Establishing an
impact-driven culture creates more room for individual and team fulfillment
Sep 26, 2019 @ 3:30 pm By Ron Carson
As more than 230
Carson Group stakeholders converge in Omaha this week for our annual two-day,
companywide retreat, their presence reminds me of what it means to make an
impact. It reminds me that, as advisers, we often forget the reach of our
actions and underestimate the effect our businesses have on the lives around us
— or better yet, the impact we could have if we were more intentional about
connecting our company's culture to
the community.
Think about
building an impact-driven culture on three levels: locally, nationally and
globally. How are you involved with friends, family and individual
passion-based projects? Maybe it's donating time at your son or daughter's
school, supporting your own charity or foundation or donating resources, time,
and energy to a recent, local natural disaster.
Expanding your lens
to a national or global level may involve serving on boards, adopting an
investment philosophy that aligns with ESG initiatives
or partnering with larger organizations to extend your reach.
Over the past few
weeks, we've kick-started a focused effort to encourage stakeholders to
volunteer for causes they believe in and want to feed. The initiative has been
absolutely eye-opening. We've seen firsthand how allowing room for this time
can bring more fulfillment to our stakeholders' lives while building stronger
bonds as a team.
A recent
UnitedHealth Group study backs this thinking up when it found 81% of employees
felt more connected to their colleagues as a result of volunteering.
This push to give back also lowers stress levels, improves your team's sense of
purpose beyond work and makes us physically healthier individuals.
If the research
teaches us anything, it's that building an impact-driven culture addresses some
of the most challenging obstacles we often can't remedy through our own efforts
as business owners. Increasing compensation or giving more time off only go so
far in helping professionals feel good about their work.
So how can you
establish an impact-driven culture and strengthen your bond as a team?
1. Give employees
space to give back. This can be in the form of paid time off to volunteer each
year, group-organized initiatives or gift-matching programs. Show that you
support them with the gift of time and resources.
2. Lead by example.
Recently, I've been quite vocal about my own mission and the
causes I believe in — and this is simply to encourage our own stakeholders.
Life has a way of delicately masking the things that are most important, so be
the example. Show your team what it looks like to be a servant leader.
3. Make it easy. Organizations like
the United Way can
help your firm, however big or small, design a workplace giving program to make
it easy for employees to give back with the convenience of payroll deduction.
Often, the biggest roadblock to making an impact is taking the first step, so
think of ways to put opportunities in front of your team so they can opt in.
4. Create a
wellness program. Physical wellness is just one piece of the puzzle. We know that
mental health, financial health and emotional health make just as much of a
difference in work satisfaction and fulfillment.
The physiological
effect of involving yourself in a cause close to your heart can reduce
depression risk and lower mortality rates, so by including volunteering as part
of a wellness program,
you further build that holistic space for stakeholders to improve their health
and happiness.
All this said,
creating an impact culture is not about adding additional responsibilities or
stress to your team. It's simply about creating more room for individual and
team fulfillment.
Hold true to who
you are and the attitudes you want to inspire. You'll be surprised by the
individual talents and passions that surface, and the impact it has on your
firm — an impact that not only drives your team forward but unleashes an
untapped potential you could never have experienced otherwise.
Ron Carson is CEO
and founder of the Carson Group, which serves advisers and
investors through its businesses: Carson Group Coaching, Carson Group Partners
and Carson Wealth. Follow him @RCHusker.
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