Brad Federman - Cultivating Culture: 101 Ways to Foster Engagement in 15 Minutes or Less

Contents

Praise for Cultivating Culture

Wow! Brad draws you in like a bear to honey. I couldnt stop reading as I faced the mirror and answered the tough questions he poses about our core values and culture. Does our culture really help people rise above themselves and reach their full potential? Are we walking the talk or just creating confusion? Hmmmm. I knew I had better read on. Thank you Brad for the nudge to work on our core values and culture, the glue that holds us together. We can do better, and we will.

Daphne Large, CEO, Data Facts, Inc.

I have had the pleasure of working with Brad for many years. He has become a tremendous thought partner as well as a friend. Ive watched him break down teams only to build them back up by tapping into potential they would never have realized without his artful guidance. For those whove had the pleasure of taking this journey with him, that untapped potential is sustainable. Cultivating Culture is a playbook to help leaders take that path themselves. Brad provides simple steps, provoked by thoughtful questions, to yield honest insights. You dont roll out a culture; its earned through dedication and commitment. Your teams deserve this. Enjoy the adventure.

Rick Colling, Global Head, Homewood Suites by Hilton

Brad has been a trusted advisor for many years. Cultivating Culture is a road map for business leaders to use to help navigate their way through the difficult challenge of improving culture. Brad provides a tangible guide that outlines simple solutions leaders can follow to make a measurable impact on culture. This book, combined with intention and commitment, will serve as a catalyst any leader needs to foster new relationships with their employees.

B. Scot Lenoir, Chairman Evolve Bank & Trust

Whether you are a new manager of people or have years of experience, successful leadership involves continuous learning and improvement. Its important to refine your approaches and find new tools and methods to help your companys culture flourish. Cultivating Culture provides proven, practical activities to improve communication and two-way dialog. The book includes templates for conversation and exploration to help managers navigate the cultural changes occurring in todays workforce. Include it in your library for reference and refer to it often to keep your skills sharpened and teams engaged.

Lani Glancy, Vice President, Talent Development, DEI and Communications, AutoZone, Inc.

To be truly impactful, corporate culture must be tightly intertwined into the fabric of an organization. In Cultivating Culture, Brad Federman lays out practical and actionable methods for leaders to continuously instill and support company culture within their everyday meetings and workplace projects. Leaders will benefit by having this book as a trusted resource for building and maintaining stronger connections within their organizations.

Rick Fogelman, CEO Fogelman Multifamily Investments and Management

Also by Brad Federman

Employee Engagement:
A Roadmap for Creating Profits, Optimizing Performance,
and Increasing Loyalty

101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career

Jump Start: 50 Ways to Engage Your Team

CULTIVATING

101 Ways to
Foster Engagement
in 15 Minutes or Less

CULTURE

BRAD FEDERMAN

Matt Holt Books
An Imprint of BenBella Books, Inc.
Dallas, TX

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information about leadership and professional development. Neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services by publishing this book. If any such assistance is required, the services of a qualified financial professional should be sought. The author and publisher will not be responsible for any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a result of the use and application of any information contained in this book.

Cultivating Culture copyright 2022 by Brad Federman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

10440 N. Central Expressway

Suite 800

Dallas, TX 75231

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BenBella and Matt Holt are federally registered trademarks.

First E-Book Edition: March 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021040494

ISBN 9781637740637 (trade cloth)

ISBN 9781637740644 (ebook)

Copyediting by Michael Fedison

Proofreading by Lisa Story and Michael Fedison

Text design and composition by PerfecType, Nashville, TN

Cover design by Brigid Pearson

Cover image Shutterstock / hobbit

Special discounts for bulk sales are available. Please contact .

To all the leaders who understand that relationships are the foundation for creating and sustaining culture. It is a daily effort.

For my wife, Hollie, whose support has allowed me to make contributions like this to my field, and my two sons, Aris and Eli, who give me a reason to strive for more and demonstrate what is possible.

Last, thank you, Mom and Dad, for always believing in me. I miss you, Dad.

CONTENTS

Ed Magee, EVP Operations at Fender Music Corporation and Co-President of Fender Play Foundation

H ad I met another people whisperer this soon?

The transition from Harley-Davidson to ABB in early 2014 was everything I expected. A tad bit scary, a tad bit exhilarating, but most of all, the sheer joy of newness that lifelong learners experience when they jump into the deep end of a new company and new set of experiences.

Ill admit, I was a bit full of myself when it came to the topics of culture and transformation. We had just pulled off what was thought to be the impossible task of transforming a factory steeped in a culture of rugged individualism. The path to IndustryWeek Best Plants in 2014 was lined with blood, sweat, and more than a couple of tearsrequired ingredients of any worthwhile endeavor. But this experience was special for me because I truly cut my teeth on the hard work required to understand, evaluate, and endure the work required of leaders when they engage in cultural transformation.

Brads smile and affable southern mannerism put me at ease. He nodded as I repeated the story of our cultural journey in York, Pennsylvaniaa story that I had told thousands of times to visitors, customers, and employees alike. Culture change is hard work, I explained to him. Then he smiled and asked, How is this story different than Harley-Davidson and why does that matter?

I sat there stunned, thinking to myself, Have I just met another people whisperer? And, indeed, as I would learn from many more years of working with Brad, not only is he a practiced people whisperer, but hes also one of those unique individuals so grounded in people and culture that my learning in this space was beginning all over again.

Cultivating Culture is a book for leaders struggling with the gap between the oft-repeated values of their organizational culture and the reality of the untended cultural garden that exists in so many companies. Brad has always been an advocate of Edgar Scheins hypothesis that leaders are simply