*This article is part of an HDI Series geared towards topics I’ll be discussing with technical support leaders and professionals at the Support World Live Summit in August 2-9, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The topic I’ll be speaking about is “How to Build a Help Desk That Champions Your Culture.” Hope to see you there!
Cultural champions are not just individuals who do well in the core functionalities of the job. These champions are fully engaged, dynamic, infectiously positive and energetic, as well as open-minded to change and innovation.
In the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege to work and learn from astounding teams and individuals. During that time, I was able to capture the make-up of a cultural champion into three high-level and integrated traits:
Confident
Competent
Compassionate
I call these the “Three C’s of Cultural Champions” – I can technically call it the “Five C’s” (Cultural Champions are Confident, Competent, and Compassionate)
Confident
Confident individuals are open-minded. They embrace feedback and criticism. They’re healthy risk-takers, and they don’t shy away from any challenge. They’re self-aware, so they know their strengths and weaknesses. They use these qualities to identify and act upon any opportunity. Confident individuals embody a quote from and American organizational theorist, Karl Weick, “Argue as if you are right and listen as if you’re wrong.”
Competent
Folks who are competent are those who natively have the horsepower to push through any hurdle and dilemma. They’re relentless learners. They pick-up things easily and use the resources at their disposal to achieve a goal. Competent individuals are masters in adaptability. Meaning, they thrive in any environments. They’re the types of individuals who can do well, almost instantly, in any position in the company. They’re producers. They have the drive and the capability to create value and impact.
Compassionate
This portion places the heart between the intelligence and grit of this cultural champion. Being compassionate means, you understand how things would impact the people—the customers, the team members, and even the community. A compassionate individual knows to do the right thing. These individuals seek opportunities to get the perspective of others and use that perspective to create value others. Their mindset is not on what others can offer them, but what they can offer to others.
Once you’ve found individuals that are confident, competent, and compassionate, it’s our job as leaders to nurture these individual, making an environment for them to thrive and be successful. In the following articles, I’ll discuss how to find these cultural champions.
Crowdsourcing FTW
Please share your definition of cultural champions or the ideal professional. I’m interested to know the different traits you find are valuable in your organization. Was it hard to find talent that has those traits? How did you develop your existing teams to embody those traits?