Graphic Designers Awang Ismail bin Awang Hambali Abdul Rani Haji Adenan
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06 MANAGING CHANGE:HOW TO CULTIVATE FORWARD THINKING LEADERSHIP
08 WHY YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON BELONGING AT WORK HOW CAN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS ENHANCE EMPLOYER BRANDING?
12 CLOSING THE DIVIDE: HOW ACTUALLY TO PUT PEOPLE FIRST
LET US KNOW
16
UNDERSTAND ORGANISATION BIAS BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT STRATEGIC DECISION
JOURNEY TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION SUCCESS - CAN IT BE DONE IN MALAYSIA?
BOOK REVIEW: LEADERSHIP AND VIRTUES: UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICING GOOD LEADERSHIP
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From the
Editorial Desk
A Leadership Persona is an adaptative identity, the personality that a leader projects to others and desires to be seen as. It is self-protective, with an agenda to ensure that others see the organization the way we want it to be seen and do what we want them to do. It needs and wants stakeholder recognition and is there to ensure others see leaders in the organisation as competent, strong, wise, knowledgeable, etc. The cost of leading from the Leadership Persona to organizations is as significant as goals go unmet, tasks are incomplete, or budgets and timelines are ignored. Employees are compromised and not allowed to develop when working for Dominant Leaders. In some organizations, chaos, missed deadlines and lack of accountability are a direct result of the Permissive or Avoidant Leadership Persona and lead to the organizational dysfunction consistent with each of the Personas. Understanding your leadership persona is a journey that begins with self-awareness. By understanding the Striving Style, leaders gain insights into their natural leadership strengths, blind spots, and triggers. This knowledge also reveals the leaders' natural self-protective and self-actualizing behaviours. It all starts with a deeper understanding of one's intellect, the mechanics of one's mind, and the emotional drivers of one's behaviour.
How Can Internal Communications Enhance Employer Branding?
ANIISU K VERGHESE PH.D.
Rethinking Employer Branding
The world of work underwent a significant shift in the wake of COVID-19, prompting organisations to reassess their strategies for attracting and retaining top talent. Central to this recalibration is the concept of employer branding – how a company presents itself as an employer, showcasing its values, culture, and overall appeal to prospective employees. Despite their critical importance, many organisations grapple with disjointed approaches to employer branding and internal communications
A significant challenge arises from the disconnect between these two vital functions. While employer branding endeavours to shape the external perception of the organisation as an employer of choice, internal communications focus on fostering engagement and alignment among current employees. Yet, in practice, the lines between these functions often blur, leading to confusion over ownership and missed opportunities for collaboration. Also, where the functions sit makes a difference in the level of support, trust, and resources available.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped how we work, prompting a need to rethink employer branding strategies. Here are some key trends that reflect the state of work, the workplace, and the workforce.
ӹ Social Media Influence: Job seekers increasingly turn to social media for company information. Glassdoor reports that 50% of them do so.
ӹ Future of Hiring: LinkedIn’s survey of recruiters across 23 countries reveals that employer branding ranks among the top three forces shaping the future of hiring.
ӹ Talent Attraction: Companies are prioritising employer branding efforts to attract talent, with 38% focusing on aligning their brand with retention and showcasing remote and hybrid work environments.
ӹ Employee Influence: LinkedIn notes that employer brand significantly influences job consideration among both individual contributors and managers.
Pivotal to this shift is the role of internal communications, which fosters employee engagement and shapes organisational culture. To stand out in attracting talent, organisations must prioritise their employer brand, with employees at the heart of the engagement.
Employer branding encompasses the benefits associated with employment at a company, including its image and values. While prospective employees are the primary audience, current employees play a crucial role through referrals and advocacy. Even former employees (alums) contribute to promoting the employer brand.
However, research reveals that organisational initiatives are often disjointed, lacking a cohesive approach to engaging with prospective candidates and alums. According to a Universum 2023 study, 78% of respondents believe employer branding is a priority, yet only 60% of CEOs feel they own employer branding, indicating a gap in execution. Little is done to cocreate the employer brand alongside employees.
Source: Image is from freepik.com by @freepik
Employer Branding and Internal Communications
| Overlap and Opportunities
Employer branding refers to how a company presents itself as an employer, encompassing its reputation, values, and culture. It’s what makes a company unique and attractive to potential employees. Internal communications involve the communication processes within an organisation, including how information is shared, feedback is given, and the organisational culture is nurtured. It ensures that employees are informed, engaged, and aligned with the company’s goals.
