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Hi Team,

Firstly a quick summary of the key discussion points from our Team Meeting last Friday.

Review of our handover process.

Positives = Great team work getting projects finished, breaking the handover up into 3 stages, very professional procedures, esp the videoing of technical equipment and we keep the client well informed throughout the handover process.
Negatives = Electrical handovers are well below our standard, several last minute changes by clients, rushing the last few fit off items and clients visiting site too often and talking direct to trades.

New Initiatives or innovations 

• Lyle will organise some DDB slippers for the clients and booties for all trades and site personnel to wear during handover instead of everyone walking around in their socks. 
• David will organise an "open day". On the afternoon before final client handover we will open the house for two hours and invite all trades and their partners to come through the house as well as local real estate agents and key architects. (This will require the approval of the client and may involve some champagne!)
• Julia will organise a bound photo journal of the project to present to the clients at handover.
• Something that we are already doing that needs to be reinforced, it is vital to get the power connection and gas connection done as early as possible.

PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS.

Joal = https://wondery.com/shows/the-next-big-idea/ (I've listened to the first three episodes and it's great)
Lyle = https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/11/13/shes-one-of-the-greatest-role-models-on-the-planet-crowe/

Why is culture important to a business?

In my previous weekly email "Our culture in action - 30th Sept", I explained that a businesses culture is simply the attitude and behaviour of it's employees and that three new projects for 2020 have come about as a direct result of DDB's culture. 

Culture is the character and personality of a business. It's what makes a business unique and is the sum of its values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors, and attitudes. A good business culture attracts good employees, drives engagement, impacts happiness and satisfaction, and affects job performance.

However; a businesses culture is fragile and vulnerable. It takes constant work and reinforcing to evolve and change with the business. Without strong leadership and ongoing reinvestment in the culture it can easily be eroded or undermined and can become a negative force within the business.

"Culture isn't just one aspect of the game, it is the game. A business is nothing more than the collective capacity of it's people to create value",  Louis Gerstner.

Here is a list of things that can easily undermine our business culture.

1. Technology, digital communication can dilute culture. Constant Email communication can cause people to detach from their conversations. It becomes easy for them to say things in emails that they wouldn't normally say if they were talking on the phone or in front of the other person.
2. Subcontractors, that don't have the same values or standards as we do.
3. Micromanagement, trust is tough to maintain and easy to destroy. Micromanaging someone shows them and their team that you don't trust them to do their job.
4. Mediocrity, if you accept mediocrity you will build a mediocre team and you will only ever get mediocre results.
5. Poor recruitment, the worst thing for culture is employing someone who does not fit.
6. Poor leadership, by not being true to yourself or your standards. The worst thing a leader can do is to be apathetic and tolerate sub-standard performance.

"In life you get what you tolerate not what you deserve",  Samantha Gash.

Thanks for reading, and happy birthday Lyle, Will + Nik (that was a great cake!)
David.