18. Creating a Healthy (and Fun!) Team Culture and How to Handle the Hard Conversations

As you begin to build a team for your growing business, it’s important to think about creating the kind of place where people really enjoy where they work. But bringing on a team also brings new challenges–including putting on your HR hat and thinking through how your team culture looks and how to effectively (and professionally) handle conflicts in the workplace. Maintaining a productive and harmonious work environment for every employee takes some work–and no matter how carefully we select our team members, we are all human and conflicts will inevitably arise. Having clear expectations around team culture and following through with those tenets will lay solid groundwork for your employees–so when conflicts do arise, you can approach them with professionalism and compassion.  

Toa Green shares how she works to create a positive team culture and how to have difficult conversations, when the need arises, toward solving conflicts within her team. By using a few simple tried and true tools, she gives us intel on how she cultivated her particular management mindset as it pertains to maintaining a positive team dynamic and a happy, healthy workplace.

In this episode, Toa will discuss:

• The ins and outs of growing a team and what to look out for

• How to build leadership within your team culture

• Effective tools for having difficult conversations with your employees 

• 3 game-changing mindsets for managing your people

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Thank you to our sponsors!

 

Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

 

Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com

Resources Mentioned From the Episode 

• Brené Brown's "Clear is Kind" Article

• DiSC Personality Assessment

Quotable Moments From the Episode 

“We get into business, not to get into HR, but we get into business because we love doing the thing that we're passionate about.” - Toa Green

 

“‘It was really important for me to create a team culture. I had been in jobs that had very bad team culture, and I always swore to myself that I would do everything I could to create a team culture that was healthy and safe and inclusive and fun.” - Toa Green

 

“If you are in a place where you feel like you're banging your head against the wall because 70% to 90% of your time and energy are going toward people things, please know that it's very common. And of course, we did not get into this business to just be HR consultants and be HR people. Just know that you are not alone.” - Toa Green

 

“I find it's much, much easier to address things when they are small things before they become large things.” - Toa Green

 

“It's much easier to use facts and to use data [when having a challenging conversation] and to say, ‘it's not about you, it's about the behaviors that are not acceptable.’” - Toa Green

 

“Expecting people to be like you is very unrealistic. What is common sense to you is likely not common sense for everybody else. And that's the beauty of having a diverse and beautiful team where people get to bring in different insights and perspectives and personalities.” - Toa Green

Connect with Toa!
C&B Podcast website

C&B Ice Cream website

C&B Podcast's Instagram

*Production by Four Eyes Media*