Organisations often have disjointed approaches to employer branding and internal communications. They may lack clarity on ownership and fail to involve employees in shaping the employer brand. This can lead to inconsistencies in messaging and missed opportunities to leverage employee advocacy.
Despite the disconnect, there are natural overlaps between employer branding and internal communications. Both aim to engage employees, shape organisational culture, and promote a positive employer image. By aligning efforts, organisations can amplify their messaging and create a more cohesive employee experience.
Partnering for Co-Creation
Understanding Employer Brand Dynamics: Research underscores the profound impact of employer branding on talent acquisition and retention. LinkedIn’s study highlights that an employer brand is twice as likely to influence job consideration compared to the company’s brand alone. Moreover, organisations boasting a robust employer brand experience lower turnover rates, showcasing the tangible benefits of effective branding strategies. Also, a study in Sweden highlights the boundary-spanning abilities of employees as advocates and ambassadors for improving employer branding. By integrating insights from such research, organisations can develop a deeper understanding of how their employer brand influences employee perceptions and behaviours, enabling more targeted and impactful co-creation efforts.
Navigating Workplace Pressures: Gallup’s comprehensive research highlights the myriad pressures facing today’s workforce, from heightened ownership demands to restructuring initiatives and budget constraints. These stressors have precipitated a culture of burnout, underscoring the imperative for internal communications to prioritise employee well-being and foster resilience amidst adversity. By aligning employer branding initiatives with efforts to address workplace pressures, organisations can demonstrate their commitment to employee welfare, promoting a positive employer brand that resonates with current and prospective employees.
Addressing
Disconnection Between Leadership and Employees: A glaring disparity persists between organisational leadership and employees, particularly regarding returnto-office guidelines. Gallup’s findings reveal a widespread perception of bias among employees, emphasising the need for internal communications to bridge this gap and cultivate transparency and alignment between leadership directives and employee sentiments. Through transparent and open communication channels, organisations can foster trust and collaboration, bridging the gap between leadership and employees and enhancing the authenticity of their employer brand.
Prioritising Internal Communications: Edelman’s Future of Corporate Communication Study shares the rising prominence of internal communications in shaping organisational culture and driving employee engagement. As Chief Communication Officers and CEOs prioritise internal communications, organisations are poised to leverage this function as a strategic asset in enhancing employer branding efforts. By investing in internal communication platforms and fostering a culture of open and transparent communication, organisations can strengthen employee engagement and alignment with the employer brand, driving positive outcomes for talent acquisition and retention.
By drawing on the strengths of the employer branding and internal communication functions and co-creating solutions with employees, organisations can develop a more holistic and impactful approach to attracting and retaining talent. This collaborative approach not only elevates employee engagement and alignment but also strengthens the organisation’s reputation as an employer of choice in a post-pandemic world.
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
Managing Change: How to Cultivate Forward Thinking Leadership
BY DAVID DYE
Your leadership success depends on your skill at managing change and embracing the future
Are you hanging on to a familiar way of doing your work or leading your team because it’s comfortable? If it’s been a year or more since you experienced a significant change for yourself or your team, you might be missing out on great opportunities to build morale, build your career, and enjoy your work. Managing change is critical for your success—too much change, too quickly creates instability. But resisting natural, healthy change will prevent growth and stagnate your team.
Resisting Natural Change
Off the east coast of North Carolina and Virginia, a set of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks stretches over a couple hundred miles, guarding the inner sound from the worst of Atlantic storms. On a recent visit, our brother-in-law Steve, who’s visited these beaches and dunes for decades, took me on a driving tour and pointed out some changes he’s seen over the years.
He pointed across the road at a five-foot rise of sand you could walk across in a few steps. “To climb that dune, you used to have to work at it and scramble on all fours. It was huge.” We drove a little further and earth-moving equipment worked to keep blown sand from obliterating the narrow strip of asphalt road as the wind seemed to fight to reclaim and reshape the island.
Then he showed me the Oregon Inlet where private deep-sea fishing boats enter and leave the sound. “In the early 1800s the inlets all closed up and there weren’t’ any islands at all. It was a straight stretch of sand. Then, in 1846, a hurricane carved out the inlet. These days, sand keeps filling it in, and they have to dredge it out regularly so the fishing boats can get in and out.”
The Outer Banks are a land of change. And it takes an incredible amount of work to prevent that change. And some day, given a big enough storm, the change will probably happen anyway.
The visit reminded me of the mountain west where I grew up. In the mountains, lodgepole pine forests evolved to burn periodically. Quick burns opened the forest floor to new plants, refreshed the soil, helped cones to disperse seeds, and prevented disease or insect infestations. Decades of fire prevention along with climate change, created huge, intense burns and stands of diseased dead trees. Resisting that natural change came at an enormous cost.
