Leader's Digest #78 (August 2023)

04 CHANGE MANAGEMENT 101: PUT CULTURE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

UNVEILING THE ESSENCE OF TRUE LEADERSHIP: WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

Publication Team

Editor-in-Chief Fang Tze Chiang

Editor Diana Marie Capel

Graphic Designers

Awang Ismail bin Awang Hambali Abdul Rani Haji Adenan

LET US KNOW

CHATGPT - BANE OR BOON FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS?

QUALITY CHILDCARE IS A CURE TO LOW FEMALE LABOUR PARTICIPATION

HOW PERSONAL BRANDING HELPS LEADERS EXPAND AND EXPRESS THEIR SELF-AWARENESS

BOOK REVIEW - THE CORPORATE CULTURE CODE

If you are encouraged or provoked by any item in the LEADERS DIGEST, we would appreciate if you share your thoughts with us.

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Leader’s Digest is a monthly publication by the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service, dedicated to advancing civil service leadership and to inspire our Sarawak Civil Service (SCS) leaders with contemporary leadership principles. It features a range of content contributed by our strategic partners and panel of advisors from renowned global institutions as well as established corporations that we are affiliated with. Occasionally, we have guest contributions from our pool of subject matter experts as well as from our own employees.

The views expressed in the articles published are not necessarily those of Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service Sdn. Bhd. (292980-T). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the publisher’s permission in writing.

From the

Editorial Desk

Corporate Culture

All organizations, whether they are for-profit or nonprofit entities or even government agencies, have a sense of self that can be called corporate culture. Corporate culture is the collection of values, beliefs, ethics and attitudes that characterize an organization and guide its practices. Culture can shape and influence almost all aspects of an organization, including organizational effectiveness, overall success and the bottom line.

To some extent, an organization’s culture can be articulated in its mission statement or vision statement. Elements of corporate culture include the organization’s physical environment, human resource management practices and staff work habits. Corporate culture is also reflected in the degree of emphasis placed on various defining elements such as hierarchy, process, innovation, collaboration, competition, community involvement and social engagement (Donald & Charles Sull, 2021). They advised those in leadership positions to craft recruitment strategies, hiring practices and personnel policies that attract and retain workers who exhibit the values and traits they want in their culture, such as making customer service a priority. Organizational policies and procedures should be adjusted to support the desired corporate culture, particularly during times of change.

Leaders must also commit to sustaining their desired cultures by modelling the expected behaviours and values Strategy and culture are among the primary levers at top leaders’ disposal in their never-ending quest to maintain organizational viability and effectiveness. Strategy offers a formal logic for the company’s goals and orients people around them. Culture expresses goals through values and beliefs and guides activity through shared assumptions and group norms (Kim Jean Lee, 2004).

UNVEILING THE ESSENCE OF TRUE LEADERSHIP: WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

BY ELLA ZHANG

Demonstrating True Leadership

Leaders rise and fall, and so many worldly, highly accomplished leaders fall from grace and fail to maintain their level of influence and inspirations. Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of Nissan and Renault, was once lauded for his leadership and credited with turning around both companies. He was arrested in Japan in 2018 on charges of financial misconduct, which resulted in his ousting from Nissan, tarnished his reputation as a respected global business leader, and trapped him in never-ending lawsuits. Bernie Madoff was a prominent financier and former chairman of NASDAQ, who orchestrated one of the most extensive and infamous Ponzi schemes in history that defrauded thousands of investors out of billions of dollars. In 2008, his fraud was exposed, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction with a 150 year sentence.

Source: Vector image is from freepik.com by @freepik

NASDAQ - playground with numbers on a wild rollercoaster ride

Leaders are inherently human and subject to flaws and vulnerabilities regardless of their achievements. The higher the position they hold, the enormous complexities and pressures they face in their roles, which can sometimes lead to missteps or errors in judgment. The higher they climbed, the further they fell. It is essential to recognise that true leadership goes beyond mere worldly accomplishments and encompasses character, resilience, and the ability to learn and grow from failures. And it all begins with a fundamental question: “What do you stand for?” In other words, do you clearly understand the values, beliefs, and principles that your leadership stemmed from?

