Blog

Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

It's World Well-Being Week! Here's How to Cultivate Well-Being in Your Workplace:

Did you know it's World Well-Being Week? 🌍💌

According to WellBeing World, Well-Being (or WellBeing) Week was created in 2019 as a worldwide initiative to inspire people to prioritize their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Now, in my opinion, we don't talk nearly enough about how we can cultivate well-being in the workplace. So, it's easy to see why this week is the perfect time to share with you some tips on how you can do just that.

Here are 5 tips (with examples!) for cultivating well-being in your workplace:

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Every Leader Has Flaws. Here Are Four You Should Be Aware of.

Every leader has flaws.

Some personality flaws have a disproportionately negative impact on the quality and execution of strategic choices. These are far more than just annoyances, as they cast a large shadow across their organizations.

A 2021 Harvard Business Review article identified these four personality flaws of leaders. Take a moment to read through them and see if you can spot any of your weaknesses:

Number 1️⃣:

The Overconfident, Chronically Certain Leader 😎:

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Read This if Your Company Is Stuck in a Rut

Do you feel like your organization is stuck in a rut? Are you struggling to attract and retain top talent?

In today's competitive business landscape, it’s essential that organizations keep productivity high, turnover low, and collaboration, innovation, and growth thriving.

But many companies find themselves struggling to create a cohesive culture that aligns employees' behaviors with the company's mission and values.

If you feel like we just described your organization, we’ve got good news for you:

A culture code can help — and we can help you create one!

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

“If you hire them, they’ll cause you trouble.”

Have you ever received a warning from someone about a potential new hire?

I have, on several occasions.

Here’s a short story of one hire in particular that sticks out in my mind --

Just as I was making the decision to hire this person, someone warned me -- “If you go with them, they’ll cause you so much trouble.”

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Our Best Resources for Leaders

It’s no secret that great leaders aren’t born overnight. Rather, they’re nurtured and developed through continuous learning, self-reflection, and access to valuable resources.

If you find yourself looking for unique, innovative tools to help you become the best leader possible for your team, look no further.

As a company culture consultancy, we specialize in providing resources for leaders in a multitude of industries.

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Beware the Empathy Trap

“Empathy is one of our greatest tools of business that is most underused.” Daniel Lubetzky (CEO of snack company Kind LLC)

When it comes to empathy, most of my time is spent teaching leaders how to effectively use it. But in some cases, I find that leaders can fall into the EMPATHY TRAP.

To know if you fall into this trap, first let’s define empathy -- Empathy is feeling WITH someone. For example, I feel your frustration, disappointment, etc. It is stepping into someone else’s shoes.

When we fall into the EMPATHY TRAP, we feel as if we’re being held hostage by the feelings of others.

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

How to Make the Most Out of Your Meetings:

Did you know that 30%-50% of the hours that we spend in meetings aren't productive? Yikes......😳

That's a significant chunk of time that could be better utilized for increased efficiency and improved outcomes. But how exactly do we make our meetings more effective?

We have 5 tips to make your meetings better:

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

We Need To Stop Using Gratitude Platitudes.

Leaders - 🛑  Stop with the GRATITUDE PLATITUDES 🛑

What are gratitude platitudes? They are comments that may be well-intentioned in expressing thanks to people, but their lack of specificity and personalization often causes them to fall flat. Think examples like —

“Thanks for everything.”

“Appreciate your hard work.”

“You’re the best.”

So how do we express gratitude in a way that truly makes the recipient feel heard and seen? Here’s what to do instead. 👇

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

ICYMI: We’ve Got Something For Culture-Savvy Leaders…

If you consider yourself a culture-savvy (or even culture-curious) leader, keep reading. 😉

As leaders, we should always be looking for ways to improve our company’s culture and help our employees to thrive in it. So, if you’re ready to take your company's culture to the next level, we’ve got something exciting just for you!

Allow us to introduce you to our new Company Culture Assessment.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill quiz -

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

The Real Cost of Turnover

Bad news -

Turnover isn’t just frustrating; it’s EXPENSIVE.

Maybe this isn’t earth-shattering news for you. You know that it is:

  • Making it hard to stay fully staffed

  • Putting a drain on your training

  • Decreasing your productivity

  • Increasing burnout for remaining employees

But here’s the math-

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

If You Find Yourself Thinking These Things As a Leader, You’re Not Alone.

If you’re anything like some of the leaders I work with, you might occasionally find yourself thinking one or more of the following things:

  • “Why is it that no one seems to be communicating effectively?”

  • “I’ve noticed a lack of confidence in some of my employees, but I’ve already given them everything they need to be confident in their work.”

  • “Sometimes it feels as though we’re not all on the same page…everyone has different ideas of the values our company represents.”

If any of these thoughts or similar ones have made their way into your mind, the first thing to know is…

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

The First Step is Always the Hardest…

The first step is always the hardest -

If you're like many of the leaders that we work with, you've been thinking about getting intentional in creating a thriving culture for years, but where do you start?

Let's break this down -

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Open-Mindedness

What exactly do we mean when we say we want our companies to be innovative, open-minded, or fun?

These words are such popular ways to describe our company’s values or culture, that they have nearly become meaningless.

Might I make a suggestion? 💁‍♀️

As you consider your company values and/or culture code, build in some questions that can help clarify whether or not you and your team are living these traits.

Let’s take a look at “Open-Mindedness”. It might be helpful to ask yourself and your team the following questions:

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Common Backhanded Compliments That Need to GO

Common backhanded compliments that need to GO —

  • “You’re a VP? Wow. You’re so lucky.”

  • “I never would have thought you’d be capable of that. Great job.”

  • “You’re pretty talented for your age.”

Here’s the thing — it’s likely that the person giving the compliment means well, but is it the thought that counts?

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

5 Signs Your Team Needs Better Boundaries

🚨 5 Signs your team needs better boundaries🚨

As a leader, one of your main responsibilities is setting your team up for success. However, it is pretty rare for your team or a team member to say that they are burned out or need help with boundaries.

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

“I Want To Feel Like I Belong.”

I love conducting employee focus groups. The whole process of —

🤨 Seeing employees switch from skeptical to trusting.

👯‍♀️ Experiencing the bond when two employees have been same experience, but never knew it.

🧩 Helping employees switch from idle frustration/talk to problem-solving.

But, the ultimate reward for me is gaining human insight.

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

How do you care for an employee as a whole person?

Anne M. Mulcahy, former Xerox CEO, once said, “Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person — not just an employee — are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled.”

This quote begs the question — Leaders, how do you care for someone as a whole person?

Here are a few habits that can help:

Read More
Kristen Mashburn Kristen Mashburn

Employees Want to Meet Your Expectations

Employees want to meet your expectations.

It's human nature — we want the boss to be happy with us.

So why, as leaders, do we find that our expectations are not always met?

Lack of clarity is one of our chief saboteurs.

Enter the culture code. A culture code is a way to define your company's shared beliefs, values, and practices.

Read More