Resisting Business Change
You’re certainly familiar with companies like Blockbuster and Kodak who resisted change and faced extinction. It’s easy to shake your head and wonder how those leaders could have let that happen.
But the CrowdStrike bug that crashed Windows PCs, snarled airlines, and interfered with hospitals’ ability to access patient records had a similar cause. Microsoft tried to shift its approach to security two decades ago, but regulators prevented them from doing so.
Why?
Because the software giant had always allowed open access to their computers’ kernel and some companies had built their entire business model on that access. (Access that Apple and Linux have never allowed.)
When Microsoft tried to do what Apple and Linux have done, the companies who relied on kernel access went to regulators who ruled in favor of the status quo, rather than allowing developing technology to address the situation. And that decision created the conditions that allowed the CrowdStrike crash to happen. (For a full analysis, check out Ben Thompson on Stratechery: Crashes and Competition.)
Again, it’s easy to point the finger at regulators who get stuck in time and cling to the way things are.
But intentional change isn’t easy.
Build Your Ability to Lead Change
In our research for Courageous Cultures, 67% of respondents reported that their manager was stuck in “that’s the way we’ve always done it” thinking.
And you don’t have to look very hard to find places you might be stuck. I’ve been guilty of these at times:
ӹ Holding on to a team member that you should promote or give other opportunities outside your team—because you don’t know what you’d do without them.
ӹ Hanging on to team member that you really should move off the team—because then you’d have to find someone new and train them.
ӹ Continuing the stale team-building activity everyone loved five years ago—because it always worked before.
ӹ Refusing to decide—because going one way or the other will take effort.
ӹ Resisting new ideas from team members—because hearing them out might mean you don’t have the answers you thought you did or will require you to act.
ӹ Hoping against all evidence that the recent changes you’ve experienced will “go back to normal” – because acknowledging the change will require energy and effort to explore a new path forward.
But ignoring or resisting these moments of natural change won’t work forever.
The status quo’s comfort and ease are illusions. If you don’t invest in managing change, the changes will happen to you.
That team member will leave. Or they’ll stay and everyone else will leave.
Your credibility suffers. Your career lags. And you’re stuck frantically trying to do what used to work, working harder, with more stress, and missing out on what’s possible.
Two Questions to Find the Flow and Know What’s Next
One of the easiest ways to lean into natural change is to ask yourself this question:
What are you up to?
As a team leader, manager, or executive—what are you getting up to?
ӹ Is there a problem you’re trying to solve?
ӹ Are you helping your team to grow?
ӹ An opportunity to explore?
ӹ Some improvement or process you’re implementing?
ӹ What are you learning?
When you’re up to something, you’re managing change. You can’t help it. You’re moving, flowing, and growing. Once you’re up to something, you can start managing change:
ӹ Challenge yourself and your team to answer strategic or these UGLY questions to uncover possibilities:
ӹ Ask your team for their I.D.E.A.s
ӹ Consider competing values and priorities.
ӹ Make decisions about what matters most
ӹ When you get up to something, you collaborate with natural change and create the future, rather than have it happen to you.
When you get up to something, you collaborate with natural change and create the future, rather than have it happen to you.
A second question you can ask yourself to find the flow of natural change is:
What’s happening in my industry?
No matter what kind of work you do, there’s something new to learn. Technology changes. Trends shift. Someone somewhere is innovating. And it’s easier than ever to learn what’s happening.
You might not apply what you learn immediately. Changes in the business environment, shifting tastes, or new AI applications may not affect your work tomorrow (though they could).
But knowing what’s happening and being informed will give you the perspective to be better at your work and be a better leader for your team.
What if My Boss Isn’t Managing Change and Doesn’t Want To?
If you want to get up to something or start learning more about what’s happening in your industry, but you worry that your boss just wants you to “focus on doing what needs to be done,” there are two possibilities:
You need better results.
We’ve worked with many leaders who were eager to get up to something new, but weren’t succeeding at their current work. You’ll be much more influential in selling a new idea or approach if your current work is solid. Master that, then build on your success.
You’re doing well and your manager fears change. If you can objectively show your success, but your manager still wants you to limit your focus to doing what you’re asked, they might be the one hanging on to what they know.
In this case, keep doing your work well—and get up to something anyhow. You’ll have opportunities—the world needs more thoughtful, innovative problem solvers than ever. “Just shut up and do your work” isn’t a path to the future. What you learn will serve you and your team.
And you don’t need permission to learn.
