Q&A with Bill G. Williams: How to Build a Thriving Workplace Culture

By Luisa De Jesus, CHRP, CHRL

Creating and sustaining a dynamic workplace culture is essential for the success of any business. When people feel happy and supported, they're able to deliver their best work. Workplace culture influences the way that people perform, which ultimately impacts the bottom line. Too often, going to work is associated with energy depletion and exhaustion, but what if going to work could boost your energy instead? 

To learn more about how to build a thriving workplace culture, our founder and President, Luisa De Jesus, interviewed Bill G. Williams. Bill believes that it is possible to build a type of workplace culture that makes your team eager to jump out of bed and get to work every morning. Bill is the president of The b4 Group, and is the host of The Art of Leadership, and The Art of Leadership for Women. In his senior leadership roles within a wide range of national corporations, Bill has filled a number of capacities, consistently achieving inspiring actions and results. He’s been responsible for creating visions, establishing missions and setting amazing strategic direction to teams of all sizes. 

Q&A With Bill G. Williams: How to Build a Thriving Workplace Culture

1) What do you believe is the recipe to a thriving workplace culture?

To create a thriving workplace culture, it comes down to diversity, equity and inclusion. Considering questions such as, “Do we have a diverse culture that represents the mosaic that we have in our communities? Are we treating people equitably? How do we make sure that everyone is involved?” The other piece that is critical to a thriving workplace culture, is being abundantly clear about that culture. The culture of a workplace should either attract or repel people. This will ensure that the people who are a part of this culture are truly in the right place.

2) What are some of the biggest challenges that companies face in building a positive workplace culture, and how do they overcome them?

I think the focus on a “positive” workplace culture is a big part of the problem right there. That is because we are looking at the destination, rather than where we are right now. Let’s use the analogy of a GPS. The GPS needs two important pieces of information: where you’re going, and where you are right now. So I ask people, which one is more important? Most people will say where you are going is more important. Although that piece is critical, if your GPS does not know where you are right now, it cannot tell you how to get to where you’re going. So I think the most important and challenging part of creating a positive workplace culture is having a clear idea of where you are right now. For us leaders, that means that we must listen to our people. Truly listen to where they are at, what’s of concern to them, and what we need to do about it. Taking a moment to discover the truth will help you discover where you are, and figure out how to foster a better culture.

For me, it also goes back to an old Harvard Business Review, called the Service Profit Chain. The idea is that the better we take care of our people, the better they will take care of our customers. When we have exceptional customer experiences, our customers will spend more, stay with us longer and become more willing to forgive us if we ever make a mistake.  They will also attract their friends and family to the business which means we make more money, which we can then put into taking better care of our people again - and the cycle continues.

3) I know you’re working on a tentative title of a book called “Show Up. Why Employee Engagement Doesn’t Work: 12 Microsteps You Can Take To Energize Your Team.” Give us some insight into how you think the workplace can be transformed into a place that energizes rather than depletes the energy of a team?

Initially, I wanted this book to be attractive to the senior leaders of an organization. So often, HR is the one that has to do all the heavy lifting, carrying the burden of conducting the employee engagement survey, getting the results, sharing it with the managers, and holding focus groups and task forces. I wanted to take that and turn it upside-down. I wanted to give something to all the leaders in an organization so that they can take responsibility for themselves. 

We spend more than a third of our lives at work, and if you're not happy doing what you’re doing, and your job exhausts you and depletes all your energy, why are you doing it? Employees need to be able to “show up” with their body, mind and spirit. Your organization can really only pay for the body to show up. Oftentimes, employers will even supervise that to see what time you logged on, how late you stayed, when you arrived, when your break is, etc. So the employee’s body shows up, but what about their mind? We hire new people to work with us and they say “Hey, I’ve got this great idea to try things here” and we respond with “Well… you haven't been here long enough… you should just sit and wait.” We teach them to not give us their great ideas! The third component is their passion or spirit. How do we allow them to flourish? How do we create a culture where they will truly thrive, and feel passionate about coming to work? 

4) How can people connect with you to hear more?

The best way to connect with me is on LinkedIn, you’ll find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-g-williams

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At LD Human Resources, we believe that your people are your most valuable asset. Taking the time to set-up an effective performance management structure ensures that your team has a foundation for success within your company. 

To learn more about how you can optimize your performance management, be sure to schedule a free consultation with us by clicking on the button below.

About the Author

As the Founder and President of LD Human Resources, Luisa is a highly motivated and results-driven human resources professional with over 20 years’ experience in HR. Luisa is a Certified Human Resources Professional and holds a BA from the University of Toronto. She also graduated with honours, obtaining her Human Resources Management certificate in 2010.

Luisa’s expertise spans professional and financial services, construction, travel and tourism, IT, not-for profit and retail. Her key strengths include: strategic consulting; performance management, succession planning; recruitment and employee relations; organizational development and learning; and, compensation and benefits. Luisa is committed to high professional standards that link HR best practices to business objectives, delivering results within changing environments. She is a proud mother of two strong-minded young girls, and an advocate for mental health and wellness.