Building a 'Speak Up' Culture

Last week Spring Street wrapped up a 4-day virtual summit for a large media/tech client determined to build a ‘speak up’ culture. Despite the challenges of reaching two global cohorts across each day (talk about Zoom fatigue!), participants grew in confidence over just those few workshops, once they experienced the infectious energy of a welcoming culture. By the end of the summit, we could observe the kinds of interactions that build such cultures:

-       Everyone felt safe to share a POV, even if it was different or potentially unpopular

-       Humility was on display – folks were quick to share credit or admit fault

-       It was okay to share stories about wishing you had done things differently — and even more powerful to admit it publicly

-       When people courageously admitted mistakes, others virtually wrapped arms around them in the moment, chatting in: “thank you for sharing,” “it means a lot to hear you say that,” “that must have been a hard moment” or “<3”

-       Thankfully a respectful culture didn’t mean humorless — but it did mean laughing with people and not at them

-       Creativity thrived, starting from a place of “I don’t have all of the answers, but I’m curious and committed to learning more”

-       If someone was noticeably struggling to communicate a thought or land a message, they weren’t left hanging out to dry; instead, others actively jumped in to support, ask questions and help clarify the point

Culture is the company’s lived social contract. It’s a collection of social norms for how we show up for each other. A mediocre culture lacks the kind of interactions described above (read: lots of silence). A toxic culture actively works against them (people regularly assume bad intent, are quick to criticize and avoid admitting fault).

Developing a strong, thriving culture takes continuous practice and hard work. It can be uncomfortable. It requires operating in the grey. It demands we bring our authentic selves, even when we wish we had been a better version of ourselves. And when we work to develop that culture, by speaking up and listening to our colleagues, we often find that better version of ourselves develops, too.