Your Turn
Managing change is a critical leadership skill. Sticking with what’s familiar feels safe and comfortable, but change is inevitable. You can lean into change and become a more innovative, creative, and adaptable leader by taking initiative to move and actively learning.
How about you? We’d love to know one of your favorite ways for managing change and leaning into the future.
This article was originally published on Let’s Grow Leaders.
David Dye
David Dye helps human-centered leaders find clarity in uncertainty, drive innovation, and achieve breakthrough results. He’s the President of Let’s Grow Leaders, an international leadership development and training firm known for practical tools and leadership development programs that stick. He’s the author of several books including Courageous Cultures and is the host of the popular podcast Leadership without Losing Your Soul.
Why You Need to Focus on Belonging at Work
BY MICHELLE GIBBINGS
Create Connection and Build a Culture of Belonging at Work
Have you ever sat with a group of colleagues and felt like you didn’t belong?
If so, you’re not alone. I’ve certainly been there. You can be physically with a group of people and still feel alone, isolated, disconnected and unseen. You feel lonely.
Loneliness is an emotion with many components, such as sadness, disappointment, envy, anxiety, and pain. It’s also subjective because it’s based on your interpretation and beliefs.
This HBR article sums up the feeling of loneliness well: “Few people truly know me or would support me in my time of need”.
At its heart, loneliness centres on the quality of the relationships we form.
As I’ve written about before (What Part Are You Playing?), we are tribal creatures, and we cannot thrive (or really, survive) alone.
The SCARF model, created by neuroscientist Dr David Rock, is based on the premise that we have five domains of primary social experience that either draw us toward something or push us away. The ‘R’ in that model stands for relatedness – how connected we feel with others. When we feel left out and isolated in social situations, our brain signals that we’re in danger.
Source:
The quality of relationships we form impacts us, and not just in our personal lives. It matters at work, too. If you want to lead with emotional intelligence at work, it’s imperative to understand how to build a connected team with belonging at its core.
Why it Matters at Work
I remember hearing the statistic a few years ago that feeling lonely has the same impact on our life expectancy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It’s a statistic that has always stayed with me.
A systematic review of research over 23 years found that workplace loneliness is associated with lower job performance, reduced job satisfaction, poorer employee-boss relationships and higher burnout.
This article in The Conversation highlights how over 50% of people who leave their jobs do so because they are searching for more connection and belonging.
When employees feel disconnected, they’re less likely to engage in informal conversations and team activities, which impacts trust and team morale. As they withdraw, they can avoid seeking help, sharing ideas, or collaborating with others.
It’s not just team members who experience loneliness at work.
Leaders can feel lonely, too. Leadership is inherently lonely. Who do you share your troubles with? Your challenges? Your success? Who do you truly trust that you can confide in? It’s one of the reasons why executive coaching is so essential as leaders progress in their careers.
When leaders are lonely, they can struggle to connect with their team members and build a supportive and inclusive culture. They also experience elevated levels of stress. Leading with emotional intelligence is harder to embrace.
The Antidote to Loneliness – Connection and Belonging Connection and belonging are not just buzzwords but fundamental to creating a healthy and productive workplace.
As social creatures, we thrive on interactions and relationships.
Work is a place for social connection. Think about it. Over the course of your working life, it’s estimated you will spend about one-third of your life at work. So, finding time to connect and build deep relationships with your colleagues is crucial.
Feeling connected to your colleagues creates a supportive network that can make challenging tasks seem manageable. You have someone to bounce ideas off and talk through issues with, someone to laugh with, and someone to celebrate successes with.
Belonging goes a step further. It’s about feeling accepted and valued for who you are. It’s being able to show up at work in a way that is authentically you. It’s profoundly knowing that you are part of a team that values your contributions and has your back.
Building a Culture of Belonging
Creating a culture of belonging starts with inclusive leadership.
Leaders who focus on inclusivity strive to understand and appreciate their team members’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives. They welcome and value what each person brings to the group. Unsurprisingly, underpinning all these efforts is psychological safety.
It’s impossible to feel like you belong when you don’t feel safe to be yourself. When you don’t feel safe, you’re more likely to disconnect or try to ‘fit in’. When we try to ‘fit in’, we leave a part of ourselves behind, which feels psychologically uncomfortable.
As part of your efforts, you focus on open communication and transparency and ensure appropriate time for check-ins and discussions. You spend quality time with your team members to build genuine relationships. This includes team activities and one-on-one conversations, as well as celebrating the contributions each person brings to the team. You take the time to know each term member individually and invest in their success.
You use your emotional intelligence skills to notice what’s going on. You notice how connected and engaged your team members are and are alert to behaviours promoting exclusion and division.
