Strengthening Team Identity

Feedback can turn an average organization into a powerhouse. 📈  As a Chief Executive, harnessing effective feedback loops is key to driving continual improvement and alignment.  Here’s how to do it: 1. Set Clear Objectives: What are you aiming for? Whether it’s boosting team performance or uplifting product quality, clarity is essential. 2. Cultivate Open Communication: Foster an environment where all voices are heard. Regular meetings or digital platforms can bridge communication gaps. 3. Schedule Regular Check-Ins: One-on-ones and team meetings keep the pulse on progress and challenges, enabling timely realignments. 4. Leverage Surveys: Use surveys or questionnaires to extract valuable insights from employees and stakeholders. This data can highlight areas needing attention. 5. Act on Feedback: Analyzing feedback is just the start; implementing change communicates that feedback is respected and valued. 6. Build a Feedback Culture: Acknowledge and reward constructive feedback. When leaders exemplify its importance, it becomes a norm. 7. Use Technology Wisely: Feedback tools streamline processes, ensuring efficiency and impact. 8. Invest in Training: Equip your team with skills to deliver feedback that’s constructive, not discouraging. Master these steps and watch your organization's culture and performance soar. Ready to dive deeper into any particular step? Let’s discuss! For more posts like this, follow me @ https://lnkd.in/gnrwyZtR

In my Finance organization, storytelling is a focus area. Everyone should be able to tell a story about our financial performance, not just present the numbers. No one wants to see drab slides filled with floating numbers and percentages –finance leaders are expected to communicate captivating narratives that articulate what the data means... and recommend next steps. The same goes for any leader. 💡     If you’re wondering where to begin, invest. Invest in bolstering your storytelling muscle. A few months back, we hosted a storytelling workshop. Former journalists, communication experts, and storytellers challenged my team by sharing new frameworks and presentation tips while transforming data points into actionable insights and compelling narratives. As a result, our team observed our financial data through a new lens. Plus, we're embedding these best practices into the fabric of our work. ✅     Think of a story as “a vehicle for making a larger point,” as mentioned in this recent Forbes article: https://lnkd.in/gjwmaYt2      The big takeaways: know your message, know your audience, and elevate your leadership presence by delivering a compelling story.       As a CFO, I know firsthand how important it is to invest in this muscle to be a more effective communicator. And one more tip – preparation is key. 💪      #storytelling ServiceNow  

To keep a virtual team connected, the fix isn’t “more meetings.” It’s shared purpose. Clear alignment. And strategic shots of connection. Thank you to The Globe and Mail and Gobi Kim for featuring me alongside Shannae Ingleton Smith and Justin Raymond in this piece on building culture in distributed and remote teams. 🤔 One of the biggest challenges I see? Distributed and remote teams “transacting” with each other instead of truly collaborating. 🧭 The solution starts with defining how we work together. → That’s why I recommend every team create a Team Working Agreement. Yes, it takes time to develop - but the ROI is real. → In our programs, we’ve seen double-digit increases in clarity, connection, and trust. That kind of alignment pays out dividends. 🗺️ A foundational step in this process? Map your team. → Who’s where? What time zones? Who’s hybrid - and from which office on what days? → This simple exercise builds empathy, reduces friction, and improves coordination. → Want to try it? Get the free mapping tool here: https://lnkd.in/eRTZnVUf 💡 Remote doesn't mean never together. Think of intentional gatherings as a “shot of connection.” → This is one of my favorite analogies from Annie Dean at Atlassian. → Atlassian research shows that just one well-designed in-person gathering can boost connection by 27% - with effects lasting 4-5 months. It’s like an inoculation for team connection. 💥 Case Study: a remote agency Shannae leads a fully remote company, Kensington Grey Agency Inc. She reinvests what could've been spent on an office lease into travel - sending groups of employees to meet clients in-person. This strengthens both external relationships and internal connection. Justin's team at Flexday supports Kensington Grey in building their intentional connection by matching them with a well-resourced office space for the agency members to gather for 2 days each month. 📖 Full article: https://lnkd.in/ervVgwmU 👇 What’s one thing your team does - virtually or in-person - to boost connection?

