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One lazy morning on my Facebook feed, I stumbled across a comment a friend made in a group called “screw the nine to five.” As I scrolled through the group’s comments and posts, I realized these diverse members from across the globe came together here in pursuit of the answer to one question:

It fascinated me that this group had over 30,000 members, and they were interacting with each other like they had known each other for years. Most of them probably had never met anyone else in the group, but they didn’t need to. They all had something in common – a dream – and they were supporting each other in achieving it.

Facebook’s mission is to connect people from across the world. What I realized is that the group owners were creating communities to ignite a movement. And successful groups used creative tactics to ignite conversations, including being visibly present.

Communication in the modern age has taken a significant turn, one that even affects the way we work. An online community of strangers supporting each other looks remarkably similar to employees within organizations. I used this viewpoint to develop an innovative approach at one of my consulting engagements.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a change network consisting of 20 high performers charged with introducing employees to the organization’s new purpose and values. This cultural transformation would prepare the employees of the organization to reimagine the way they worked.

In a reflection session I facilitated with the members of the change team, two challenges surfaced.

1. They felt stuck in a siloed approach that created competitiveness instead of collaboration.
2. They also felt disconnected from the organization’s leadership.

The change leaders wanted to collaborate and share what they were doing to advance the organization, and they needed to know leaders were still engaged and not driving towards the next project.

I suggested that we implement “Monday Spotlights” and “Friday Hangouts” concepts to ignite collaboration and bring leaders to the forefront to listen to employees.

Monday Spotlights had the employees of the organization sharing the specific tactics they were using to advance the purpose and values. Peers engaged in two-way conversations to build on each other’s ideas.

Friday Hangouts opened a conversation with the Chief People Officer and other senior leaders, giving the leaders a chance to listen and create stronger connections with employees.

Admittedly, when I first pitched these two ideas to the team, I met a little resistance. “Are you kidding? You want to have more meetings, Lynette?” But it wasn’t just about more meetings. It was to shift the way teams worked with each other and to get momentum; we had to create a habit.

I was confident that conversations every Monday and Friday would get everyone to open up, creating a sense of transparency and a groundswell of collaboration. But I didn’t hit a home run right out of the gate. In fact, it was a struggle. Few in the organization shared my confidence, but I persevered.

We started with roughly 160 invitees, and with a small team to support the effort, we began to curate the content. We coached the peer community on how to develop their content for Mondays, in the form of 45-minute Skype sessions in the style of TED talks, with room for collaboration. And on Fridays, employees would visit the community to talk to the leaders and ask questions.

Fast forward two years, and every session continues to draw more than 600 live viewers from a 5000-person organization. The sessions also enjoy high replay value, as leaders use the recordings to lead team conversations.

The stories shared every Monday help these employees connect with each other. They also model behaviors that help viewers internalize what they need to do to achieve the purpose and values. This peer-to-peer movement resulted in alignment at the enterprise level because it streamlined initiatives for the common goal.

And the Friday Hangouts educate viewers on the leadership and culture. Authentic, unscripted sessions provide employees with transparency into the organization’s direction, creating stronger connections with the leaders.

The stories have made people laugh, cry, and think a little differently. Best of all, this interaction has made all of them better contributors, created stronger personal connections, and helped to root trust in the organization.

Over a coffee one day, a viewer told me, “Spotlights and Hangouts have made me a better leader. I can always read a memo or an email, but this new way is better. Now you’re talking to me. I can see the whites of leaders’ eyes, and that makes a closer personal connection. I’m able to hear firsthand where the organization is headed, I don’t have to wait for my manager to tell me, and it helps me better understand and lead my team to solutions that help the organization succeed.”

This was my aha! moment when I knew we were onto something.

Team members use this platform to see and hear what’s happening in the organization. It has become a community of authentic and transparent conversation. Email has its place, but how can you expect an email to rally people? And more importantly, how do you know where people need help?

When we launched this project, I’ll admit I didn’t know exactly how it would turn out. I found that you can learn a lot through the cadence of nurturing an idea. In fact, the results have given us more than we imagined. We hoped it would spark change within a small group of leaders, increasing collaboration and idea sharing, but the evolution has swept across the organization. And the conversations have become more authentic, creating trust and enabling positive relationships.

I found that you can learn a lot through the cadence of nurturing an idea.

I’ve been in situations where people have told me that they didn’t “feel safe” in their work environment. Think about that statement, then think about a time where you didn’t feel safe. Perhaps you were pitching an idea, and instead of being listened to, you were shut down, or you felt uncertain about looming organizational changes at work.

A state of fear fosters doubt and creates an environment that breeds mistakes. But authentic conversations create personal connections and build a sense of trust, even those that tackle difficult topics.

If you want to invoke change, you must get involved, have conversations, and model the desired behaviors. Emailed memos and posters and pop-up cards won’t cut it, especially if you want to shift your culture. Listen to your employees and empower them to change their narratives to change their work.

Embrace whatever medium you have. You’re welcome to use the idea of Monday Spotlights and Friday Hangouts, or reach out to me at [email protected], and I’ll give you some helpful tips.

But even if that seems like a lot, don’t use it as an excuse to do nothing. You can make small but impactful moves, like bringing together a group of cross-functional employees, handing them a problem you need solving, and facilitating a quick idea session to come up with a solution. Or walk around and ask employees to tell you what drives them to contribute to the organization.

You’ll be amazed how effective a “whites of the eyes” conversation can be in creating conditions for Better Work.

~Lynette