Challenge yourself and consider:
ӹ Is there an ‘in-group’ and an ‘out-group’?
ӹ Are you playing favourites?
ӹ Do you unconsciously exclude people in your team by your assumptions and expectations?
Everyone Plays a Part
It’s not just up to the leaders, though.
All team members play a role in developing a connected team where everyone belongs.
Encourage your team members to be friendly and invested in knowing each other and collaborating well. Of course, this is much easier to do when you – the leader – are role-modelling the right behaviours. The team’s investment will create meaningful relationships and can lead to deep and longlasting friendships.
The upside of all of this is that the research shows that people who have friends at work are happier and healthier. Additionally, when they feel connected, they’re more likely to be engaged and committed to their work – leading to higher productivity and better performance outcomes, which aids their career progress, too.
None of this happens without commitment. It requires focus, effort and a desire to bring belonging to the forefront.
As researcher and author Brené Brown wrote, “True belonging is not passive. It’s not the belonging that comes with just joining a group. It’s not fitting in or pretending or selling out because it’s safer. It’s a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are. We want true belonging, but it takes tremendous courage to knowingly walk into hard moments.”
So, where should you focus your efforts and energy to build a culture of belonging at work?
Michelle Gibbings
Michelle Gibbings is a workplace expert and the award-winning author of three books. Her latest book is 'Bad Boss: What to do if you work for one, manage one or are one'. www.michellegibbings.com.
Selamat Menyambut
Hari Malaysia
16 SEPTEMBER
"Negara Malaysia sudah merdeka, Terkenal megah di seluruh dunia, 16 September Hari Malaysia, Bersatulah hati kita semua."
Closing the Divide: How Actually to Put People First
BY JULIET FUNT
From Lip Service to Action: Building a Truly People-Centric Workplace
People, people, people—"We’re all about the people"—It's the mantra of many companies I've worked with in the past decade.
But here’s a perplexing truth: despite these stated values, it’s getting harder and harder for companies to find the resources to support, nurture, and develop people.
Recently, I was talking to a CIO of a mid-sized company of about 7,000 people who struck me with the following comment: “If I ask for $16 million for servers, they’ll say, ‘That’s tough, but we’ll make it happen.’ If I ask for $20 for people, they’ll say, ‘No way.’”
There's a disheartening disconnect brewing—one that raises critical questions about the true value placed on employees. I've heard versions of this story repeated over and over throughout the past few years.
Here’s how I've observed it play out-
About two and a half years ago, fearing a potential recession, most companies suspended employee development programs. Since then, not only did the economy fail to significantly improve, but companies operating without these programs went without noticing immediate negative repercussions. As a result, the impetus to bring back these programs and budgets was hard to find.
Yet, the people-centric mantras that decorate the walls and value statements of companies are correct. It is people who run the servers, people who face the customers, people who make the sales, and people who make the decisions.
So, how do we bridge this gap? How do we move from lip service to genuine, impactful employee experience?
Pulse on the People
From countless conversations and observations, I've seen a workforce grappling with feelings of being unheard, undervalued, and overwhelmed. Whether facing issues without much progress, underequipped for the job, overloaded with tasks, or getting underrecognized, the overall feeling is that their ideas don’t matter, and upper management doesn’t care about them.
Of course, there are hundreds of companies where this generalization doesn't apply, which you may work at. However, as your objective resource, it would be a disservice not to highlight the larger overall trend I'm seeing.
Regardless of why, many employees are becoming disengaged and losing their sense of loyalty and satisfaction. This is causing many issues for their organizations, affecting everything from company culture and employee retention to the bottom line.
See Them, Hear Them, Unburden Them
To improve employee experience, I advocate for a three-pronged approach: ‘See Them, Hear Them, Unburden Them.’
1. See Them: Get to know the human being sitting before you. Look beyond the job title and understand their aspirations, challenges, and unique perspectives. One practical step is to create an employee journey map, identifying key experiences from onboarding to daily work life. This exercise highlights both pain points and moments of delight in the employee experience.
2. Hear Them: Create space and time for authentic expression. But beware of cold surveys that ask vague questions like "Are you stressed?" Instead, design surveys with open-ended humanistic questions that invite real dialogue. For instance, "What's one thing that would improve your work life?"
3. Unburden Them: When workloads become overwhelming, employees lose sight of their 'why' and struggle to find meaning. Conduct a workload analysis to identify and eliminate unnecessary tasks. This isn't just about efficiency; it's about creating space for meaningful work that connects employees to their purpose.
