How to Sustain a Culture of Innovation

A team working around a table.

Leadership and culture are essential to any technical team.

Often the focus of technical teams is transactional in nature. This approach can aid in getting an initiative or two done, but in order to sustain success, culture must be the focus of leaders responsible for these teams. They must do this through a few important priorities.

Define, not delegate.
Leaders must understand that while they can delegate technical decisions, culture is the one thing that can’t be delegated. Culture is defined by the worst behavior a leader is willing to accept.

Make a total commitment.
The leader of the team must be fully committed to the culture, or their teams will see it as something they can decide not to invest in. This can lead to poor behavior, chaos, and a lack of collaboration.

Establish a vision.
The focus should be on establishing a solid vision, mission and understood team values. This should help people have clarity on what the organization is focused on and how they plan to work together to accomplish those goals.

Support a growth mindset.
Ensure people have a growth mindset and are always searching for better ways to get things done.

Set the standard.
Effective leaders lead by example, follow through on their commitments, and set the standard on how to show up. This will reflect the organization’s culture and will give others the permission, support, and encouragement to follow suit. Those who choose to lean in will be successful; those that don’t will ultimately be exposed and will be at risk to remain a part of the organization.

By prioritizing culture, technical leaders can differentiate themselves and their teams to continue to work together and win together.

This article was originally published in 2023 Second Annual Intrapreneurship & Innovation Report.


Shane Portfolio, SVP, Network Engineering and Technology, Charter

Shane Portfolio
SVP, Network Engineering and Technology
Charter

Connectivity industry veteran Shane Portfolio oversees the architecture and engineering for Charter’s core access network infrastructure. An agile leader, he inspires others to act by removing barriers and promoting leadership accountability. Shane was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 2020, honoring the know-how, tenacity, and innovation leadership to grow the industry.

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Gibbs Jones

C5 Emeritus
Owner (Spartanburg)

ARCpoint Labs

Gibbs is a customer experience executive with over 25 years of customer experience leadership and expertise in the design, optimization and implementation of customer contact operations. Gibbs has combined skill in the human and technology side of customer contact operations, including the procurement and installation of ACD equipment, workforce management and CRM systems. He has directed the start-up of multiple customer contact operations, with industry expertise in consumer electronics, communications, retail, manufacturing, financial services, banking, and direct sales.

Gibbs has over ten years experience in the Cable Industry. Most recently Gibbs was the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Suddenlink Communications. Gibbs worked with Suddenlink’s six regional senior vice presidents and the managers of its customer-contact call centers in Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia to measure and improve Customer Satisfaction through transactional and relationship Net Promoter Programs and JD Power Research Studies.

Gibbs was also responsible for the company’s social media strategy where he made sure Suddenlink was active in the major social networking channels and found new ways to improve customer loyalty in this space.

Currently Gibbs owns two ARCpoint Labs locations. ARCpoint is a leader in the B to C and B to B drug and alcohol testing industry. Additionally, Gibbs has a consulting practice that helps companies improve their customer experience.

Gibbs is a Certified Net Promoter® Associate and has been a speaker at various conferences and is frequently called upon to discuss considerations related to measuring and improving the customer experience, exceptional contact center management, and optimizing the employee experience.

 

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