Asking the right Culture Questions

CultureXP – Blair | 4 min read  

Is the craft of asking questions becoming a lost art? In today’s hustle culture, we seem more interested in rewarding people for answering the questions than those that ask them. Living in an age of near-instant gratification, business owners have to think fast to survive. But rushing the answer increases the risk of jumping to conclusions, and ultimately, poor decision making.

Maybe it is my business analysis roots, but I love the latter. I value people that have the curiosity and courage to speak up and have the mastery of steering a conversation by asking the right kind of questions. Gaining mastery is both science and art.

Just like humans, no two company cultures are the same. Asking the right questions is vital to gaining a better understanding of your Organisational Culture and making the right decisions for your business and people. Good friend, Tony at www.archetype.nz recently shared exchange is the basis of great relationships. We appreciate that our Organisational Culture coaching and building inclusive workplaces that enable your people to work to their natural best comes from great relationships. Relationships founded on trust, shared beliefs, vulnerability, and co-creation. In the spirit of exchange and doing good, we’ve shared some on our favourite questions that we use to help unlock what is truly unique about your company’s culture. We would love to hear yours.

What do you and your organisation believe that others don’t?
We love the potential of this question to unlock the future your people see that your competitors might not. At CultureXP, our core belief is that everyone deserves to be inspired to go to work, to feel safe while there, and to go home feeling fulfilled with the work they have done. It’s how life should be. We only have to look to social media to see evidence of organisations that do not share our core belief or passion for Organisational Culture and investing in people. Thank you to Didier Elzinga, Founder and CEO of Culture Amp for shaping our thinking. 

Why do your people stay?
A lot of effort goes into understanding why people leave an organisation. But we see real value in flipping it on its head and learning why people stay. The insights can be uplifting, provide clarity and give meaningful purpose. At the very least, learning what matters most to your people – these are not to be traded off or broken.

Did I see our values being lived this week? It is a question you can ask yourself, your leadership team, and your people. If you did not like the answer or your values, do not reflect the company today, make the change. Nothing is holding you back, and doing nothing is not your best option.

What if we started the company today? As leaders, we have a responsibility to ascertain, reimagine and do the right things to help our businesses come out healthier and reinvent themselves. Hindsight is a beautiful thing. It comes with experience, and we make full use of it. Asking the question in an environment built on trust and a certain amount of vulnerability can be illuminating. Generating a stream of thoughts and inciteful interactions that will energise and refocus your thinking, benefitting your business and people.   

We mentioned earlier that we value and love being around people that can craft questions that set in motion a stream of thoughts and inciteful interactions. We are excited to be working with a crowd that has the mastery, science, and art. The relationship is good for our company’s soul, and we can’t wait to share more with you.

Thanks for reading my blog. Our world is better when we share, and I would love to hear your favourite culture questions. If you want to positively impact your company’s bottom line and create an inclusive workplace that enables people to work to their natural best - please get in touch. Together we can make this a happening thing.