Source: mage is from freepik.com by @upklyak
The Insight Grid: Getting Inside Employee’s Heads
In the absence of people-focused spending, managers and leaders who care must use the tools available to gain intelligent and insightful empathy—so that they can act on that awareness. One powerful tool for understanding your employees is the Insight Grid. This simple exercise can provide a wealth of information about what your team members are really experiencing.
Here's how it works:
1. Draw a large cross on a piece of paper, creating four quadrants.
2. Label each quadrant with one of the following: Say, Think, Do, Feel.
3. Fill in each quadrant with your observations and insights about your employees.
For example, in a recent workshop, one leader shared:
• Employees Say: "I'm having problems with coworkers."
• Employees Think: "I lack assistance in dealing with these issues."
• Employees Do: "Try communicating with leaders and HR but are not making progress."
• Employees Feel: “Abandoned and ignored.”
This exercise is all about putting yourself in your employee's shoes. You can gain these insights through surveys, conversations, focus groups, or casual conversations. If that sounds like it'll take some time, it will, but ignoring these issues has a profound cost.
Once you've completed your grid, post it somewhere visible, and try to take one action each week to address any single item on the chart. Revisit the exercise biannually or annually.
Three for the Road
Now, let's talk about recognition. While "fun" initiatives like pizza Fridays or office outings have their place, they often fail to provide genuine, meaningful recognition. True recognition goes deeper, acknowledging the whole person and their contributions in ways that resonate personally and professionally. Here are my top three favourites for you to try:
1. Executive Lunches: Host casual lunches where recognised junior employees can discuss their ideas and contributions directly with senior executives. This recognizes their work and gives them a voice in shaping the company's future.
2. Impact Storytelling: Create a company-wide platform where employees can share stories of how their work has positively impacted customers or the community. This will connect their efforts to a larger purpose and publicly acknowledge their contributions.
3. Personalised Workspace Upgrades: Allow recognized employees to choose meaningful upgrades for their workspace, such as ergonomic equipment or technology that enhances their productivity and well-being. Environment is everything.
The journey from "people, people, people" platitudes to a genuinely people-centric culture is not a straight line. It's a winding path that requires constant attention, adjustment, and, most importantly, action. As leaders, we must be willing to look beyond the surface and dive deep into our teams' lived experiences.
The tools we've explored today—the Insight Grid, the See-HearUnburden approach, and meaningful recognition—are not silver bullets. They are the building blocks of a new approach to leadership, one that recognises the full humanity of each team member, and therefore leads the company to lasting success.
This article was also published on Juliet Funt's LinkedIn
Juliet Funt
Juliet Funt is the founder and CEO at JFG (Juliet Funt Group), which is a consulting and training firm built upon the popular teaching of CEO Juliet Funt, author of A Minute to Think.
BY BRYAN WHITEFIELD
Source: Image is from freepik.com by @freepik.
How Cultural Blind Spots Can Undermine Your Strategic Success
There are many reasons why strategic decisions don’t always work out. In his book Why Decisions Fail Paul C. Nutt analyses decades of research into 400 decisions made by organisations from a broad range of industries and countries. Nutt’s criteria for judging a successful decision are whether the decision was ‘put to use’ and was sustained over at least two years. While you could decide on a different set of criteria, Nutt’s are tough but reasonable, given that these are strategic decisions.
Nutt found that more than half of management decisions fail. Staggering, given the resources dedicated to making them. Yet, considering the uncertainty surrounding strategic decisions, is it any wonder the scoreboard reveals such poor performance?
Unexpected causes of decisions gone wrong
You can list many reasons why such a success rate might exist. Your list might include many decisions were high-risk high-reward, or that sometimes groupthink comes into play. Groupthink being about group dynamics and the desire to conform, so the group remains likeminded, meaning some in the group fail to raise concerns. You might also just list ‘complexity’ given the complexity of our world. Part of that complexity is the phenomenonI refer to as ‘organisationthink', through which the culture of an organisation influences how a decision is implemented.
The effect of organisational culture on decision making is unveiled in Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow. They look at decision making during the crisis through three lenses: (1) the rational actor, (2) organisational behaviour and (3) governmental politics. Most people are familiar with rational decision making and the effects of politics but are less so with the effect of organisational behaviour. In short, leaders make decisions and staff implement them, which requires them to interpret meaning and identify means of achieving perceived goals. Their interpretation of the decision and choice of methods of implementation are not always what the leader has in mind. There can be no better example than Khrushchev and the Soviet military machine during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The perfect example of ‘organisationthink’
The Soviet mission was ostensibly a secret operation— the US was not supposed to know. But when the Soviets built missile bases in Cuba, they did not camouflage them from the air. Why? Allison and Zelikow suggest it was because the Soviet forces responsible implemented as they had always implemented — according to the manual. The decision had been made not to camouflage bases in the Soviet Union to aid speed of deployment — that is, agility was chosen over secrecy. When it came to the deployment in Cuba, the message did not get through that this deployment was to be different.