WHY?

“What do you stand for?” is about the fundamental principles, values, and beliefs defining who you are. It encompasses your core convictions, moral compass, and the ideals that guide your thoughts, actions, and decisions, which form the foundation of your leadership effectiveness. Asking yourself, “What do you stand for?” prompts introspection and encourages you to identify and articulate the core beliefs and convictions that shape your worldview and influence your behaviour.

Determining what you stand for requires considering what matters most to you, what you deeply care about, and what you believe to be right and meaningful. When you know what you stand for, your values become a rallying point that brings people together. In times of uncertainty or change, leaders who remain steadfast in their principles provide stability to their teams and organisations.

Clarifying what you stand for encourages self-awareness and introspection, challenges your assumptions and evolves as a leader. Leaders of such are less likely to compromise their principles or engage in unethical practices. They prioritise fairness, transparency, and accountability, setting an example for others and fostering an ethical culture within their teams and organisations.

HOW?

Discovering what one stands for and remaining steadfast in challenging times requires self-reflection, self-awareness, and a commitment to keep digging, fine-tuning and evolving.

» Reflect on and connect with Your Values

Behind every single action sits your values. Think about experiences in your life that have significantly impacted you. Consider moments of joy, fulfilment, or personal growth. Reflect on what made those experiences meaningful to you and what values were present during those times. Connect your values to your leadership by defining what impact you want to make. How do your values align with the goals you want to achieve and the decisions you make? Evaluate options based on their alignment with your core beliefs. Prioritise decisions consistent with your values and contribute to your vision and purpose.

» Identify and build your Personal Qualities

Consider the traits you believe are important for living a fulfilling and purposeful life and the qualities you admire in others and strive to embody yourself. You can reflect on the activities or causes that ignite a sense of passion and motivation within you. The topics or issues you find yourself consistently drawn to or the kind of impact you aspire to make in your personal and professional life, and what truly brings you fulfilment and a sense of purpose and identify the qualities that underpin these sources of fulfilment.

» Assess and set Your Non-Negotiables

Consider the principles you believe are non-negotiable when you refuse to compromise on these values, regardless of the circumstances. They reflect your unwavering commitment to specific moral or ethical standards. Set aside the time to introspect and identify them. Reflect on experiences that have shaped your worldview and identify key themes and convictions that resonate with you. Write them down and make sense of what they mean to you personally.

» Walk the Talk

As a leader, your actions speak louder than words. Invest your time and energy to consistently demonstrate your values through your behaviour and decision-making, if possible. Your consistent activities will reinforce trust and build credibility with your team. Research showed that only 10-15% of leaders have accurate self-awareness; therefore, actively seeking feedback from your team and stakeholders, and asking for their input on how well your actions align with your stated values is essential. Leaders receptive to constructive feedback demonstrate humility and a commitment to continuous improvement.

True Leadership

Finally, take full ownership of your actions. Actions speak louder than words. Let your deeds, not your words, reflect who you are, what you stand for, and demonstrate your character and commitment through tangible actions. Thus, you establish yourself as a trustworthy, inspiring, and effective leader.

Ella Zhang, author of Upgrade: How to outperform your default self to gain your superpowers, is a strategic change maker, organisational development specialist and coach, who helps business leaders to tap into their inner wisdom to design and fine tune people strategies, form up individual and organisational habits to create value and purpose driven workplaces. For more information visit www.EllaZhang.com.au

ELLA ZHANG

Culture is such an essential element of any organization, that it can make or break businesses. It refers to the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape the way employees think and act. A strong organizational culture can drive sustainable change by creating a sense of purpose, motivating employees, and guiding decision-making.

Research shows that companies with strong cultures have seen a 4x increase in revenue growth. This is because a strong culture fosters employee engagement, which is critical for driving sustainable change. On the other hand, a poor culture can erode credibility and reputation. An MIT Sloan study indicated that corporate culture is 10.4X more likely to predict attrition than compensation or other factors, compared with the industry.

