Key Takeaways:

• Company culture is a key determinant in how expertise can fully develop. Long-term expertise isn’t accidental. It’s the result of an environment that is intentional about prioritizing growth, accountability and shared values over output alone.
• Generational differences are a cultural opportunity. Each generation brings unique perspectives that, when integrated well, can strengthen culture and accelerate the development of future experts.
• Leaders are responsible for defining and reinforcing culture. What leaders expect, model and reward — what they hold others accountable for — ultimately shape how culture is lived out across the organization.
• Explaining “why” is essential to developing and retaining long-tenured, expert associates. Leaders who provide context, not just instruction, empower others to think critically, apply principles and grow into expert functional contributors and leaders.

One of the strategies that has made our company successful is our goal to have “long-tenured, expert associates” within our businesses. This differentiates us from organizations that intentionally work their people to the point of burnout and expect high employee turnover.

Our strategy is to find people who want to spend significant parts of their career with us because they are passionate enough about what they do to become an expert at it. We strive to develop experts who are so knowledgeable in their given fields that they can deliver unusually high value to those they serve.

What Defines an Expert in a Strong Company Culture?

Over the years, this strategy has occasionally been misinterpreted. Some only focus on the long-tenured part of the statement and ignore the expert part. They assume that because we want people to build long careers here that even those who haven’t done the work to become an expert get to stay for a long time.

The truth is that expertise is a lofty standard and achieving true “expert” status is rare. It requires deep knowledge, experience and a commitment to continuous improvement. In a world where change is rapid, maintaining expertise requires just as much effort as achieving it.

This is where strong company culture becomes critical. One of our three core values is Growth, which we define as “Keep Getting Better.” It drives how we build and strengthen expertise over time.

How to Develop the Next Generation of Experts

What happens when someone new, younger or less experienced is thrown into a group of experts?

Said differently, how do we integrate new generations into an established company culture? After all, they think differently, communicate differently and may not share the same work ethic.

This is an issue that is as old as time itself. Even the ancient Greeks lamented that the younger generation didn’t work as hard as they did. When I hear a Millennial leader talk about the challenges they have with Gen Z, I often remind them that I heard the same thing about them when they entered the workforce. And one day, Gen Z will likely say the same thing about Gen Alpha.

Just as individuals bring unique beliefs and viewpoints, generations do as well. For Gen Z employees who are newer to the workforce and wanting to become experts, we can encourage them to actively learn from those who have gone before them.

For those who are striving to maintain their expertise, it is vital that they must show humility and always be ready to learn, too — including from those who have the benefit of youth and inexperience.

How to Define and Reinforce Company Culture

Humans have to learn to work hard. Our natural state is to preserve energy and rest whenever possible. Some of us learned the value of hard work early in life; others learn it later.

As a leader, it’s important to keep this in mind the next time you feel frustrated with a younger co-worker who may not yet be putting in the effort necessary to succeed. It may be that they have yet to learn that nothing worth achieving comes easy.

At our company, these values are fundamental to our culture: treating people with respect, seeking to understand before being understood, thinking of others before yourself, and creating accountability for yourself and others. These values are foundational to how we make decisions and operate as a team.

I’ve observed over the years that every leader — and every person — interprets and applies these principles a little differently. Within our companies, we have many great leaders who have created incredible, albeit unique, team cultures. And each time we bring someone new onto a team, that individual inevitably refines the culture through how they think and act. This is as it should be. These differences create opportunities for us to improve by learning from each other.

But that doesn’t mean every viewpoint or action is acceptable. One person may express our core value of “Others First” a little differently than I do. But if you are going to be a part of our team — and especially if you are going to be a people leader — we expect that you will fundamentally respect others and treat them accordingly.

Nothing demonstrates a stronger commitment to your values and beliefs than the decision to terminate someone’s employment for disregarding those fundamentals. Hires may refine your culture, but fires define your culture. At our company, nothing — not generation, age or level of expertise — is an excuse for bad behavior or violating core values.

Why Leadership Must Focus on “Why”

As leaders, our job isn’t to tell people what to do. Our responsibility is to help them understand where we are going and how we are going to get there — and then, to invite them to come along.

To build a culture where people of all tenures can become experts, we must keep the focus on why we do the things we do.

Instead of just showing someone new to the team what to do, take the time to give them the context for why we came up with that method to begin with. Tell them a story about a situation when something went wrong and you were able to solve it by applying that principle. Encourage them to apply that principle in other areas, as well.

Telling someone what to do is authoritative and demeaning. Explaining to them why a certain thing is done is empowering and respectful.

What Strong Company Culture Enables

Regardless of age and experience, a team that unites around shared values and beliefs is able to operate at a higher level. They can navigate uncertainty, adapt to change and proactively create it.

They can innovate and find better ways of doing things. They can be the kind of team where members support one another. They can thrive in good times and bad times.

Leaders who create this kind of culture are both rare and special, and in times of change, that kind of leader, and that kind of culture, will help your business not only survive but thrive.

Learn more about how leaders can actively shape workplace culture in Fostering Culture: A Leader’s Guide to Purposefully Shaping Culture.

Shane Jackson is president of Jackson Healthcare^®, the trusted authority in healthcare talent and workforce solutions and one of the nation’s largest private companies. Under his leadership, the organization is recognized as an employer of choice, having appeared on the Fortune® 100 Best Companies to Work For® and Best Workplaces in Health Care™ lists; the PEOPLE® Companies that Care list; and earning both national and global recognition as an Inspiring Workplace.

A trusted voice in leadership and company culture, Shane’s work centers on how leaders shape culture through their actions — and how they can build environments where both people and businesses thrive. As a keynote speaker and author of Fostering Culture: A Leader’s Guide to Purposefully Shaping Culture and This Is the Thing: About Life, Joy, and Owning Your Purpose, he challenges others to live and lead with intention — aligning principles with practice and purpose with action.