Western States Lodging Management and Development’s Post

✨ Investing in the Magic of Quality Retreats ✨ When planning a retreat, the temptation might be to cut costs or compress schedules, but compromising on the 'magic'—the quality and engagement of the experience—can undermine the potential benefits. Our recent post explores how investing in high-quality retreats can yield dividends in team cohesion and morale. Discover why quality should never be compromised in retreat planning, read the insight: https://lnkd.in/dyy_nQ44 #CorporateRetreats #QualityEvents #InvestInExperience

Creating a culture of abundance and love isn’t as hokey as it sounds. Instead, it’s one of the key starting points to a successful business. In my experience, if you don’t have a healthy team culture, you’ll struggle to get everything you want out of your business. A healthy team culture is created in an environment where people love coming to work and working with each other. Everyone uses their energy toward a common goal, with business owners leading the charge. If this is not your experience, maybe it’s time you dig deep and start creating an intentional culture built on abundance and love: https://lnkd.in/eqnjyNh2

New Year, New Mission? And just like that, we’re into a new year. Who celebrated in style? And who’s got big ambitions for the next 12 months? #grantchaneyrealestate #realestateagent #grantchaneyproperty #richmondproperty #richmond #nelsonrealestate #realestatenz

When you can feel the breath of Christmas on your neck, you know it's time to end the year strong. Would you be willing to do it with a ROAR? Our last #CULTUREBites of the year is IN PERSON (and on Zoom) on 21 November, and this is your chance to sit at the Table with our Conversation Leader, Simon Duffy, Executive Director at Taronga Zoo Sydney. You get to ask Simon the questions you want answered, share your thoughts, and connect with others who are leaders and learners just like you. Together, we'll explore how Simon and his team infuse purpose into every aspect of Zoo life and navigate the complexities of running a business true to its values, one with such diverse roles that it's like running a small town. It's a unique workplace focused on conservation, sustainability and the environment, and which, to its 4,000 animals, is a home, a school, a nursery, a dating service, the first line of defence, and the last resort. It's guaranteed to be thought-provoking, inspiring and practical, with ideas you can take back to your workplace and implement. So, for a chance to connect in person at Taronga's incredible harbourside location - or join the conversation via Zoom - from 12-2pm (Sydney time), grab your seat for the last #CULTUREBites of 2023 here: https://lnkd.in/fzaBwBS Kirsty Lisa Warren Max Charlie Hannah Caroline Martin Emily Matija Leonie Angèle Heather Vanessa Megan RUBEN Louise Danielle Mariane Marian Jennifer Sarah Jack Benjamin Rachael Chantelle Trent Harriet Tony Bernie Kylie Liana Reshmi Julie Lee Jo Cameron saima Olga #changingchange #2mmshift #leadership #companyculture #purpose #culturechange #culture #transformation #values #diversity #conversation #conservation

One of the most profound concepts that I come back to over and over again in building culture is the idea of challenge and invitation. I was introduced to this paradigm in the book, Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Breen. The book unpacks how culture is formed and what a healthy culture looks like. Mike tells a beautiful story about how wild mustangs would be initiated in to the herd. As a young stallion approached the herd, the lead mare would challenge him by flattening hear ears and staring directly at him. The stallion would stop and begin bowing toward the mare. Then the mare would turn her flank to the young horse and lift her ears, inviting him closer. The mare would alternate challenge and invitation until the two horses touched in a moment called join-up when the stallion was admitted into the herd. His point was that the strongest cultures and the most fruitful relationships have high challenge and high invitation. If you have one without the other you end up with a dysfunctional culture. He breaks this out into 4 quadrants: High Invitation Low Challenge = A Complacent Culture Low Invitation Low Challenge = An Apathetic Culture High Challenge Low Invitation = A Stressful, Discouraged Culture High Invitation High Challenge = An Empowered Culture Too much challenge and people get discouraged, not enough and they become too comfortable and don't grow. Too much invitation and people feel coddled, too little and they feel stressed and uncared for. This is a constant tension, but I strive to provide an environment in my team, in our small group at church, and with my kids where people feel challenged to grow and achieve more than they thought possible while also creating a safe space for them to be themselves and bring their challenges and struggles to me. Where have you experienced environments of high challenge and high invitation? What kind of culture did it create? #personalgrowth #teamculture

Discover the importance of embracing change in this intriguing blog post by Doug Thorpe. Read more at: https://buff.ly/4ayMhYr @doughtorpe_com

Often aquatic program areas and divisions are culture “pacesetters” in their agency — with engaged teams and above-average performance. How can that be scalable across a whole department? Some tips to scale up!

3 learnings from 11 wonderful years at Sydney Water I just finished at Sydney Water (Aug/23) and wanted to share 3 things that helped me grow as a person and made my time there so rewarding. 1.           Look in the mirror Several years ago, Sydney Water ran a corporate culture program. Branded Blue Bus, it focused on improving our culture to bridge the gap between our actual performance and what we could become.  This cultural transformation required that you start with a focus on yourself (look in the mirror), to become a better more self-aware and considerate person, conscious of the people and situation around you. 2.           Involved and sharing Different Blue Bus principals resonated with each of us.  We focused on improving ourselves, then shared personal stories and learnings with those around us. By focusing on self-improvement first and taking the courage to share, benefits naturally spread into our teamwork, trust grew, teams started to bond more, supporting each other, and connecting at a deeper level. As teams became more connected the magic happened, it stepped us up a level in performance, we had more fun as part of work, life at work started to feel more like a community, a work family, more enjoyable. 3.           A foundation of behaviors, mindset, and values Performance improved not because of tools, technology, systems, or process. The change came through personal development in behaviors, mindset and values.  We enjoyed the community connection created, and more people wanted to join those teams that really engaged in this new focus. Along with many others, I will take the Blue Bus principals with me forever.  They helped me become a better person, leader, and communicator. For that, I am grateful to have been involved in this transformational program.  To the many people I engaged with in my time at Sydney Water, those that have helped and mentored me, those I have helped, the friends made, and fun times had while working together, thank you for my 11 wonderful years with you at Sydney Water.  #whichbusareyoudrivingtoday #culture #culturematters #sydneywater #leadership