In a recent study by Quantum Workplace, 65% of staff surveyed believed their company’s culture has changed. That change is perceived by employees in ways that impact their work, lives, and experiences. Some organizations have adapted for the better while many still continue to struggle with the changes around them. Organizations that are able to invest and create a culture of trust at the workplace reap the benefits of a workforce that feels a sense of belonging. Without belongingness, there is limited commitment, and without commitment, there is no real hope for organizations to achieve their goals.

A Deloitte study indicates that culture, leadership behaviors, and personal relationships influence belongingness the most. An OC Tanner study on culture highlights that 76% consider their workplace a community and 72% want to be a part of a community at work. This sense of community consists of the organization’s ability to provide shared goals, demonstrate commitment, build camaraderie and trust, encourage feedback and communication, and unite and adapt.

It takes courage and commitment to build a case for a thriving culture.

» Remove conflicting actions that prevent culture from taking shape. For example, organizations, on the one hand, claim to trust staff but then, they invest in surveillance tools which build distrust. A survey in the UK showed that 3 in 5 staff were monitored on their phones, webcams, and emails.

» Create opportunities for staff to build a sense of community with social events. Encourage conversations in safe spaces where speaking up is recognized. Culture is a strong selling point and especially, after the pandemic. In a Linkedin Global Talent Trends study, a majority of participants (67%) indicated that they looked at posts that mentioned culture in them, providing insights on what professionals were seeking.

» Coach leaders to invest in creating a vision, values, and behaviors that align with the organization’s goals. Help managers to model the desired behaviors, provide ongoing training and development, and foster a sense of belonging with the team. In a study by McKinsey, it was evident that employers were off the mark when it came to understanding how employees think and what will keep them in their jobs. For example, for staff, it was more important to have a sense of belongingness and be valued by their managers and organizations; while employers thought work-life balance, managing workload, and engagement at work were driving factors.

Overall, to bring about lasting change, it is vital to invest in a strong organizational culture that can lead to increased employee engagement, improved performance, and a more successful transformation.

Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D.

Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D. is an award-winning communications leader, personal branding coach, author, speaker and academician with over 22 years of experience. His mission is to help organisations and individuals discover and develop their ‘sweet-spot’ through effective communications. Aniisu has spoken at international conferences on 4 continents and authored three books - Inclusive Internal Communications (2023), Internal Communications - Insights, Practices and Models (2012) and Get Intentional (2021). More about his work can be read at www.intraskope.com and www.aniisu.com

Source: freepik.com by @macrovector

CHATGPT - BANE OR BOON FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS?

BY ANIISU K VERGHESE PH.D.

Navigating the Impact of ChatGPT: Opportunities and Challenges for Communication Professionals in an AI-Powered World

Is ChatGPT a bane or a boon for internal communicators?

Is this going to sound the death knell for many occupations? What must professionals in creative fields do to stay relevant?

The explosion of AI tools and platforms is putting many occupations in jeopardy. Especially for communications, marketing, media, and branding professionals, there are significant shifts in how the functions are perceived, will be practiced, and programmed in the future.

From crafting grammatically accurate and logical messages to drafting plans and proposals; from generating FAQs to ideating approaches for stakeholder engagement, the power of tools like ChatGPT is immense. That also challenges the very existence of professionals and their roles.

Why must leaders and organisations rely on communicators if, in a minute or two, they can create content, plans, and proposals for everyday and strategic practices, staff-facing channels, and people engagement?

Rather than watch from the sidelines, these tools offer a huge opportunity for communication professionals to appreciate what these trends mean to their everyday work and how they can be leveraged to enhance their roles and deliver added value for stakeholders.

