By Norene Cashen 

Ideas That Stick 

Last winter, I attended a training on creating positive work cultures. One of my favorite takeaways was simple but super useful: Another attendee told us that whenever her staff heard or read a statement that provided great insight, captured memorable ideas, or solved a problem, they wrote it on a sticky note and put it on a whiteboard.

That might sound kind of old-fashioned in today’s digital world. But there’s something satisfying about making a note on real paper.

Capturing Careforce Wisdom 

As I watched one of the latest KARE-ing Conversations episodes, “Rebuilding and Retaining Our Careforce,” I was inspired to use the sticky note strategy to capture some of the ideas I heard.

Foresight co-host Rachel Hill got this lively conversation with two “engagement experts” started by reflecting on shifting core values in the world of work. Then things took off, and the memorable and actionable quotes start flowing.

Here’s a roundup of my top five picks.

  1. “When you understand what someone you’re managing values, and what gets them excited — what brings them joy — you’re going to be able to connect with that person.” Anna Hall, founder of The Purpose Equation, shared this gem of wisdom, and she also reminded us of the platinum rule: Treat others as they want to be treated, which means understanding people, instead of assuming we know what they want or what is good for them.
  2. “Culture is what happens when you’re not there as a manager.”Anna also gets credit for this top quote.
  3. “I think so much could be resolved if we just sprinkled a little bit of team building into every interaction we have.”After Magnet Culture president Cara Silletto offered up this vision of team building as a way of being, she gave examples of innovative strategies to put it into practice. She recommends informal mentoring and reverse mentoring (senior staff learning from new hires).
  4. “We say, ‘Your culture is not posters on the wall. It’s what walks down the hall.’”Cara received high praise from the group with this motto that she said best represents her organization’s commitment to “living” the values that create a positive work culture.
  5. “Our industry, that actually expects people to care, has to be taught how to care.”Jordan Evans, KARE-ing Conversations co-host and HERO development program manager at KARE (a Foresight partner) wraps up this dynamic meeting of minds with a passionate statement on caring. He discusses how this basic idea can’t be taken for granted. It must be created. He then drives his point home by standing up and reading the slogan on his company t-shirt that says, “DO YOU KARE?”

If you want to be enriched and inspired, be sure to watch this series. And if you’re like me, you might want to have a stack of sticky notes nearby.

Don’t Miss an Episode 

Need a KARE HERO in your organization? Fill out the inquiry form here. And be sure to catch KARE-ing Conversations every Wednesday, live, at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.

Here are a few ways to watch:

You can catch up on all the KARE-ing Conversations episodes here.