The Blueprint: How to Build an Employee Ambassador Programme Every company will tell you their people are their biggest asset. But if you look closely, most treat them like a line on a balance sheet, not a path in their brand story. And there lies the problem. We're in an era where audiences don’t just want to see what a company does, they want to understand who’s behind it, what they believe in, and how they show up in the world. That’s why Employee Ambassadors matter. Because their voice creates both. And just like any marketing channel, their impact is exponential when it’s built with intention. Here’s my top level blueprint I wish every brand had: 1️⃣ Identify your natural storytellers Every business has them, your culture carriers, A-players, internal influencers. You don’t need everyone posting, just empower those who already live your values and can translate them externally. 2️⃣ Provide frameworks, not scripts People connect with voices, not scripted copy. Give your team clarity on what stories matter, not pre-approved captions. Define key themes and moments and let them share through their own perspective. 3️⃣ Teach storytelling as a brand skill Storytelling isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a competitive advantage. If your team can clearly explain what you do, why it matters, and who it helps, you’ve built an organic marketing engine. Lead learning and development workshops on finding your voice, storytelling and delivery. Give them the tools and they’ll give you the content. 4️⃣ Recognise and reward visibility We celebrate sales and KPIs, but rarely celebrate the people who build trust equity for the brand. Visibility *is* brand contribution. When employees grow an audience or earn industry credibility, the whole business benefits. Acknowledge it. Incentivise it. Celebrate it. Build it into culture. 5️⃣ Build a two-way feedback loop The best advocacy systems work both ways. Leaders give visibility, employees bring insight back. That exchange keeps both sides accountable, aligned, and moving in the same direction. It prevents disconnects, ensures consistency, and turns advocacy into a source of growth - not risk. 🤝 When this system is implemented, your people become living extensions of your brand’s promise. And collectively, they build something no campaign ever could: human trust at scale. Employee Ambassadors don’t just grow your audience, they grow your authority.  Next week, I’ll unpack the business advantage - how visibility turns into real commercial value. Drop your questions, thoughts, challenges below! - 👋 I’m Grace Andrews - brand & marketing educator, creator-entrepreneur, and former Brand Director for Steven Bartlett & The Diary of a CEO. This is post 3/6 of my new series Inside Voices, exploring the rise of the Employee Ambassador and how they’re reshaping modern marketing. Hit Follow to stay informed! - I'm sharing a post every week unpacking how they’re changing the way brands grow, hire, and lead.

Leaders: Stop winging feedback. Use frameworks that drive growth. Giving feedback isn’t easy - but winged feedback often leads nowhere. Without structure, your words might confuse, demotivate, or even disengage your team. Here are 4 feedback frameworks that create clarity, build trust, and drive growth (and 1 to avoid): 1) 3Cs: Celebrations, Challenges, Commitments 🏅  → Celebrate what’s working well. → Address challenges with honesty. → End with commitments for improvement. 2) Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) 💡  → Describe *specific* situations. → Focus on observed behavior. → Explain its impact on team or goals. 3) Radical Candor 🗣️  → Care personally while challenging directly. → Show empathy but stay honest. 4) GROW Model: Goal, Reality, Options, Will ⬆️  → Set goals for feedback. → Discuss current reality. → Explore options for growth. → Commit together on action steps. ❌ 5) DO NOT USE: Feedback Sandwich ❌  → Start with something positive. → Address areas needing growth. → Close with another positive. ‼️ This outdated model tends to backfire as people feel manipulated. Structured feedback isn’t just about improving performance. It builds trust, fosters open communication, and creates an environment for continuous learning. ❓Which framework do you use to give feedback? ♻ Share this post to help your network become top 1% communicators. 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for more leadership insights.

While founders are debating whether they should be building personal brands or not, this new approach is shifting how people buy. Founder branding gets you attention. But here's what we're seeing with the teams we work with: When only the founder posts, buyers see your brand once. Maybe twice if they scroll deep enough. 👉 But when your sales team is posting about deals they closed.  👉 Your engineers are sharing what broke in production.  👉 Your ops lead is talking about customer wins Buyers are seeing your brand from six different angles before they even book a call. And density is what actually moves people from "I've heard of them" to "I need to talk to them." Here's how you can get your team to post on LinkedIn without making it feel like work: 1. Start with a low-pressure posting challenge. One post a week about what you worked on, what broke, and what you learned. Keep it optional. 2. Incentivize participation, not virality. Reward consistency, clarity, honesty, not likes. Simple rewards work: vouchers, prize money, shoutouts, course subscriptions etc. 3. Give people prompts so they're not staring at a blank screen. "One thing customers taught me this week." "A mistake we fixed." "What surprised me about my role." 4. Let leaders go first. If founders aren't posting honestly, teams won't either. The fastest unlock is when a leader shares a mistake, a hard decision, or a behind-the-scenes moment. 5. Celebrate effort publicly, not just results. In meetings, call out: "X shared a great post about our customer journey." Recognition beats rules. You can keep being the only voice buyers hear from your company. Or you can build the density that makes them remember you before the call even happens. PS: Are you the only person buyers hear from before they book a call with you? #FounderBranding #TeamBranding #B2BMarketing #PersonalBrand #StartupGrowth

When I assess team dynamics, I never ask “what’s your communication process?” Instead, I ask:   - Who gets to disagree here? - Who offers the ‘obvious’ idea? - Who names the elephant in the room? - And who pushes things forward when no one’s ready? These aren’t personality traits but team conversation roles. And David Kantor’s research shows that high-performing teams cycle through 4 roles in real-time conversations: 1. Initiator - proposes direction 2. Supporter - builds on the idea 3. Challenger - tests assumptions 4. Observer - brings perspective But here’s what’s not obvious: These roles are not titles, archetypes, or fixed styles. They’re functions and they only show up when the team culture allows them. And that’s where 🧠 team psychological safety comes in. When it's high: - The Challenger dares to disagree without fear of judgment - The Observer can name what others avoid without being dismissed - The Supporter feels safe amplifying ideas, not just agreeing - And the Initiator doesn’t dominate out of silence, but lead within dialogue Because effective team communication isn’t about being present in the room and talking. It’s about ensuring the right mix of roles (!) shows up at the right time. P.S.: Which of these roles is missing (or overused) in your team? 📊 Studies: Kantor, 2012; Edmondson, 1999.

