International Women’s Day (IWD)is kicking off with local and global celebrations dedicated to the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is “Inspiring Inclusion,” and it gives us an opportunity to recognize how everyone everywhere can take steps to inspire inclusion.  

In today’s workplace, it’s easy to wake up and find ourselvesin a funk. A short break, chat with a mentor, or bit of self-care usually does the trick! But what happens when an entire team gets in a funk? The solution is less clear, and the impact can strike a long-term blow to performance and engagement.  

Mark your calendars, because January 24 is National Compliment Day! Now before you run around tossing generic "you're awesome" comments, let's talk about effective compliments. Research shows that people feel uncomfortable receiving direct praise at work. So, this year, try complimenting what someone does instead of who they are.  

At ALULA, our love for animals isn't just a quirk—it's a shared bond that shapes our culture. Although we focus on the human side of business, our shared affection for furry, winged, speckled, or finnedfriendsis strong, and it creates a unique camaraderie. Given this common bond, we can’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate National Dress Up Your Pet Day this January 14!

Your company’s culture: strategic asset and competitive advantage

Your company culture is what employees say and do every day, how they work together (or don’t), what leaders reinforce (or don’t), and all the habits, practices, processes, and customs of the workplace.

With businesses continuing to work from anywhere, companies are more focused on efforts to ensure their people are engaged, no matter where they may be working. These days, many people seek employment with organizations that have environments and cultures that support their personal values. In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, so there’s no time like the present to start thinking about how and why you should support volunteering efforts in your company.

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.”

Culture can make or break your digital strategy. At ALULA, we define culture as patterns of behavior that have been either reinforced or discouraged by people, systems, and processes over time. No two cultures are the same, and an organization’s digital culture can be best defined by the people within it.

The advent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting need for many people to work remotely has accelerated the use of new, fast and frequently changing digital technology to solve business problems. Whether it has been the use of ever advancing technology like ZOOM^SM or Microsoft® TEAMS or the fast-tracking of more complex technological processes like Telehealth, businesses are radically re-thinking how they are using technology, people and processes to survive and thrive in the current economy.

Recently I had the pleasure of moderating the first-ever virtual Women in Leadership panel at the American Biomanufacturing Summit. The panel consisted of senior female leaders of Allakos Inc, Amgen, bluebird bio, Roche, and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. Each of them brought a different and rich set of experiences and knowledge to the virtual table.