Four pillars that inspire a culture of discretionary effort and social impact

Culture and social impact, frequently appearing as separate conversations, collide as critical ingredients to tackle some challenges faced by businesses in the digital age.

A Forbes article highlights this synergy calling out companies as ‘being the equivalent of corporate citizens.’ Given that ‘corporate citizen’ is an amalgamation of many hearts and minds highlights the importance of alignment in values between employees and employer.

There’s a magical ingredient you can successfully leverage to impact culture and social impact.  This singular constituent acts like egg white in baking: being the glue!

It’s also as vital as air, giving breath to both, whilst being as subtle (perhaps even as fickle) as love itself.

Push too much, chase it too hard or be too demanding of it from others, there’s a chance this ethereal element dissolves or disappears. This supernatural superhero of culture is discretionary effort.

When you learn to tap into the wholehearted willingness of individuals it’s like creating a collaborative corporate deed trust, where culture and social impact are nominated as primary beneficiaries. You can do this in conjunction with four primary pillars holding the walls and roof of your business sturdy.

Administration Pillar  

Every business has a playbook of process: the rules, do’s and don’ts, plus values as a bedrock. Make sure guidelines aren’t overly convoluted or overly complicated and don’t leave critical aspects to interpretative chance. No one, not even the Dalai Lama, has enough words or wisdom to tell someone how they should think or act.

Individuals will decide for themselves their own perspective or interpretation, especially if skim reading weighted manuals, may miss connecting the heart and mind.

There’s also a difference between critical boundaries that, when broken, cost culture or social cause dearly, versus lengthier, not quite as lethal, functional rules. Bring the former to life through conversations, demonstration and repetition. Don’t leave the meaning of personal contribution to elements like reading meaty rule books or chance.

Performance Pillar  

Once everyone knows the rules and values, individual performance and rewards can be tied to collective numbers or results. In the process of helping personal performance goal attainment be sure to include a more holistic approach: remuneration, recognition and reward for demonstrable desired business wide behaviours.

We could go down a behavioural science rabbit hole at this point (examining the individual nature of how people function, why they function, their competencies and ability to function) yet I prefer to surmise this by saying simply know your people!

Know their skills and capabilities, their Achilles heels, insecurities, and, like diamonds themselves, their included flaws. Stretch individual goals to include performance, learning and personal fulfillment goals. Then align these to the bigger picture purpose, impact and legacy of the collective corporate citizen brand.

Learning Pillar  

The pace of change, in tech, communication, skills (hard and soft) require constant attention: a little like spinning plates. Learning is lifelong.

Albert Einstein proclaimed, ‘everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’

Can when it comes to new hirings in business, role expectations frequently set people up to be a tree fish!

We may see the ideal employee as someone who can be a mastermind, lone wolf and independent thinker, whilst at the same time being a polymath in group dynamics and collaboration. Also possessing the ultimate intellectual brain in data analysis and details, whilst simultaneously being the epitome of brilliance as an innovative, creative, blue-sky thinker.

Despite what some may self-proclaim on social media, these people rarely, if ever, exist and you may have more chance finding a unicorn than such a skilled individual.

Instead of a heading off on a mystical search for perfection, look to build individual learning pathways accommodating strengths and opportunities for your employees.

Where you find individual contributions being highlighted as outstanding, be sure to extrapolate the lesson so all can see a way they too can replicate (not carbon copy) and shine.

Remember, that when people feel good about themselves and their contribution, they’ll offer more of the same voluntarily.

Unique Pillar  

This is a holy grail of sorts. All businesses wish to be seen as the next big thing or outstanding citizen. Yet often it’s the fun, aesthetic surface stuff (free food, casual dress or awards for innovation) they lean on in order to qualify as unique.

If behind that facade there is distrust, misalignment or a lack of substance, then your organisation will find that harmony, culture and social impact become the victims. The three prior pillars help stabilise this one so true discretionary, allowing unique effort can radiate and thrive.

In a virtue signaling world where pressure’s often felt to be vocal about every cause, choose wisely the ones the corporate citizen backs. You can’t tackle them all as a prime fighter in the ring.

Sometimes the best way to tap discretionary effort, lift culture or impact social cause is to transparently, authentically and humbly get your own ship in order first.

There’s a great article from Latia Curry, of Rally Communications, to help you identify how issue fluent or structurally investment sound you are, leaving you better equipped to pick your fights.

Through implementing these pillars effectively your organization can become a willing corporate citizen whose superhuman strength is seen in effectiveness of your collective discretionary effort.

Written by Mark Carter.
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