Calvin and Eddie talk about culture and personal cadence
05 Nov
Culture Building, Leadership

Culture & Cadence: Sustainable success for people and business

When personal cadence is in synergy with organisational culture, both the individual and the business thrive.

Calvin Yeo

Culture and Cadence

What is culture? In simple terms, culture is the subconscious way in which we relate to people and do work. It begins early at home with family and ethnic culture, then later on, school culture, and much later, work and organisational culture. It affects how we think and feel, how we listen and speak, how we work and rest. So, our culture determines the rhythms of living and working—in other words, our cadence.

Each one of us is uniquely created to thrive with a certain personal cadence at work, so it’s important for us to discover what that is. Furthermore, there is the collective cadence of everyone working together, which informs an organisational culture.

Finding the synergy between our personal cadence and organisational cadence would help us as individuals to be fulfilled and for the business to flourish. What about you? Have you discovered your personal cadence at work, and how is it aligned with your organisational cadence?

The Purpose of Work Culture

What is the purpose of work culture? Work culture enables good work and business. It is the single most important factor to an organisation's sustainable success. Culture is not a means in itself, nor is it just for the well-being of people, important as that may be; it is also a means to achieving the organisation's vision, mission, strategies, and goals. Every organisation develops business strategies, IT strategies, and other strategies. What about culture strategy?

Furthermore, the operating environment around an organisation is constantly changing with new customer needs and demands, competitive landscapes, new technologies, and even regulatory changes. All of this has an impact on culture—the way that people relate to one another and work together. Moreover, the workforce itself is continually evolving, with new generations entering and a greater diversity of both foreign and local talent. What is your organisation's culture strategy, and how is it helping your organisation get from where it is today to where it wants to be in the future?

 

Work culture enables good work and business. It is the single most important factor to an organisation's sustainable success.

Eddie Eng

Formation of Culture

We are building our work culture all the time, even if we don't think about it—it just happens. Our thoughts, behaviours, and interactions are deeply ingrained in the fabric of our habits. Our work culture is a reflection of our collective work habits, as each of us brings our personal values, beliefs, personality, and preferred ways of working to our work.

Take a guess: when a culture is built randomly, does it lead to people feeling fulfilled and businesses flourishing? Not a chance. An effective culture doesn't happen by accident; it is created by being intentional in designing the work culture to support the business strategy. Culture is either built by default or by design. What do you do to build your culture by design to enable your business strategy? I'd love to hear from you.

Leaders are Culture Builders

Organisational culture development and leadership development are two sides of the same coin. What is your view regarding this statement? In our practice, we see that they influence and shape each other, creating a mutually reinforcing relationship that drives organisational success. Therefore, the starting point for building the desired culture must be a commitment from every leader to be a culture builder.

While everyone in the organisation contributes to building the culture, the leader has an outsized influence due to the functions and roles of leadership. That is why, in the culture work we do, leadership development is crucial in building the desired culture. So, what do you do to develop leaders to be culture builders?

the starting point for building the desired culture must be a commitment from every leader to be a culture builder

Starting Cadence Culture
30 Sep
Leadership, Personal Development

Starting Cadence Culture – The tough decision to pursue calling

The story of how Cadence Culture began, the struggles we faced while starting something we truly believe in, and the learnings and benefits we gained along the way.

Not too long ago, before Cadence Culture, I’d run to work (not literally, but I couldn't wait to get there!) with a wonderful bunch of passionate and multi-talented colleagues. I was enjoying the camaraderie, the co-creating and delivering training and consulting programmes we tailored for clients. I am so grateful for those days at ROHEI, which I miss a lot!

The decision to pursue my calling was tough because it meant leaving the organisation I felt very much aligned to—leaving the people I love and the relationships I treasured, and leaving the culture that was very much a part of me. It was so tough that I thought and prayed about it for more than a year before I left. During that time, I grieved the leaving, and every now and then, I still do.

Despite how painful it was, I felt it was my rite of passage towards the final trimester of my vocation. I've worked for 30 years, and God willing, I may work for another 15 years. In this final season, where I believe I can add the most value, I’m choosing to hear the call for me (by the way, “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare, “to call”), because my calling is my raison d’être—my purpose or reason for living, which goes beyond my work.

"Quality conversations foster trust and alignment, and unite people in a shared direction."

My calling is to be a courageous peacemaker and culture strategist, integrating my business experience, strategy consulting, and culture consulting. To put it another way, it’s to help people with ways of relating to others and doing things, whether at work, in the community, or with family. At work, it’s to restore, revitalise, and strengthen relationships and culture, so as to bring out the best in people and performance.

So when Eddie approached me to co-found Cadence Culture with him, it was the answer to living out my calling. For we both truly believe in organisations where work can be fulfilling for the people and flourishing for the business.

 

Cadence Culture works with organisations to transform or revitalise their desired culture through their communities of practice by deepening their connectedness, conversations, and collaboration.

 

Connectedness to their organisation, work, and colleagues brings a sense of purpose and belonging. Quality conversations foster trust and alignment, and unite people in a shared direction.


Collaboration brings out the best in each other’s diverse strengths to co-create solutions beyond the sum of their individual parts. This is akin to each one bringing their own rhythms of work and harmonising them with others to create a symphonic effect for greater impact.

Cadence Culture works with organisations to transform or revitalise their desired culture through their communities of practice by deepening their connectedness, conversations, and collaboration.

After deciding to start Cadence Culture, we faced different struggles, which brought about various benefits as we worked through them, resulting in a positive impact for the clients and learners.

 

Firstly, we built from scratch our corporate purpose and identity; our mission, vision, and values; our products and partnerships; and our initial go-to-market strategies. We spent weeks wrestling with ideas and concepts, aligning and turning them into clear and communicable pieces. We shared this with potential partners and clients to seek their feedback and input. This process of ideation, alignment, and synthesis required a tenacity to hold fast to our true north of ‘culture enables life-giving rhythms,’ yet with a willingness to explore ‘culture and leadership’ with fresh lenses to challenge previous paradigms and break through to new vistas.

 

Secondly, we invested in deepening our competencies, particularly in acquiring new tools to enhance our offerings. We felt this was necessary as it enabled us to provide greater tangible value for clients through bespoke and customised solutions for them. This took us on a journey of unlearning, relearning, and deepening our learning, which would benefit both our previous clients and new clients.

 

Thirdly, both of us had to do everything end-to-end, from strategic planning to business development to delivery and post-administration and billing! This challenged us to go beyond what we, as Principal Consultants, used to focus on (client engagement, proposal, consulting, training, and coaching) to see the entire value chain. This enabled us to enhance the entire client and learner journey map and also deepen our appreciation of the various roles required to make the whole consulting and learning experience sing!

What about you? Do you know your calling? What sacrifices are you prepared to make to follow it? More importantly, what would you gain in return?

As leaders and organisations, we’re called to follow our calling too, which will impact others’ lives. Cadence Culture can help you discover yours and pursue it. Join us as we embark on this journey.