At a time when our world appears more divided and fractured than ever, protecting the culture in our companies and communities becomes critical. 

So many people feel helpless to affect national politics or address global unrest, but it’s within our reach to protect the vitality, energy, and creativity of ourselves, our colleagues, and our associates. 

As adults, we spend more of our waking hours and healthy years working than any other single activity, and these fiscal weeks and quarters that stretch into years and decades can be a highlight of our lifetimes, no matter what’s happening on the national or international stage.

Curating a more connected culture starts with a clear mission, purpose, and why the business exists in the first place. 

Once this is established and embraced by employees and customers alike, committing to the following three practices will shift your workplace into one where people feel seen, trusted, and ready to do their best work.

1. Ensure Things Happen With People, Not To Them.

Loving leaders engage with everyone in an organization’s ecosystem, intentionally seeking information, ideas, insights, and feedback from colleagues, clients, customers, and suppliers. 

Loving leaders are aware of their own thoughts and intuition, yet they hold what they know and, instead, listen with open ears and open minds.

How can you incorporate this yourself? Practice the art of trading places, pausing to consider and even ask how policy changes, strategic shifts, and decisions will affect others. Instead of simply assigning tasks, invite people in, and be open to why someone might pause or say no.

We know that people generally want to do great work and will say, “Yes!” when they can. So when they say “no,” there’s probably a good reason. Maybe they’re already juggling intense or overwhelming projects. There might be issues at home that require energy and attention. 

Or, they may not fully understand the project or task’s requirements, which you can explore through dialogue.

That’s the difference between having a role and having a voice; people show up differently when they feel heard.

2. Focus On What You Do Want, Not What You Don’t Want.

The law of attraction leans into the principle that similar forces (or energies) converge and amplify each other. Our words and stories have energy, as do our rules, policies, and procedures. 

Organizations that focus on being safe, applying strengths, leveraging experience, learning from setbacks, and prioritizing how they want people to be at work have a completely different climate and energy than organizations that focus on minimizing accidents, fixing weaknesses, favoring executive experience, and zeroing in on how they don’t want people to be at work, leading to workers who fear failure and consequences for stepping out of line. 

How can you recalibrate?

First, look at the goals and targets for the company and departmental teams: Who sets these goals? Are they top-down, set by management and force-fed to lower ranks, or are they set by the people who’ve agreed to deliver the goals? 

Are customers and suppliers engaged in the planning and goal-setting process? Do targets reflect external trends and forces, whether they bring momentum or headwinds? 

Leading an engaged and empowered organization requires respecting free will. You must trust teammates to set stretch targets they believe they can meet and pursue through highs and lows because they chose the target and own it.

Revisit your employee handbook and customer terms and conditions, assessing them for spirit and tone. Is it not only clear what’s expected from individuals and teams but also how they’ll be recognized and rewarded? 

Or do you only see policies that lay out consequences and punishment when goals aren’t met or behaviors don’t align with expectations?

While processes and procedures for investigations, claims, and wrongdoing should be clear and applied consistently, they don’t drive performance. 

People lock in when you clarify the behaviors you want and what it looks like to speak up, manage conflict, prioritize, shape, and deliver from every box on your org chart.

3. Address Dis-Ease As If Your Life Depends On It.

A critical-care doctor who spends his days in intensive care units and hospice recently shared his belief that 80% of people facing chronic illness today wouldn’t be in the hospital if two things changed: First, if you took away their stress. And second, if they maintained a healthy weight. 

If people could live at ease and their organs could function without added stress from excess weight, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances, entire communities would enjoy more health, happiness, and higher quality of life.

Loving leaders balance the energy that’s applied to what we’re doing, the mission, strategies, goals, and objectives for the periods ahead, with how we’re doing it: the connection, collaboration, customer focus, and care we bring to each meeting, each program, and every delivery. 

We need to understand our teammates’ goals and dreams to match them with roles and opportunities that align with their ambitions and capacity. 

We also want to know about their struggles and challenges so we can place our hands on their backs through difficult times, personal setbacks, or tough times for the firm.

Keeping a pulse on the satisfaction, stretch, and stress of your teams doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, but it does need to be consistent if you want to spot any movement away from “normal.” 

A simple pause at the end of meetings to ask colleagues to give a thumbs-up if all is well, a thumbs-neutral if there is some stretch or stress, and a thumbs-down if panic or stress is too much gives just enough information for fast follow-up. 

Even quick one-on-ones or anonymous check-ins can surface hidden stress before it spirals.

Teams using sprints can embed retrospective sessions into the cadence to check alignment, sentiment, and needs with each cycle. And many tools, such as QUAN Well-Being software, help companies and teams assess their climate and address any gaps.

When Work Works, Life Works

Making work work for people, not just profits, might sound radical, but it’s deeply human. Small, intentional choices ripple outward: from stronger teams to better results, from healthier workplaces to healthier lives. 

When we lead with care, clarity, and commitment, work becomes more than a place we go; it becomes a force for connection, growth, and community. And that’s how we build a workplace that truly works for everyone.