This document summarizes a presentation on building positive workplace culture. It discusses how workplace culture can impact motivation and performance. It suggests strategies for encouraging learning, creativity, and collaboration like acknowledging good ideas, sharing relevant news and talks, and setting up spaces for sharing knowledge. It emphasizes creating a respectful environment through positive communication and allowing people to present works-in-progress without fear of criticism.

2. Presenting Today
Eve Ash
Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur
Seven Dimensions
@EveAsh
Krista Brubaker
Content Marketing Specialist
BizLibrary
kbrubaker@bizlibrary.com
Mark Bowles
Training Executive
Seven Dimensions

3. www.bizlibrary.com/free-trial
BizLibrary helps organizations succeed by improving the way employees learn.

4. Some people are not motivated
to learn or improve

5. POLL
Is your culture at work one that encourages
learning, creativity and collaboration?
A. Yes absolutely
B. Usually/mostly
C. Hard to say/unsure
D. A little/inconsistent
E. Definitely not

6. POLL
Are you able to influence the culture at
your workplace?
A. Yes absolutely
B. Usually/mostly
C. Hard to say/unsure
D. A little/inconsistent
E. Definitely not

10. Discover your inner motivation
Help others discover what motivates them

11. Is your comfort zone holding you back?
Learn to question
Don’t be afraid to try

12. Where is your curiosity?

13. Not just what is going on in your head
What makes sparks fly?
Connect to your feelings

14. How do we help ourselves?
How do we help others uncover inner career passion?
• Mindset – open to exploration and feelings… we can tend to block
ourselves, sabotaging discovery
• Choose friends, colleagues and mentors that inspire, energize, support
• What’s been exciting in the past? – peak moments in your work… find
the linking theme
• How do you balance income/interest? e.g. part-time job/income and
alternate interest?

15. Benjamin Todd TEDexYouth presentation
80000hours.org (80,000 hours in your career)
• If you follow your passions  not necessarily successful
• Current interests don’t matter so much, they always change
 not solid for career choice
Do what’s valuable!
Focus on getting good at something that genuinely helps others
and makes the world a better place
= the secret to passion and a fulfilling career

16. Benjamin Todd
1. EXPLORE – go out and try things
2. BUILD YOUR SKILLS – in demand, flexible
3. SOLVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS – help in a neglected area
Focus on
What can you do for other people?

17. Corporate social responsibility / Pro bono project strategy
Kathleen Zellner Chicago lawyer
– wrongful convictions
– 18 innocents exonerated
Steven Avery’s new lawyer
@zellnerlaw
The wrongful conviction of Sue Neill-Fraser
for the murder of her partner Bob Chappell

18. The power of success starts with the way we think

20. If the workplace culture is not positive, people often
develop a protective shell and become robotic,
disappointed and lose connection with themselves.

22. (c) Eve Ash eveash.com
… contagious,
keep you stuck in the past
Impact team culture
PEOPLE DO NOT
achieve their potential
Negative Scripts …

23. Positive messages and affirmations make us feel
good, help us communicate effectively, respect
rights and achieve results.
Set a goal
Do it!

24. Help ourselves and others to change scripts
Positive thoughts usually underpin positive actions
and enhance wellbeing at work

27. We need to find the raw delight…
we sometimes lose this at work

28. Sometimes you have to close one door to open another.
Delight comes in surprising ways.

29. SLOW DOWN… CALM YOURSELF
Time each day to do something you like
A walk, a catchup with a friend, a game, music…
Quality time with loved ones.
Quality time with work colleagues.
Rediscover – treasure the moments and memories
Feel gratitude

30. EXPLORE: Bravery vs safety
What works for you, what risks will you take?

31. Respectful behaviors at work are essential
for cohesive teams

32. Our attitude and communication style impacts those around us

33. Managers must create a positive culture at work
with respectful communication

34. From Creating a Respectful Workplace
Cutting Edge Communication Comedy Series

35. Respect
yourself!

36. Everyone has ideas for improvements –
exercise the team with one shared idea ever day.
Create an Ideas Board or a Creative Corner
Acknowledge good ideas. Review outcomes.

37. Enjoy new developments and ideas from
great creators – share with your team,
discuss the future
e.g. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/hyperloop-news/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/mit-students-hyperloop-contest/
Set up relevant newsfeeds for your business and industry
Highlight relevant TED talks

38. Malcolm Gladwell author
The most transformative leaders had three things in common:
Creativity | Conscientiousness | Disagreeableness
Andrew Thorburn CEO of National Australia Bank
Instigated a “pipeline” for ideas with a method of turning
them into products and services.
How does your business encourage ideas,
improvements, innovation?

