Workplace culture is a hot topic, with everyone chiming in, from LinkedIn influencers to the person next to you at your desk (or Zoom box). With all the buzz about the “right” and “best” ways to improve it, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and directionless. But the key to a thriving culture isn’t grand theories or endless studies. It’s taking real, actionable steps.

Instead of throwing another thought leadership piece into the world about what we know about successful workplace culture, I thought we’d do what we do best at Ei–create an experience. We’re using this week’s Wednesday Words to guide you through a 15-minute activity to consider how you can improve the culture of your own team or company. By the end of the exercise, you’ll have identified an actionable, specific “Culture Leap.” So, grab a beverage, something to jot notes on, and let’s give it a try.

🎙️Oh, and if you want some tunes to inspire you, here’s a playlist we curated just for this exercise.

Step One: Identify an Area of Impact

When aspiring for culture change, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the immensity of the charge. Our advice: start small and specific. Use the following questions as prompts to help you identify an area where a shift would be useful for your team or organization. Brainstorm for the entire duration of the first song on the playlist, or set a timer for 4:30.

Prompts:

• What is an example(s) of a time when you felt especially proud of your team or org’s culture?
• What are a few examples of things you wish were different about your team or org’s culture?
• If you could take your culture “from ________ to __________”, what would you say?
  • e.g. from a flickering candlelight to a blazing, unified beacon
  • e.g. from transactional interactions to meaningful, relationship-driven connections
• What are the obstacles to your team working cohesively?
  

Step Two: Frame the Challenge

Again, start small and specific. Look back at your list. What is jumping out at you? Where does your energy guide you? What feels like a good place to start

Help frame your focus area by completing this Madlib:

I need to _______________________________________________________,

because _______________________________________________________,

but ____________________________________________________________.

Examples:

• I need to increase the amount of specific positive feedback given on our team,
  because lots of specific praise is important in forming a highly collaborative culture,
  but the current norm is to jump to what’s not working.

Try it out a couple of times if you need to. See what resonates most. Play with this framework for the duration of the second song, or set your timer for 3:30.

Step Three: Brainstorm Experiments (aka Culture Leaps)

In human-centered design, you don’t just immediately implement a giant new idea. That can be expensive, both in time and resources. It’s better to start small by creating a small test of your idea to see if it has legs. That’s the Leap–a rapid experiment you will carry out over the next four weeks.

Examples:

• Send a different prompt for positive feedback each week for four weeks
• Start every meeting with a positive feedback shout-out
• Create “Feedback Fridays” – a huddle for sharing positive feedback from actions taken that week

Using your completed Madlib as your true north and the duration of the third song (or a timer set for 4 minutes), brainstorm responses to: What experiments can I take to address my culture challenge?

Step Four: Plan Your Leap

Now that you have a handful of ideas for what Culture Leap you can take in the next few weeks, narrow in on one. What feels accessible and impactful? What do you have a measure of control over (meaning, you have the resources and authority to implement it)? What are you excited about trying? Once you have identified the Leap you will take, it’s time to make a quick action plan. Play song four or set your timer for 3:30.

Leap Action Plan:

• Articulate your Leap! What will you try?
• What is your first step? You should be able to do this in next 2 days
• How will you know if you’re successful? What data will you collect?

Final Step: Share It With Us

Accountability is part of every Ei workshop because it helps motivate people to act. Now that you’ve identified your Culture Leap, share it here. Don’t worry—this will only go to our team, but we’ll check in on you in a few weeks to see how it’s going. Song five on the playlist will keep you company as you do this last step.

Experience This Live

In early October, Erin and I will be speaking at the Culture Summit in San Diego, a conference focused on helping organizations build cultures that meet the evolving needs of today’s employees and teams. We’ll guide participants through this exercise with a partner, helping them work together to identify real, actionable steps to enhance their workplace culture.

If you're in the area, or if this sounds like something you'd love to experience firsthand, let us know! We have discounted tickets available, and we’d love to connect with you there. Just respond to this email if you’re interested.

And in the meantime, ready, set, Leap!