S. Chris Edmonds

It’s not too late to create an uncompromising work culture
Smartbrief
May 24, 2022

Employees seek out organizations where every team member experiences inclusion, involvement and influence over their work and their workplace. When they find roles in those companies, those employees bring their best, proactively solve problems, and they stay with those companies.

Employees are fed up with lousy cultures and bad bosses
Smart Brief
April 26, 2022

Employees are fed up, and they continue to voluntarily quit their jobs at a record-setting pace. More than 47 million US workers did so in 2021, and millions more have since 2022 began.

And they’re not taking any job they see; they’re being selective. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there have been over 11 million job openings available each of the past three months with data.

Culture Leadership Charge – Define & align to servant purpose
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April 12, 2022

In our new book, Good Comes First, co-author Mark Babbitt and I propose four culture cornerstones that are the foundation of an uncompromising work culture. These cornerstones help align people and practices to your ideal work culture. Our first cornerstone, “Live Our Servant Purpose,” enables l

Culture Leadership Charge – Preconceived Notions May Steer You Wrong
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March 14, 2022

Business leaders today have a lot on their minds – and on their plates. They juggle hiring challenges. Mask mandates. Retaining talented players. Vaccine guidelines. Supply chain issues. Generating revenue. All these tasks are demanding, requiring attention and intention every minute. Yes, the

Culture Leadership Charge – Learning from a chiropractor
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January 15, 2022

I’m old. Over the years, back and neck pain caused me to hold my neck & shoulders & back very tightly – so moving wouldn’t hurt. Those tight muscles learned to be inflexible and immovable – so I wouldn’t hurt. Muscles are incredibly powerful. If they learn to be inflexible

Culture Leadership Charge – A Leader’s 2022 Call to Action
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December 18, 2021

I’m reflecting on an anniversary this month. Twenty-eight years ago this month I had a heart attack. It was not how I planned to spend the day. Thanks to exceptional health professionals, dedicated family, and the grace of God, I survived. Like many others who have experienced a significant health

How Venus Williams Took Her Business Game to a New Level
Advertising Week
November 17, 2021

People know Venus Williams as a tennis champion and Olympian. However, they may not know her as an entrepreneur.

As it turns out, Venus is passionate about tennis and design. So while competing at the highest levels on the court—and winning her fair share of tournaments, Grand Slam championships, and gold medals—Venus founded her interior design firm, V Starr Interiors, in 2002. That same year she was ranked No. 1 in the Women’s Tennis Association.

Ten years later, Venus founded her activewear company, EleVen by Venus. Ever since, from apparel decisions to commercial interiors, Venus has been deeply involved in virtually every design. To stay engaged throughout both companies’ projects as she traveled the world for tennis, Venus did “remote work” long before it became a requirement during the pandemic. That both businesses are highly successful is a credit to Venus (who routinely juggles multiple full-time jobs!) and to the talented leaders and designers with whom she surrounds herself. Also critically important to her companies’ success: Intentionally creating uncompromising company cultures.

This article shares how Venus is building a purposeful, positive, productive work culture in both her businesses.

Culture Leadership Charge – 3 Things to Boost Retention
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November 12, 2021

If you’re trying to hire staff right now, you’re not having fun. The US Federal Reserve Bank in September estimated that the average time required to fill an open job rose from 20 days to 50 days over the previous four months. And a new global McKinsey study found that 40% of respondents are som

Culture Leadership Charge – Respect Must Come First
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October 12, 2021

Years ago, a friend received some brilliant leadership advice from a mentor. The mentor said, “How you treat people today becomes conversation around their dinner table tonight.” Today, it’s not just dinner table conversations that leaders need to be aware of. It’s Glassdoor.com and social m

Good Comes First – Leaders Model the Culture They Want
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September 19, 2021

Today’s video features Good Comes First book co-authors Mark Babbitt and yours truly discussing a core foundation of a purposeful, positive, productive work culture. Here’s an excerpt. Mark: “I often say, Chris, that most of what I learned about leadership was on the baseball fie

Good Comes First – Make values measurable and socially relevant
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September 02, 2021

Today’s video features Good Comes First book co-authors Mark Babbitt and yours truly discussing a core foundation of a purposeful, positive, productive work culture. Here’s an excerpt. Chris: “What I find when I, you and I both experienced that as we work with leaders to help the