According to the Expert Market Research study, the global artificial intelligence market value touched around USD 1.2 trillion in 2020. It will grow at a CAGR of about 23% in the forecast period of 2023-2028 to reach a value of about USD 6 trillion by 2026. According to the Gartner Hype Cycle, while natural language processing is listed under the ‘trough of disillusionment’ (tending downwards before moving up the Slide of Enlightenment and then the Plateau of Productivity), applications-centric AI is expected to flourish in the next 2 to 5 years providing significant business benefits. We are already seeing ChatGPT giving us a glimpse of the possibilities. We also hear of Google and Deepmind coming up with Sparrow, a ChatGPT competitor.

The Brookings organisation predicted in 2018 that “AI is expected to be better equipped than humans to write a high school essay by 2026, drive a truck by 2027, work in retail by 2031, write a best-selling book by 2049, and perform surgery by 2053. There is a 50 percent chance AI will outperform all human tasks in 45 years and automate all human jobs in 120 years”. universities

I think these predictions are already a reality in some industries. Already Universities are reconsidering defaulting to paper and pen examinations to avoid unfair usage of tools like ChatGPT.

As AI and machine learning disrupt the world of work, workplaces, and workforces, people will need to unlearn and continually evolve their skills to stay relevant in the future. An analysis of 228 million job ads indicates that the fastest-growing and most needed skills are:

A) Artificial Intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)

B) Cloud computing

C) Product management

D) Social media

Just in 2021, the demand for these skills grew 122% as compared to just 10% for other skills, telling us a lot about what will be needed in the future. What’s more, Education 4.0, is defined as lifelong experience and learning as an always-on behaviour and the 3 key skills needed for the future are problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability.

The pace of change is also prompting governments to act. Governments and institutions are attempting to gain more control over the implications of these tools. From the AI Bill of Rights to the EU AI Act, which can be gold standards for regulatory and societal guardrails.

What does it all mean for internal communicators and other professionals in the creative fields?

ӹ The good news is that ChatGPT or any other natural language processing tools are only as good as the prompts they get. As they continue to get better (or worse) depending on what’s fed into the system, the output will improve or deteriorate. This is where communicators have an advantage. Just like the questions you ask in real-life (for example, in engagement surveys, interviews, during leadership chats, conversations with staff etc), the quality of the responses depends a lot on what you ask. Understanding how the system functions and what will enable better responses is where communicators can play a key role.

ӹ Just generating output from ChatGPT isn’t good enough because the tool spews out generic content. Also, not everything makes sense or is useful. Getting a basic draft does help avoid writer’s block which many of us would do anything to overcome! However, going from a basic draft to a ready ‘go-to-staff’ plan takes a lot more effort. Communicators add value with context, clarity, and connections. Finding ways to bridge understanding, and appreciating audience expectations and sentiments are approaches to take the output and make it work for successful communication and branding.

ӹ A smarter way is to integrate ChatGPT into internal tools and platforms (after putting in checks and balances for privacy and data protection) and tap analytics and sentiments for enhancing communication. Nothing beats data and insights which can prove or disprove if your communication is making a difference or not.

ӹ Upgrade your communication strategy by utilising technology to improve and streamline content, systems, and practices. For instance, Chat GPT can be tapped to automatically create personalised employee updates, FAQs, and other types of internal communications which often take weeks if not months, and then goes through numerous reviews and iterations.

ӹ Raise the profile of your internal knowledge systems by including natural language search capabilities if they don’t already have running. Those days of staff saying they can’t find what they need to do their work effectively should be a thing of the past!

ӹ Identify barriers to effective communication using natural language and tools like ChatGPT. Often, communicators and leaders speculate about the reasons why the staff isn’t engaging in communication or why they aren’t responsive enough. Identifying areas of confusion and misinterpretation can reduce the amount of angst and rework that organisations invest time and resources in.

It isn’t going to be easy sailing through the turbulence organisations and communicators will face in the near term as these tools get more and more robust. There is an onus on communicators to take stock of their own skillsets and mindsets before investing in understanding these newer technologies – not just for themselves but for stakeholders.

With the democratisation of such tools, occupations and roles that were, primarily, the stronghold of ‘qualified’ professionals, will be managed by anyone with the passion and commitment to learning and experimentation.

Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D.

Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D. is an award-winning communications leader, personal branding coach, author, speaker and academician with over 22 years of experience. His mission is to help organisations and individuals discover and develop their ‘sweet-spot’ through effective communications. Aniisu has spoken at international conferences on 4 continents and authored three books - Inclusive Internal Communications (2023), Internal Communications - Insights, Practices and Models (2012) and Get Intentional (2021). More about his work can be read at www.intraskope.com and www.aniisu.com

QUALITY CHILDCARE IS A CURE TO LOW FEMALE LABOUR PARTICIPATION

BY MORGAN LOH

On the eve of the Campus’ celebration of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, we reviewed the key statistics and data on the status of gender equity in Malaysia. Here’s what we found:

ӹ Australia’s female labour force participation rate stood at 62.2% (versus 55% in Malaysia);

ӹ Unemployment rate of females in Australia was 4.9%, where males’ unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2021 (versus unemployment rate of females in Malaysia was 4.8% for female and 4.5% for males) ;

ӹ Interestingly, the educational attainment of women is higher than men in both countries, according to the latest Gender Gap Report released by World Economic Forum.

Assuming a better educational attainment leads to higher employability, our stats did not tell us so. Given the higher education attainment among women compared to men, it does not make sense that the female labour force participation rate was lower. What is more puzzling is Malaysia was ranked lower in female labour force participation than other less developed Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand (66.8%) and Vietnam (68.1%). This remains a key unresolved gender issue that stagnates our economic development.

When we tried to dig deeper through the statistical reports, there was no further explanation on the stories behind the numbers and figures. Obviously, there is a missing piece in the puzzle, and it leads to our key question(s) here - What prevents and excludes women from seeking a job? How could countries like Malaysia move on from such a stagnated situation to encourage more female workers to join the workforce?

Why do Women Stay Out of The Workforce?

“I suppose you have a good work ethic and you want to do the best that you can do and it was really difficult to draw the line between being mommy and being at home, but also having a work identity.”

The statement was quoted from a study [1] published in 2020, which observes the expectation where female household members are expected to be responsible for childcare. This is due to gender stereotyping of women in their roles as they were always expected to (or forced to) choose between their family and careers, where they are traditionally being viewed as the caretakers of the family. Data have shown that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary reasons for Malaysian women to stay out of the labour force were housework and family responsibilities.

The Key to Empowerment is Through Accessible, Quality Childcare.

Some might argue flexible working arrangements (work from home) experimented during the lockdown would increase the female labour participate rate. This does not appear to be the case. If flexible work arrangements do not solve the problem of low female labour participation, what other arrangements or policies could?

Current research indicates [2] [3], unfortunately, that women faced more psychological distress compared to men while working from home. A report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) showed that women who were between 35-44 years of age were twice as likely as men to face difficulty in caregiving. Furthermore, psychological distress associated with caretaking responsibilities along with their full time career would eventually discourage women from returning to work. They just could not manage two roles - employee and caregiver.

A win-win situation here could be achieved through an equal distribution of caretaking responsibilities among partners. However, this becomes challenging when both partners are employed (and the child-care responsibilities will usually be dedicated to the older female members of the household).

“No one would take care of my children if I left for work…”

Taking Kuala Lumpur (the capital city of Malaysia) as an example, the average cost of private childcare alone for children aged from 37-48 months is approximately RM750 (approximately $232 AUD) per month in 2019. This could be a burden for the bottom 40% single-income group as almost 50% of their income would go to childcare. Note that the minimum wage is only RM1,500 (approx. $484.89 AUD) per month in Malaysia. Although public childcare services in Malaysia were highly subsidised, given the limited number of public childcare facilities available, some parents might end up sending their children to private childcare institutions.

Back in 2016, a member of the Ramping Up Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) task force had drawn concern to the fact that there were not enough registered childcare centres in semi-rural and rural areas [4]. This issue remained unresolved until 2018, when Datuk Seri Wan Azizah called for urgent attention to increase childcare centres in Malaysia. Recall on the theory of supply and demand, some readers would know that with a shortage in the supply of childcare centres, the cost of childcare would get higher. This rise in price further pushes the bottom 40% family out of the buyer market of private childcare.

