Stop Calling Employees "Family", They're Not

Today, people are expecting more from their employers. And ‘getting back to normal’ is not the mindset you want to have right now.

Here are four areas I believe need focus…

1st - Stop calling your employees ‘family’. They aren’t. And the implication of this wording is fraught with emotion, expectation, and dysfunction. Organizations are COMMUNITIES, not families. Building a strong and dynamic community is where you should focus.

2nd - Get rid of culture killer ‘programs’ - top performer, high potential, mentorship, and 360 degree feedback programs…to name a few. The unintended consequences of each of these programs is significant. They distract from and kill collaboration and group momentum.

3rd - Manage your leaders. They must have the skills and abilities to lead, support, and foster group efforts MASTERFULLY. Many are struggling mightily. They need attention and guidance now.

4th – The power is with the group, not the individual. Focus on the group. Create common goals your teams can get behind and support. If everyone has the same goals...

…they can work in sync with each other.
…they can interpret success through the lens of their work outputs.
…they can anticipate needs, innovate solutions, and build new capabilities.

My book, WORK IS ART, outlines a simple and focused way to run your company. We are here to help. Schedule a call, we’d love to talk to you - https://lnkd.in/dxr33dAk

Here’s a link to buy WORK IS ART. https://lnkd.in/dzx7TN8h

There Is 60, And Then There Is 60!

I turned 60 this past year. It was hard to stomach when it happened. I still feel a little nauseous writing about it now. But I look at it this way. There is 60, and then there is 60. What do I mean by that?

There are those my age who are on a race to get out. Out of their job and retire. Away from the burden of job responsibilities and towards the freedom to do whatever they wish when they wake up in the morning.

Then there are those who are in a race to give back. Do something at a higher level with greater impact. We’ve learned a lot. We’ve seen and experience so much. We understand how to make businesses better, communities stronger, and the world at large more evolved. We have tremendous superpowers and we don’t want the kryptonite of age to slow us down.

My father - John Brooks Walton, AIA - started writing books in his 70’s, and published over a dozen in so many years. He stopped practicing architecture in his eighties when his hand became too shaky to draw a straight line. He picked up a paint brush instead and those squiggly lines became magic on canvas.

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright didn’t start a career until she was in her 50’s. I suppose I have a leg up on her today. But I better get cracking to keep up with her from here on out.

When I wrote my new book “Work Is Art” I smashed in everything I have learned in my sixty years on earth. How to make organizations stronger. How to create more cohesive teams. How to deliver business brilliance. It is creative, innovative, inspired and beautifully designed.

I am in a race to make organizations stronger by bringing people together to accomplish extraordinary things. The time is right. Team’s need this more than ever. The 'Great Resignation' proves this to be the case.

As for turning 60 - I feel like I am only getting started. Watch out Madeline…here I come!

(P.S. attached photo is of my dad, age 82 - RIP)

link to get my book, Work Is Art. https://lnkd.in/dzx7TN8h

Context & Clarity Podcast

Watch Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiW9yuE4YgE

How can architecture firms become works of art? That's where we'll start our conversation Thursday on Context & Clarity LIVE. Thursday, February 17th at 4:00pm ET, Jeff Echols and Katharine White MacPhail will welcome Jane Walton, author and organization design consultant to Context & Clarity LIVE. Join the conversation as we talk to Jane about taking inspiration from the world of art to organize and operate your firm.

“Dare to Disagree” by Margaret Heffernan

Watch Margaret's TED TALK

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by their editors on the home page.


“Forget the Pecking Order at Work” by Margaret Heffernan

Watch Ted Talk Video

Organizations are often run according to "the superchicken model," where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn't what drives the most high-achieving teams. Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It's a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. Because as Heffernan points out: "Companies don't have ideas. Only people do."

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by their editors on the home page.