It's about culture
Organisational bias is very similar to our own biases, in that, many are cultural. You have a natural bias to the culture you were brought up in. Same for staff being exposed to the organisation’s culture. In fact, organisations work hard at making sure staff understand the culture of the organisation and most staff will drift closer and closer to it over time.
However, the culture of organisations is not always perfect for every part of an organisation’s journey. Seldom can a start-up taking big risks, continue in the same vein. The bigger they get the more they need to adjust their ways of work and the size of their bets.
Take HIH Insurance, founded by the entrepreneurial Ray Williams. Eventually their big-bet decisions worked against them. Buying FAI, on-market in the 1990’s, being one of the decisions that led HIH to become Australia’s largest corporate collapse (at the time of writing!).
Identifying sources of organisational bias
Identifying organisational bias that may work against a strategic decision, means identifying the part of your culture that management has built or that has simply emerged, that will work contrary to what is needed or intended.
My tip. Start with noting down all the attributes of your culture you can think of. Ask others to add to the list. Then list all the attributes required for successful delivery of the strategic decision you are assessing. Are any on the culture list contrary? If so, that is where your change management strategy needs to focus. Or, a different decision needs to be made.
Bryan Whitefield
Bryan Whitefield has worked with hundreds of influential leaders across industries and is author of ‘Risky Business’ (2021) and now ‘Team Think: How Teams Make Great Decisions’ (2024). ‘Team Think’ is a thoughtful guide to provide leaders with deep insights into team dynamics and practical strategies to enhance decision making processes. www.bryanwhitefield.com
BY LIZA LIEW
Beyond
Targets: Embracing the Ongoing Journey of DEI
The age old saying goes, "it is not about the destination, but the journey". It cannot be more true for those attempting to institutionalise Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into their organisation.
I recently wrote about whether or not DEI can be successful in Malaysia; however, I’d like to add that success in DEI is subjective. Just like how there is no 'one-size fits all' solution, there is also not one clear picture of what a successful DEIenabled organisation looks like. This makes it hard on a macro level to map out what success is, especially if we do not know what the final picture looks like. So, for those who are starting out on their journey and planning a roadmap - where is that road leading to? Not Rome, for sure.
I'd like to propose that we do not define success as a final point but more as an ability to sustain. For those who have set a target goal of % of women at leadership levels, can there be an assurance that this number maintains beyond the expected timeline? This perspective emphasises that DEI success lies in maintaining progress rather than merely reaching numerical targets.
One of the greatest perks about my role at LeadWomen is that I have the opportunity to speak to many leaders in different industries. I’ve seen organisations that are either just starting out, have done many great initiatives in pockets and are already progressing towards a DEI-enabled organisation.
How do they do it? You ask me and here are some of my consolidated observations, a culmination of hundreds of meetings, discussions and engagements.
1. A DEI committee/council - needed or not needed? We Malaysians do have an obsession with setting up task forces and committees, usually becoming an added responsibility (at no increment of pay) which then becomes second priority over 'business needs'. This easily leads to burnout where BAUs takeover and this committee then becomes an ‘event planning committee’ - organising one-off engagements during key days (International Women’s Day, festival / cultural days). While these celebrations are needed to keep raising awareness, we also cannot expect structural and key changes to come out of this approach.
Having said that, I’ve seen for these ‘extra-curricular’ committees, when the prerogative that a senior leader is needed as a champion or sponsor, regardless of gender, I’ve seen initiatives sustain and changes to policies actually happen, beyond the celebratory events.
The best case examples are when the committees are not established in a vacuum. It is established because a) it was a senior management decision; b) part of a new cultural transformation journey; c) there is a business strategic need to execute on the organisations’ DEI goals. Eventually, there can be a possibility that the council is no longer needed as the DEI goals are now embedded into leadership KPI at all levels and it is part of the employee’s code of conduct (more on this in the next part!)
This is where defining the roles and responsibilities of this committee becomes crucial. Here are some starting questions you can reflect on:
i. What are the key areas of concern to focus on, e.g. recruitment, promotion, people-related policies etc?
ii. Who in senior management should be involved, e.g. CEO, Chief People Officer, business leads?
iii. What is the process to make changes, i.e.raising awareness, policy and process review?
