How to Develop and Sustain a ‘Culture of Conversation’ within Your Company, and Why It Can Make All the Difference

Quality conversations are the lifeblood of human relationships, but oftentimes at work we can fall into patterns of not listening to one another, hoarding information, making demands, lying, gaslighting or passive aggression. Preventing these patterns is simple; foster a culture of conversation. 

But how does one achieve this? With an intentional focus from everyone at your organization and shared commitment to the following five fundamentals.

After decades of experience coaching executives, developing leaders, training teams and building businesses we were excited to share our learnings in a recent Talent Management article co-authored by our co-founder Wendy Hanson and our VP of Enterprise Solutions, Seth Weiss.

Keep reading for the key takeaways and five fundamentals of how to develop and sustain a culture of conversation and create a workplace where everyone can thrive.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY & INCLUSIVITY

Can you be yourself and contribute thoughts and ideas at work without fear of punishment or disapproval? If yes, you likely have a work environment that is psychologically safe.

How about others, especially those from traditionally marginalized groups? If yes, you likely have a work environment that is psychologically safe AND inclusive (Pro Tip: If you’re unsure, asking is better than assuming.)

VULNERABILITY

Only after a psychologically safe environment is established, can one be expected to embrace their vulnerability. Managers and leaders must be sensitive to this fact as they work to develop caring and trusting relationships with their team members. One way to quickly establish trust is for a manager to embrace their own vulnerability. Leaders who are willing to share their vulnerabilities facilitate trust and connection with the people they manage.

TRANSPARENCY

When there’s transparency in an organization, trust, problem solving, camaraderie and connection follow suit. Without transparency, conversations, when they take place, have no anchor in reality. Energy gets wasted on speculation about topics for which clear answers exist. 

REFLECTION

Without self-reflection in the workplace, employers and employees miss out on critical opportunities to help individuals and the organization grow. Reflection increases individuals’ confidence and self-efficacy; it therefore increases the confidence and efficacy of the groups to which those individuals belong. The result is a more confident and effective organization that learns from its mistakes and uses them to create growth opportunities for employees. 

Organizations thrive when their people are properly supported and their talents cultivated. It is the right way to lead, and the only way to lead responsibly into the future. At BetterManager, it’s our mission to make thriving at work the norm and that starts with a culture of conversation.
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Read the full article from our co-founder Wendy Hanson and Seth Weiss here.

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