Good Comes First – Helping leaders make respect as important as results
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August 03, 2021

Today’s video features Good Comes First book co-authors Mark Babbitt and yours truly discussing what it takes to build and sustain an uncompromising work culture. Here’s an excerpt. Chris: Once leaders get to a stage where they realize “This is not sustainable. We’re not go

Good Comes First – There’s no labor shortage. There’s a respect shortage.
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July 19, 2021

Today’s video features Good Comes First book co-authors Mark Babbitt and yours truly discussing what it takes to build and sustain an uncompromising work culture. Here’s an excerpt. Mark: “Let’s talk about this ‘old normal, new normal.’ What we’re doing wi

Good Comes First – Why attrition can be your friend during culture refinement
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July 06, 2021

Today’s video features Good Comes First book co-authors Mark Babbitt and yours truly discussing what it takes to build and sustain an uncompromising work culture. Here’s an excerpt. Mark: Chris, toward the end of the book we talk about not just what it takes for leaders to become change cham

Content Marketing Section
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July 26, 2017

New research from SmartBrief and the Content Marketing Institute unveils the kind of content business decision-makers view as most influential in the purchasing process. Read More Content with a high perceived value will cut through the clutter and be remembered. Here are six indispensable practices

How Content Influences the Purchasing Process
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July 26, 2017

According to the Content Marketing Institute, over 89% of B2B marketers in 2017 will create and distribute relevant and consistent content to build their audience and drive sales. SmartBrief and the Content Marketing Institute conducted a survey in May 2017 of senior executive business leaders acros

Good Comes First
Matt Holt Books
September 28, 2021

For decades, talented people have tolerated old-school leaders who put results before respect, toxic company cultures, and workplaces that suck. But those days are over, and if leaders want to attract and retain the best employees—while improving productivity, customer service, employee satisfaction, and profits—it’s time for them to create work cultures where good comes first.

The problem is that because the corporate world has too often been driven primarily by results, we seldom ask leaders to change their work cultures. Even if we did, most leaders don’t know how. This book provides the actionable inspiration and practical direction needed to make that change happen.

In Good Comes First, S. Chris Edmonds and Mark S. Babbitt go beyond theoretical advice, using their combined 50 years of experience to present proven strategies for creating purposeful, positive and productive work cultures. Cultures where good comes first for employees, customers, leaders, and stakeholders—and where improved business outcomes quickly follow.

Leading at a Higher Level, Third Edition
FT Press
November 12, 2018

Best-seller Leading at a Higher Level, Third Edition, contains indispensable contributions from The Ken Blanchard Companies’ founding associates and consulting partners, including Marjorie Blanchard, Madeleine Homan Blanchard, Scott Blanchard, Don Carew, Eunice Parisi-Carew, Randy Conley, Kathy Cuff, Garry Demarest, Claire Díaz-Ortiz, S. Chris Edmonds, Fred Finch, Susan Fowler, Bob Glaser, Lael Good, Vicki Halsey, Laurie Hawkins, Judd Hoekstra, Fay Kandarian, Linda Miller, Alan Randolph, Jane Ripley, Jesse Stoner, Drea Zigarmi, and Pat Zigarmi.

The Culture Engine
John Wiley and Sons
September 03, 2014

We are more aware now than ever before of the vital importance of organizational culture. No one is inspired to perform in dreary, frustrating environments, and, in the 21st century, inspiration and engagement are often the only things separating the successes from the failures. But an earnest desire to improve your organization’s culture will only get you so far. You need a tangible framework that will give shape to your good intentions. There are many such frameworks out there, but The Culture Engine is the only one that’s really in tune with the daily realities faced by leaders at all levels.

It’s true that culture-building is an ongoing process, but leaders also need to contend with the day-to-day responsibilities. Until now, no book has provided a way to solidify the culture you want without falling behind on everything else. In fact, The Culture Engine, with its emphasis on developing an organizational constitution, never loses sight of the fact that it’s the everyday tasks that add up to a successful team. The goal of this book is to provide readers with a way to build a foundation that will guide daily implementation, allowing effective leadership to really kick in.

