"My intention for this book is that it will quickly become the‘go-to how-to’ for people leaders wanting to shape a world class team culture by design."

About The Book

Packed with research-based insights from Australia’s leading workplaces, Let’s Talk Culture is the how-to guide for people leaders who want to shape a world class team culture by design.

Successful leaders and organisations know that culture is the unseen advantage of world class teams. But can it be influenced? And what role do managers play in building and shaping it?
Author and expert in leader communication, Shane Michael Hatton, says the research suggests it can be influenced and that the people leader plays a crucial role – but it all starts with effective communication.
Based on extensive research with people leaders on the ground, Let’s Talk Culture reveals the five practical conversations people leaders need to have to design a world class team culture within their organisation.
An easy-to-understand guide for future culture champions, this book will give you the tools to build a team that attracts and retains your top talent, confidently address cultural inconsistencies in the workplace and meaningfully reward the behaviours that strengthen your team culture.

What's Covered?

Experience has taught me that if you want a book to be helpful and memorable, it needs to be simple. But if you’re going to tackle a book on a huge and complex topic like culture, you want to know that it’s thorough.

I wanted to know what people leaders think about culture. What it means to them. How they define it. How they view their role in building and shaping it. Where they feel confident and where they feel stuck.

Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best. So, I took the time to ask.

In 2021 I engaged McCrindle Research, an Australian research company with specialist skills in collecting and analysing data and demographics, to bring research to life to help me explore the attitudes and experiences around team culture for people leaders.

We set out with a few key research objectives for people leaders, including to:
• explore their understanding of what culture is
• gain insights into their beliefs about their role in shaping culture
• investigate what builds and what detracts from culture
• understand how equipped they feel to influence culture within their organisation.

This book draws on the findings from our quantitative study of 1002 managers from across Australia along with a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with managers at some of Australia’s best places to work.

Table of Contents

Part One: A Conversation about Culture

1. We’re all a little different – celebrate your uniqueness

2. The unseen advantage – get clear on your purpose

3. The problem with culture – remove your roadblocks

4. The conversations before the conversations – start with your foundations

Part Two: Culture Conversations

5. The expectation conversation – make the unspoken spoken

6. The clarification conversation – make the invisible observable

7. The communication conversation – make the words a language

8. Pick three and make it easy to see – focus on what matters most

Part Three: Keeping the Conversation Going

9. The confrontation conversation – make feedback less difficult

10. The celebration conversation – make recognition more meaningful

11. The dark side of culture – don’t accidentally build a cult

12. The path forward – become a culture champion

A final summary – reinforce what you’ve learned

Say it again

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Download a Sample Chapter

Everyone wants your details. I want to help. I write regularly to equip leaders. I'd love to have you in the community. It's also the first place to hear about upcoming events and announcements. If it's not for you, that's ok too, you can still download a sample chapter below. But I do hope to include you in the gang soon!

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