Other than the accessibility of childcare services, parents have concerns about childcare quality. Although Malaysia has regulations on ensuring the safety and quality of childcare centres, more has to be done to ensure the eligibility and the capability of the caretakers of our young children. It is saddening to know that a total of 86 child abuse reports involved childcare providers in Malaysia during 2019. This statistic further exposes the cracks in our regulatory system as some caregivers do not possess good knowledge and practice in caregiving. This has been proven in a 2017 study, where only 38.7% of caregivers demonstrated sufficient knowledge in caretaking [5].

What’s Next for Policymakers?

Policymakers, as key decision makers, should recognise the obstacles and challenges when drafting gender sensitive policies, so as to benefit everyone. While the Malaysian government has introduced some good policies (e.g: more flexible work arrangements and longer maternity leave for women), we believe that we should take a step back to at least understand and appreciate the deftness of working moms who try to keep everything on track in their life at home and at work.

It is clear that household responsibilities and the lack of childcare services is a major concern to parents and this has to be addressed concurrently. This means if we want to encourage more women to join the labour force, providing affordable and quality childcare could be the remedy for low female labour participation. Improving the childcare system could bring more benefits than costs as it offers a sigh of relief for working mothers, as well as supporting post-pandemic recovery through improved productivity. Other than setting up more childcare centres in semi-rural and rural areas.

As a part of women’s empowerment, it is vital to create a friendlier and more supportive environment that allows women to get through the difficulties posed by their gender roles. If we truly value the female members of our society, then our public policy must change.

Morgan Loh

Morgan Loh is an Economics graduate and is passionate about using her economics knowledge to improve public welfare and making a positive impact on people’s lives. Her background includes work as a Research Analyst in the Economics Team at Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), a local think tank promoting social advancement in Malaysia. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Monash University Malaysia, where her research focuses on Health Economics and Public Policy.

Source: freepik.com by @storyset

HOW PERSONAL BRANDING HELPS LEADERS EXPAND AND EXPRESS THEIR SELF-AWARENESS

BY WILLIAM ARRUDA

The Relationship Between Personal Branding and Authentic Leadership

Being self-aware is a prerequisite for developing many of the most important skills leaders need to master in today’s complex and dynamic hybrid workplace— skills like relationship building, collaboration and emotional intelligence. Yet some leadership development programs don’t include modules on self-awareness. That’s partly due to the misconception that well-established and emerging leaders alike are already self-aware by the time they’re participating in leadership development programs. 95% of professionals believe they’re self-aware, but in reality less than 15% really are, according to the results of a five-year research project by organisational psychologist Tasha Eurich.

83% percent of professionals with high self-awareness are top performers, while only 2% of bottom performers exhibit this trait, according to Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. So self-awareness is as essential as it is elusive. But that’s not really all that surprising. We are people obsessed with doing and pursuing goals and making things happen, and becoming self-aware does not fit in with that kind of frenetic activity. It often requires taking a step back and investing time in introspection while also seeking and acting on external feedback

Why personal branding for self-awareness?

There are many ways to develop self-awareness, and some are more relevant for leaders and HiPos (high potentials) than others. However, personal branding is the ideal learning opportunity for leadership development programmes because it is rooted in the process of unearthing the truth about your traits.

The first step in any successful personal branding process is brand discovery. The objective of this phase is clarity, becoming clear about who you are and how you engage with— and deliver value to—your stakeholders. In fact, the brand discovery process involves both halves of the self-awareness process: self-reflection and seeking feedback. In the first phase of the personal branding steps, leaders get clear on the six drivers of their personal brand: values, passions, superpowers, differentiators, purpose and goals. This enables them to understand what’s important to them and the assets they possess to support relationship building and inspire teams.