In our team, we have 15 members working with us. If someone else was in our place, they would have started working out of the office. However, we still like to work from the comfort of our houses. Some say that working from home creates a huge gap among the team members since they don’t meet often. This can also lead to trust issues, decreased collaboration, and a sense of isolation. And they are right! You feel disconnected with your team (at least I have felt this) and it can be challenging to maintain the same level of camaraderie and teamwork that comes naturally in an office environment. To bridge this gap, we’ve taken some strategies and they’ve been working quite well for us: 1. Keep our cameras on: It wasn’t a rule in the beginning but now we have decided to follow it and trust me, it makes our interaction so much better. Seeing each other’s faces helps in making our conversations more personal and engaging. 2. A casual monthly interaction: Once a month, we have virtual meetings in which we talk about everything but work. These sessions are a great way to relax, have fun, and get to know each other better on a personal level. 3. Offsite activities: Since two years, we began meeting once or twice for some adventurous team outings. These activities not only break the routine but also help in building stronger bonds and creating lasting memories outside the work environment. Remote work definitely has some challenges but with the right initiatives, it’s possible to create a thriving and cohesive team. Do you think it is possible to work remotely if the organisation has over 100 employees? #RemoteWork #VirtualTeam #TeamCulture

I've helped teams build stronger communication cultures. (sharing my proven framework today) Building open communication isn't complex. But it requires dedication. Daily actions. Consistent follow-through. Here's my exact process for fostering feedback culture: 1. Start with weekly 30-min team check-ins → No agenda, just open dialogue → Everyone speaks, no exceptions → Celebrate small wins first 2. Implement "feedback Fridays" → 15-min 1:1 sessions → Both positive and constructive feedback → Action items for next week 3. Create anonymous feedback channels → Digital suggestion box → Monthly pulse surveys → Clear response timeline 4. Lead by example (non-negotiable) → Share your own mistakes → Ask for feedback publicly → Show how you implement changes 5. Set clear expectations → Document feedback guidelines → Train on giving/receiving feedback → Regular reminders and updates 6. Follow up consistently → Track feedback implementation → Share progress updates → Celebrate improvements 7. Make it safe (absolutely crucial) → Zero tolerance for retaliation → Protect confidentiality → Reward honest feedback Remember: Culture change takes time. Start small. Build trust. Stay consistent. I've seen teams transform in weeks using these steps. But you must commit fully. Hope this helps you build stronger team communication. (Share if you found value) P.S. Which step resonates most with you? Drop a number below. #team #communication #workplace #employees

When I joined Khan Academy, we were just four people in a small office, united by a vision of bringing free education to everyone, everywhere. Over the years, we grew to hundreds of employees, reaching over 100 million students worldwide. This exponential growth brought a significant challenge: how do you scale a team without losing the culture and values that made the organization special? The most crucial lesson I learned was that culture doesn't scale automatically - it demands constant attention and effort. The best way I found to attend to culture was to treat your culture like a product. You have to design it. As we grew, it became increasingly important to consider how to help team members learn about and carry the culture forward. Here are three strategies that helped us maintain our culture during rapid growth: 1. Over-communicate the Mission and the Principles that Guide it: As our team grew, we doubled down on ensuring everyone felt connected to our mission and understood our principles. Three of the most important principles were to focus on the student, Always be learning, and deliver exceptional ROI for donors. We regularly shared stories of how our work impacted students' lives, and what we learned from failures and successes, and calculated the number of learning minutes to keep the team aligned with our "why" and “how” and motivated by our shared purpose. 2. Create Rituals that Reinforce Values: We have meaningful rituals, such as starting meetings with student success stories and celebrating what teams learned, not just what they accomplished when we gave status updates. We also organized a yearly talent show and encouraged people to showcase new talents and skills. These practices served as constant reminders of our principles in action. 3. Adapt, but Stay True to Core Values: Growth necessitated changes in processes, tools, and communication methods. For example, we used to be able to share what we were learning during all-hands meetings, but at some point, it became impossible for each team to give an update. As part of our commitment to learning, we began to document our learnings and shared long-form asynchronous updates with everyone. We then shared summaries during all-hands meetings. Scaling a team while preserving its culture is challenging, and we weren’t always successful, either. But we were lucky that the team let us know when they thought we weren’t living up to the mission or principles and encouraged us to make changes.  It is achievable if you remain open to feedback and stay focused on core principles. What strategies have you employed to maintain culture as your team or organization grew?