“Leaders don’t force people to follow, they invite them on a journey” – Charles S. Lauer

There’s been a great deal of dialogue on the return to office (or RTO). From business need, to timing, to individual impacts, the discussion has been… robust, to put it lightly.

But what if you as a leader are considering whether it’s time for your team to return. There are a ton of angles to this issue, so before you make a decision and present your people with a potentially shocking ultimatum, take some time to consider the individual factors, and then TIE it all together into a more presentable package.

Why is it that most organizational change initiatives tend to fall into one of the following categories:

• It is slow to launch
• Are recycled from previous efforts that did not achieve intended outcomes
• Never realize their full potential

When I was a young girl, my mother would throw a strand of cooked spaghetti at the wall to see if it would stick. If it stuck, then the spaghetti was done.

Unfortunately, that’s how some leaders approach change! They initiate a change effort, sponsor it, sanction change teams, and may bring in consultants to help design the change. Then, they throw the change against the wall. . . and hope it sticks . . . and, in their minds, the change is “done.”

Co-authored by:  Dee Conway and Alycia Diggs-Chavis

African culture and history offer much wisdom for the world to live by, whether at work, at home, or in society at large . . . and what’s one of the key lessons?

Good behavior must start from the top. — South African Proverb

In 2020, Carmen Klein, VP Organizational Effectiveness and Systems (HR) at Cadillac Fairview graciously shared her thoughts and experiences using ALULA's Performance Coaching and Feedback as an enabler for their OneCF Culture. 

Cadillac Fairview is one of the largest owners, operators, and developers of best-in-class office, retail, and mixed-use properties in North America, valued at over $32B. Their real estate portfolio also includes investments in retail, mixed-use, and industrial real estate in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Cadillac Fairview’s employee engagement ranks in the Global Top 25% Most Engaged Companies. The firm has received accolades for their OneCF Culture, including Waterstone Canada’s Most Admired Cultures and Achievers Most Engaged Workplaces in North America.

The company’s journey to make its people and culture a competitive advantage began years ago, when company CEO John Sullivan made this observation: “Cadillac Fairview’s success is partly defined by the results we achieve (EBIT, returns, growth). But our success also is defined by how employees achieve those results, and the mindset and behavior of every employee. Behavioral leadership is key.”

Audits tell us whether employees are following safety procedures, right? Not necessarily.

Audits don’t always tell the whole story. I’ve seen cases where well-trained employees looked good on the audit yet had a troubling number of incidents on the job.

I’ve seen situations where companies have an admirable history of safety practice yet still experience fatalities—and in one case, two-thirds of the deaths occurred in high-risk areas.

How is this happening when their audits looked so good?