for organizations to get away with disingenuity in the internet age.

Reinvention and Renewal Take Heartfelt Effort

While there is some validity to the “fake it till you make it” concept, cultural reinvention and renewal cannot be faked. Real change requires heartfelt commitment, and people who aren’t passionate about what they do will have a more difficult time taking cultural transformation seriously. Are your people passionate about what they do? Are they centered, confident, and engaged in their work? If so, then reinvention of organizational culture is more likely to gain traction and to produce great results. If not, reinvention could end up being perceived as just another passing “management fad” that nobody takes seriously.

Passionate, Centered People Are Up to the Challenges

When your team is made up of passionate people who are centered and engaged and believe in the value of what they do, they’re ready for the challenges that go along with real cultural transformation as long as they know that their enthusiasm and passion will be just as valued once transformation takes place. People who aren’t engaged, who are merely going through the required motions of work are unlikely to be affected by cultural transformation in any case. They may wonder why they should bother when they can continue doing what they do while management congratulates itself on hopping on the latest trend. It’s a recipe for cynicism and dysfunction.

Outstanding Leaders Want All Team Members to be Impassioned by Their Work

The best leaders want not just team members who do their work and do it well, but team members who have genuine passion for what they do. And impassioned team members are ones who know they’re valued by their leaders and aren’t seen as mere cogs in a big machine. Leaders who want genuine enthusiasm from the workforce must have that genuine enthusiasm themselves, and they must demonstrate over the long term that team members’ passion and enthusiasm matter and are rewarded. Even the most powerful leader can’t “order” his or her team to be passionate. It has to come from within.

Best Leaders Are Passionate

The best leaders want team members who are passionate, not disengaged and compliant.

Culture and Enthusiasm Can’t Be Faked

Corporate culture and genuine passion cannot be faked. An organization might be able to fool some people for a limited amount of time, but in an always-connected world, the real truth will eventually emerge. Cultural transformation and passion are closely intertwined. The more passionate the team, the more genuine and meaningful cultural change can be. Having a passionate team is a long term commitment, but one that pays off in terms of genuine culture and employee engagement, which are the firmament from which success materializes. As a bestselling author and leadership coach, I have learned the hard lessons about what it means to have a strong organizational culture and an engaged workforce. My Cultural Transformation program is available as a Keynote, Half-Day, Full-Day, or Multiple-Day Retreat and it begins with all attendees taking my “Inner Core” assessment beforehand. At the conclusion, attendees receive a confidential, personalized report that details their strengths and where there is opportunity for improvement.

You’ll learn what organizational culture is, what great leadership is, how to develop and sustain a strong, vibrant culture and how to actually measure that culture. You’ll also learn about working on your own “inner core,” which is made up of your character, self-image, values, thought patterns, and emotional makeup. As a result, you and your organization will have your true passion and enthusiasm unlocked and unleashed. In addition, I invite you to Check out my books as well as my leadership coaching, and corporate culture services. Please get in touch if I can help, or if you have questions.

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