After intensive self-reflection, leaders can validate what they learn about themselves by soliciting feedback from others. This validation step is critical because it allows leaders to refine their thinking and become aware of blind spots. It also helps them own their strengths and values. It makes their self-reflection real and reliable. It’s a vital part of the personal branding process because your brand is held in the hearts and minds of those who know you. The level of self-awareness is essential for authentic leadership.

The two steps that follow brand discovery in the process will amplify the power of personal branding. That’s because self-aware leaders are able to take what they learn about themselves and use it to increase their success and happiness at work.

In the second phase, leaders learn how to tell their authentic story, incorporating all their learning from phase 1. They enhance their elevator pitch, build authentic virtual—and face-to-face—first impressions, and they craft a bio that is real, differentiating and compelling to the people they seek to influence. For leaders who lack self-awareness, these activities risk becoming selfsabotaging because they’re often infused with artifice, delivering what you think others want to hear, not what’s truly fundamental to the self. Self-aware leaders easily hone the signature stories that help them express their vision and leadership philosophy to those who follow them. Telling your story in compelling, honest ways is critical for creating powerful first impressions and forging meaningful relationships. Once you’re selfaware, you’re fully able to tell your story and engage with others.

The third phase of the personal branding process is focused on brand expansion—becoming visible, available and valuable to all the people in your orbit and growing a following. After all, leaders need followers.

This phase is about nurturing relationships and demonstrating thought leadership. Leaders build their brand acceleration plan using real-world activities (like in-person events and public speaking) along with virtual world communications (like social media, online video and virtual networking) to deliver valuable content to enhance their impact and influence. They also make their mark on the meetings they lead. Thanks to selfawareness, they can confidently turn followers into fans and fans into promoters—touting their deeply held virtues to others.

All leaders need to be mindful of their personal brand. The stronger the brand, the easier it will be for them to build meaningful relationships, lead their team and ultimately achieve their goals. And at the foundation of all successful personal branding is keen self-awareness.

William Arruda

William Arruda is the bestselling author of the definitive books on personal branding: Digital YOU, Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! And he’s the creative energy behind Reach Personal Branding and CareerBlast.TV – two groundbreaking organizations committed to expanding the visibility, availability, and value of personal branding across the globe. For more information on Personal Branding , please visit williamarruda.com

The Culture Code presents the three important master skills required to transform organizational culture.

1. Build safety

Safety is the foundation on which cultures are built. Humans use a series of subtle gestures called belonging cues to create safe connections in groups. Examples of belonging cues include eye contact, body language, and vocal pitch. There are three basic qualities of belonging cues: 1) energy invested in the exchange, 2) treating individuals as unique and valuable, and 3) signalling that the relationship will be sustained in the future. Our unconscious brain is obsessed with sensing danger and craving social approval from superiors. Belonging cues, when repeated, create psychological safety and help the brain shift from fear to connection. On receiving belonging cues, it switches roles and focuses on creating deeper social bonds with the group. This means that belonging happens from outside in, when the brain receives constant signals that signal closeness, safety, and a shared future.

Techniques To Build Safety

i. Building safety requires you to recognize small cues, respond quickly, and deliver a targeted signal This comes with a learning curve and below are some techniques that help:

ii. Show Vulnerability: Instead of hiding weaknesses to appear competent, leaders must expose fallibility and actively invite feedback. This evokes a connection in the listener who feels “how can I help”?

iii. Embrace the Messenger: Embrace and encourage members who deliver tough feedback or bad news that matters to the team. This creates safety and encourages people to speak the truth fearlessly.

iv. Preview Future Connections: This involves showing the team where they are headed by making a connection between now and the future.

v. Overdo Thank-Yous: Research shows that a thankyou from one person makes people behave far more generously to others in the group. Thank You’s are belonging cues that create safety, connection and

vi. Hire Meticulously and Eliminate Bad Apples: Who is in and who is out is one of the most powerful signals a group can send. Successful groups display zero tolerance to poor behaviour.

vii. Create Collison-Rich Spaces: Collisions, serendipitous personal encounters, are the life of any organization driving community, creativity and cohesion. The design of spaces should be optimized to create more collisions. Designing for physical proximity creates a whole set of effects including increased connections and a feeling of safety. At a distance below 8 meters the frequency of communication increases exponentially.