An example:
An oil & gas company set up a Diversity and Inclusion Council with a key focus on removing bias when discussing promotions in their talent councils. They have been given the mandate from leadership to run an unconscious bias training from the most senior management down to middle managers to raise awareness on the importance of calling out bias during decision making and collectively identifying solutions (e.g. setting up ground rules before the discussion, a ‘bias police’). At the end of the two years of awareness raising, they have executed on plans to hire and promote more diverse talents, now focusing on neurodiverse talents at all levels.
2. Purpose-driven approach
Understanding your "why" provides clarity and direction. How often do we reflect on the importance of fostering an inclusive culture? Is it merely an expectation or compliance requirement, or is there a deeper need to ensure the organisation stays resilient? Or is it part of your organisation’s core values, if so, how are these values embraced and embodied by every single employee?
A purpose-driven approach can help to empower individuals at all levels as it creates the ‘buy-in’. Take KPMG’s 10000 stories initiative where they had every team see the big picture of what they do, which then significantly increased engagement and morale at the firm.
In Malaysia, this can also be done - what is your organisation and teams’ purpose today? In social psychology, we call this creating a superordinate identity where regardless of the individual differences, everyone understands what it means to be associated with one group, i.e. the organisation. This can then encourage and foster collaboration to achieve the common goal of the group, i.e. your organisation’s mission. This is essentially taking all the fancy words on your website (purpose,values, mission and vision) and living it. This is also one way to create a DEI-enabled organisation, with or without a committee.
Examples:
An F&B organisation realised a need to define what DEI means to their business and their employees. Their talent acquisition and talent development team then proceeded to conduct focus groups with all employees (full time and contract) to discuss the importance of a safe and inclusive workplace. From there, they found their ‘why’ and executed their DEI strategy that is focused on more inclusive and diverse hiring: raising awareness on unconscious bias and how to have objective discussions. A great outcome of this was that we were told that this led to a hiring manager challenging 'tradition' in hiring a pregnant woman in her final trimester for a client-facing sales role instead of someone else because the long-term potential outweighs her temporary leave from work. Despite the initial criticism from others, with the support of the human resources team and reminder of their DEI strategy, she ended up becoming one of the top performers. This example changed mindsets within the organisation with HR and hiring managers now working closely to ensure the hiring process is focused on long-term talent hiring.
A multinational financial institution realised that there is a strong attrition rate with the women at a certain level (middle management) despite all the resources and initiatives in place. They then conducted an in-depth diagnostic review of all their data (promotion, tenure, attrition) and conducted focused interviews with the line managers, current employees at this level. During the analysis period, it was identified that it was on the end-to-end management of maternity leave. This then
became their ‘why’ to focus on and worked towards creating a more supportive environment and process for their women going on and coming back from maternity leave. [Disclaimer: We have not engaged this company since the diagnostic so we are unable to share the end results of their initiatives]
3. Finding your community
A supportive network of DEI practitioners is important, especially as we look at success as an ongoing journey. Regularly engaging with individuals and companies who are on this DEI journey, regardless of maturity levels can provide DEI practitioners with a sense of community. Regular discussions around key areas under DEI can provide different perspectives, provide some best practices and also opportunities for collaboration.
At LeadWomen, we created our Equality at Work corporate community to provide organisations who are serious about DEI with that platform and connection. Our quarterly roundtable is centered around areas like disability inclusion, ageing society and hiring of senior workers as well as workplace harassment and safety. We often invite key partners and subject matter experts in their respective fields to share what can be done in the private sector to overcome challenges and concerns on these topics. What we have seen over the past year and a half is that our corporate community members are more open to explore partnership opportunities with each other as well as with our invited partners.
A great story that I’d like to share is that when we introduced disability inclusion late last year, all of our members were 'not there yet' but after some guided conversations with our key partner who does training and placement for neurodivergent hires, our members left with a renewed sense of possibility and some even included disability inclusion and audit in their 2024/2025 strategy.
Continued Commitment
In conclusion, achieving DEI success in Malaysia is not a linear path but rather a continuous commitment to growth and adaptation. As seen above, there are many ways to build your DEI strategy. Organisations that embrace flexibility and encourage open dialogues across all levels can better navigate obstacles. By focusing on sustainability, purpose, and community, they can create environments that thrive on diversity and innovation. Ultimately, the journey towards DEI should be seen as an evolving mission, fostering a culture where everyone feels valued and included.
Liza Liew
Liza Liew is an equality at work advocate, an aspiring writer, and a tech enthusiast, dedicated to helping women reach their full leadership potential while creating safe, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. In her spare time, she enjoys brewing her own kombucha and writing about the challenges of transitioning into adulthood and maintaining mental health.
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DIANA MARIE
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.
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
