We are living in very turbulent times, from global to environmental to political to economic crisis and everything in between. We are bombarded by news—most of it scary!—and a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Regardless of what products or services your company offers, across the board, humanity is facing many challenges. Many people are dealing with issues individually, with their families, and in their cities that are very likely causing a lot of stress and anxiety.

The sad thing is that most people are also working in an environment that is at best, ok and they are getting by, or at worst, in a very toxic environment which is adding to the levels of disengagement and poor mental health.

But it doesn’t need to be this way!

Imagine your colleagues being excited to go to work on Mondays, that your people feel they have friends and support at work, that they are happy and engaged which is making them highly productive. Imagine that there is a high level of trust and that teams collaborate well with each other. And just think how you might be able to leverage AI and technology to free up your time to be more creative and to do the things you love to do most.

It may sound a bit utopian, but the reality is that this can be created systematically when you commit to creating a thriving culture.

It IS possible to create a great environment for your people and when you proactively work with the culture, you are creating an “oasis” for your people from these turbulent times. Your culture becomes an anchor that will help people feel safe, appreciated, and in turn, increase loyalty, retention, and productivity which all contribute to a healthy bottom line.

Leaders who truly care about their people are determined to create a great culture. Not only because they like their people and want to see them thrive, but also because they understand that this is absolutely a competitive advantage in the workplace.

So, what are the best ways to be proactive on your culture? Here are just a few tips that are easy to work with:

1. Lead by example—show that you do care and walk the talk. As a leader, you set the tone and it makes a difference so be authentic, extend trust, have quality conversations with your teams, ask questions, and listen more than you talk.
2. Have clearly defined values and a bigger purpose—don’t let these just be words on the wall. Make your values matter by living them and reinforcing behaviors that emulate these values. And a concise purpose statement will be the compass for decision making and attract both customers and top talent.
3. Recognize accomplishments and behaviors—this is essential to reinforcing the behaviors you want to see in the company, especially around the values. And people need to feel values and recognized for the good work they are doing, especially the small wins along the way to those bigger goals. Don’t wait but be generous here!
4. Create a learning culture—develop and invest in your people which will help them to grow both personally as individuals but also professionally within the company. The younger generations are actively looking for this when choosing employers. Bringing AI into the mix is going to accelerate not only the learning but the productivity as well when it is done right.
5. Establish high levels of trust—high trust organizations thrive and are proven to be more agile and will save money. When there is a high level of trust, your people have psychological safety, loyalty, and are willing to go above and beyond.

These are just a few ways that you can start to shift the culture. Having a great culture helps you attract and retain great people, increases engagement, productivity and gets to the root of many core issues you may be facing. Just remember that as a leader, if you are at the helm of the boat, your view may not show the issues within the company. It is important for you to be connected not only to your managers but also your employees.

Times are changing rapidly, and things are only going to accelerate from here. Being agile and resilient in your leadership and culturally will help your company to thrive long term.