Entrepreneur Corey Shader Discusses Recent HBR Analysis of the Importance of Workplace Rituals

Entrepreneur Corey Shader draws on best-selling author Erica Keswin's 'Three P's of rituals' to describe how business leaders can create a more inclusive and productive work environment.

Orlando, Florida, United States - September 19, 2022 —

Business leaders today simply can't expect employees to keep personal issues at home and work issues in the office. The two environments are undeniably intertwined, with one bleeding into the other and vice versa, according to entrepreneur Corey Shader.

This makes it very important for business leaders to understand how to effectively, and sympathetically, address employees' emotions. The challenge, of course, is that many of these leaders aren't specifically trained to navigate topics that are sensitive and emotional in nature.

This is the exact topic that best-selling author and workplace strategist Erica Keswin tackled in a recent article for Harvard Business Review. As the author of the book "Rituals Roadmap," Keswin says workplace rituals are the key to managing the emotional response to challenging topics.

She cites an example of Weber Shandwick, a global communications firm, which began instituting a "Time to Connect" meeting with employees following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020.

What began as a company response to a traumatic and emotional event turned into a repeat occurrence. The "Time to Connect" ritual continues today at Weber Shandwick on a monthly basis.

In her research, Keswin questioned "why a group or team was so determined to maintain a shared behavior," she wrote for HBR, and she "discovered that rituals support psychological safety and purpose, which leads to increased performance."

They make up the "Three P's of rituals," as Keswin describes.

These themes -- psychological safety, purpose and performance -- are things that all business leaders should be focused on today, according to Corey Shader. While they may not always be defined as the "Three P's of rituals," they are all hot-button topics in business.

By promoting psychological safety, business leaders can create an inclusive work environment. By listening to how different people feel and asking for their input on important issues, business leaders can create a diverse and equitable work environment.

By encouraging employees to find a purpose in their role, it will help stimulate innovation. Corey Shader says this can happen by ensuring that the company's values are stated in a clear way, are actionable and are talked about frequently.

Then, the values must incorporate a personal purpose into every employee's own life and work experiences.

Finally, by focusing on the first Two P's, the third -- performance -- follows naturally. According to Corey Shader, entrepreneurs that create a psychologically safe and purposeful environment will undoubtedly encourage employees to try harder and stay longer.

Employees will then feel more valued and be more vested in how the company performs. In turn, the employee's own performance will improve as they feel safe, included, valued and important.

If business leaders want to create this type of work environment, Corey Shader says they should study the "Three P's of rituals" that Keswin points out.

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