39. TODAY: Growth of online collaboration
Corporate collaboration tools  groups
Offer knowledge forums, social feeds, internal blogs –
knowledge sharing and support for projects across divisions
• employees are more willing to share knowledge
• barriers to collaboration have been eliminated
• productivity has increased

40. eg. Slack, Yammer, Jive can be customized for staff group use.
Slack “fastest growing workplace software world has ever seen”
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600771/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-slack/
Yammer “Facebook for offices” enables staff to collaborate and
chat on a secure platform. There are even claims that Yammer
“enhances business IQ”
http://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2015/11/a-review-of-yammer/

42. Julia Carpenter & Alex Laughlin – social media editors started
Pay Up online group for tech industry (for now)
Q&As with negotiation experts, and roundtable
discussions. Provides a space for individual
conversations among several hundred users.
Channels for women in different cities
e.g. help with wording to ask for a promotion!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/womens-wages/salary-negotiation-guide-
women/?tid=womens-wages&utm_term=.304f205e7587

43. Listen
Focus on facts

44. Problem solving should be respectful and constructive

45. Problem Solving requires good listening

47. Don’t take sides and assume
INSTEAD Listen supportively to both parties
Don’t allow emotions to escalate
INSTEAD Control respectful exchanges
Don’t bulldoze with your opinions
INSTEAD Use questions to clarify and summarize
Don’t leave problems unresolved
INSTEAD Facilitate solutions and agree actions
SKILLS: MEDIATING FOR RESOLUTION
From Mediating for Resolution
Cutting Edge Communication Comedy Series

48. 1. Identify and clarify the issue or problem – Don’t prejudge
2. Understand and respect all stakeholder interests – Get the facts!
3. Consider the options – Evaluate possible options
4. Determine your path and set your deadline – what’s do-able
5. Document specific plans – Describe actions and responsible people
6. Know the back-up plan – Consider delays. Monitor and evaluate. What worked, what didn’t work?
7. Go back to step one if solution did not succeed
"A leader must never view a problem as a distraction, but rather as a strategic enabler for continuous
improvement".
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/11/04/the-4-most-effective-ways-leaders-solve-
problems/&refURL=https://www.google.com.au/&referrer=https://www.google.com.au/
SOLVE PROBLEMS METHODICALLY

49. Tim Brown Ideo founder
“Change by Design” – problem-solving
… a process for creating new choices
Managers may have sophisticated methods for making choices, but “making
choices out of a prevailing set of options is a very limiting thing to do”.
Innovation culture exists anywhere the managers are taking an
interest in all the ideas and a variety of problem-solving
approaches
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/09309?gko=2be54

51. Shortcuts – 2 types
1. Improve efficiency and productivity (celebrate)
2. Those that cost you, someone didn’t go through the fine print in
agreements and understandings (learn!)
• Some believe shortcuts can kill an enterprising new business
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/274209

52. PROCRASTINATION WILL NOT HELP YOU
FIND EFFECTIVE SHORTCUTS

53. Stress is often caused by overload…
LOOK FOR AN EASIER WAY!

54. Licensed for this PowerPoint for one year through Conde Nast. Not for reuse.
CONSIDER HOW YOU DO THINGS –
WHAT IS BEST PATH?

55. Identify the GOOD SHORTCUTS
Sometimes we are blind to our outdated habits and procedures.
Review often. Look for smarter ways.
Effective practical shortcuts that save time and money lead to
improvements and innovation.
Then you have reason to celebrate!

56. Kaamran Hafeez enabled me to license his New Yorker cartoon
for this PowerPoint for one year through Conde Nast. Not for reuse.

57. Don’t just
talk about
the great
idea –
reward the
person or
team with
the idea!

58. Tim Brown
• Allow people to present works-in-progress without
fear of criticism.
• If someone has a rough idea (not yet streamlined)
and it gets shot down by critical peers … that’s
not conducive to innovation or problem-solving.
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/09309?gko=2be54

59. Most people want to feel acknowledged for their work and ideas
Companies and organisations need to make it clear that ideas
are welcomed and can often be put to practical use.
What can be offered?
• Bonuses, awards, celebratory events, days off.
Whichever the reward route, always publicly acknowledge the
originators and give credit where it’s due.

60. So what can we learn from this? What changes going forward?

62. We need to have fun at work!
Physical benefits of laughter…
• Releases endorphins  feel good!
• Boosts immune system
• Improves blood flow to heart
• Lowers blood pressure
• Stress reliever
© Eve Ash eveash.com www.7d-tv.com

63. Laughter…
universal language
• Inspires hope and optimism
• Makes us happy and engaged
• People are friendlier and more open
• Binds people together
• It’s contagious!
© Eve Ash eveash.com www.7d-tv.com

64. POLL
Can you apply some strategies from this
webinar to help you and/or others to build a
positive culture for learning, creativity and
collaboration?
A. Yes definitely
B. Most likely
C. Hard to say/unsure
D. Unlikely

65. Questions?

66. Cutting Edge Communication: Developing
Successful Mindsets
Video lesson from Seven
Dimensions
1. Make a Great Impression
2. Communicate Effectively
3. Be Confident and Assertive
4. Set and Achieve Goals
5. Prioritize and Organize
6. Contribute to the Team
7. Appreciate Feedback
8. Build Employability Skills
9. Demonstrate Strengths
10.Impress at Job Interviews

67. Igniting Creativity video course
11-part video course from
BizLibrary Productions
1. You Can Be Creative!
2. Creativity vs. Logic
3. The Creative Process: Part 1
4. The Creative Process: Part 2
5. Adopting a Creative Mindset
6. Conducting a Brainstorming Session
7. How to be Innovative
8. Innovating with SCAMPER
9. Idea Generation Techniques
10. Becoming a More Creativer Thinker
11. Fostering Creativity at Work

68. Try out these video lessons
and more!
Let us know through the poll if you’d like a free trial of
BizLibrary’s online course collection.
www.bizlibrary.com/free-trial