Many managers and team leads have a nagging feeling that their people aren’t performing to their full potential. Sure, the job is getting done, but is it getting done well, or is it just “good enough”? Without a set of principles to point the way to leaders and team members alike, no amount of intervention will squeeze success out of a troubled culture. The Culture Engine shows that those principles don’t have to be nebulous and vague—quite the contrary.

Author S. Chris Edmonds walks readers through the steps to drafting an organizational constitution with the goal of clarity and a shared vision. With this vision in place, employees feel engaged and inspired to be a part of something with tangible meaning. A culture like that is the holy grail of leadership. Defining, crafting, and managing an organizational constitution per The Culture Engine’s clear instructions brings that goal within reach for all of us.

#Corporate Culture Tweet
THINKaha
April 11, 2011

In #CORPORATE CULTURE tweet Book01, S. Chris Edmonds starts at the very beginning--by showing you how to recognize an organization's culture and identify what a healthy workplace culture looks, acts, and sounds like. This may sound trivial, but it is not. Oftentimes, surface appearances are deceptive and you need to dig a little to learn the truth. An organization that appears healthy and happy may have large numbers of low-productivity, demotivated employees. Conversely, an organization that appears to have plateaued or be driven by a handful of strong personalities may, counter to intuition, boast of stellar performers and consistently upbeat results.

Having shown you how to recognize a healthy organization, the author uncovers the power of 'boss behavior.' Most of us remember our best boss ever, a person who created a work environment that enabled us to perform at our best while being incredibly satisfied with our boss, team, and work. Chris describes how great bosses behave to ensure that organizational culture standards are maintained and reinforced each day.

Just as culture change is hard for individuals, it is difficult for organizations. It takes discipline and effort to focus on culture management day in and day out. This is why Chris also engages us on accountability behaviors and actions that ensure that the desired organizational culture is embedded and acted upon.

Written in the actionable tweet format and demonstrating the value that can be delivered in small packages, #CORPORATE CULTURE tweet Book01 will find a home on every progressive corporate leader's bookshelf.

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, April 2022
YouTube
April 25, 2022

Employees continue to voluntarily quit their jobs at a record-setting pace. More than 58 million US workers have done so since January 2021.

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, March 2022
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March 21, 2022

CLC Episode 101 - Preconceived notions steer you wrong
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March 14, 2022

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, February 2022
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February 20, 2022

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, January 2022
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January 24, 2022

Culture Leadership Charge: Episode 100 (!), January 2022
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January 15, 2022

Culture Leadership Charge, Episode 99 - Leaders, Here's Your 2022 Call to Action
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December 18, 2021

Thank you for visiting my YouTube channel!
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November 30, 2021

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, November 2021
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November 22, 2021

Culture Leadership Charge, Episode 98 - November 2021
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November 11, 2021

Good Comes First NACM Author Chat teaser 102721
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October 30, 2021

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief, October 2021
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October 25, 2021

Culture Leadership Charge, Episode 97 - Respect Must Come First
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October 11, 2021

Culture Leadership Charge for SmartBrief - September 2021
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September 27, 2021

Good Comes First - To ensure change takes hold, senior leaders must model values and behaviors
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September 19, 2021

Good Comes First - Leaders model the culture they want, for better or worse
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September 19, 2021

How to Generate Respect in the Workplace: Build a Company Culture where Good Comes First

Location: Virtual or Live at your Conference     Date Available: June 20th, 2022     Fees: 20000

Submission Date: April 08th, 2022     Service Type: Service Offered

In this era, mistrust, mistruths, and disrespect—not only in interactions with toxic bosses and toxic colleagues in the workplace but also in back-channel communications and on social and digital platforms—are rampant. So it has never been more critical for leaders to demonstrate respect as they earn the respect of their employees.

Not in some insincere way; certainly not in the same way management has attempted to manipulate employee engagement over the past several decades. Instead, the goal for leaders today is to create a workplace where respect is contagious, validation is pervasive, and employees are treated with dignity while driving results.

In this presentation, designed to offer time for reflection and self-awareness, Chris or Mark show that today’s most valued leaders are exceptional relationship builders, respectful collaborators and engaged mentors. Moreover, those same leaders consistently show employees they matter by demonstrating genuine care for both the work and the people doing the work.

At the end of this discussion, leaders will know they must deliberately create a company culture where good comes first for employees, customers, and all stakeholders—and those players know they are trusted to do exceptional work.