viii. Ensure Everyone has a Voice: Leaders must actively seek out connections and make sure everyone is heard. For example, some do this by making a rule that meetings don’t end until everyone speaks. Others do this by holding regular open reviews where anyone can pitch in.

ix. Capitalize on Threshold Moments: When someone joins a group their brains are deciding whether to connect or not. Successful cultures capitalize on these moments to send powerful belonging cues. The rulebook tells people what they can or can’t do, but the culture of the organization can tell people what they should do. As business philosopher Dov Seidman puts it, “What we choose to measure is a window into our values, and into what we value.”

2. Share vulnerability

Teams succeed because they are able to combine the skills to form a collective intelligence. The key to doing this is sharing vulnerability. This creates the cohesion and trust necessary for fluid, organic cooperation. A vulnerability loop is established when a person responds positively to a group member’s signal of vulnerability. This behaviour becomes a model for others who leave their insecurities and begin to trust and collaborate with each other. Group cooperation is built by repeated patterns of sharing vulnerability together.

Techniques To Share Vulnerability

i. Building group vulnerability takes time and systematic, repeated effort. The Leader is Vulnerable First.

ii. Deliver Clear Signals: The best teams send repeated signals that set expectations for sharing vulnerability and align language and roles to achieve this.

iii. Deliver the smallest of negative feedback in person: This avoids misunderstandings and reinforces clarity and connection.

iv. Focus on Two Critical Moments: The two most critical moments in group formation are the first vulnerability and the first disagreement. The way these moments are handled sets a clear template that privileges either competition or collaboration.

v. Practice Engaged Listening: The best listeners add energy to the conversation by responding actively and asking questions from multiple angles. They avoid the temptation to jump in with suggestions until “a scaffold of thoughtfulness” is established.

vi. Use Flash Mentoring: Members pick a person they wish to learn from and shadow them for a few hours. This breaks down barriers and builds relationships.

vii. Make Leaders Disappear: The best leaders occasionally leave their team alone at crucial moments to enable them to make key decisions themselves.

3. Establish purpose

Purpose does not stem from a mystical inspiration but from creating simple ways to focus attention on the shared goal. High-purpose environments provide clear signals that connect the present moment to a meaningful future goal. Stories are the most powerful tool to deliver mental models that drive behaviour and remind the group about the organization’s purpose.

Techniques To Establish Purpose

i. Define, Rank and Overcommunicate Priorities: Successful teams have few priorities with group relationships right at the top of the list. An employee survey across 600 companies by Inc. magazine revealed that less than 2 per cent of employees could name the company’s top three priorities. Leaders of highperformance groups overcommunicate priorities painting them on walls, inserting them into speeches and making them a part of everyday language.

ii. Identify if you aim for Proficiency or Creativity: Building purpose in high proficiency environments with clearly defined goals requires spotlighting the goal and providing clear checkpoints including repetitive high-feedback training and memorable rules of thumb. Building purpose in creative environments involves providing tools, protecting creative autonomy and make it safe to give feedback. In groups that have a combination of both, it’s important to clearly identify the areas to provide effective leadership.

iii. Embrace Catchphrases: Design catchphrases with action-based clarity that serve as clear reminders of the overarching goal.

iv. Reinforce Purpose with Artefacts: Successful cultures flood their environments with artefacts that reinforce what the core organizational purpose.

v. Create Bar-setting Behaviors: A bar-setting behaviour is one simple task that defines group identity and sets high standards for the group. They help organizations translate abstract values into concrete everyday tasks that embody and celebrate the purpose of the group.

vi. Building a cohesive organizational culture focused on core purpose is like building a muscle. It takes time and repeated, focused effort. Ultimately, “Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do.”

Diana Marie is a team member at the Leadership Institute of Sarawak Civil Service attached with Corporate Affairs who found love in reading and writing whilst discovering inspiration in Leadership that Makes a Difference.

DIANA MARIE