It's not every day that you read a book that truly inspires. Bravespace Workplace: Making Your Company Fit for Human Life is that book. I loved it so much that I had to bring in Moe Carrick, the author and founder of Momentum, to discuss her book,
and what it takes to make a workplace more human and how to create a bravespace workplace in which everyone can thrive.Moe's motivation for writing Bravespace Workspace was grounded in the frustration that we've known for a long time what work conditions bring out the best in people, yet few companies build them that way. So, she set out to explore how to elevate and activate people to bring their highest and best talents to work every day.She found that it all starts with a bravespace workplace. As Moe defines it, “It's a workplace that's created deliberately for people to bring their full selves, both perfect and flawed, to do great things together.” It's a place where companies enliven, elevate, activate, and draw forward the talents of their people rather than diminishing them. She found that there are five levers to creating a bravespace workspace: the who, the what, the where and when, the why, and the how. The who are the human essentials. Moe explains this is really two parts: leaders who are willing to create a community and teams who care—people capable of tuning in to the emotional states of one another and working together to do great work. The what , as Moe describes it, is a conscious culture. “Culture is simply how to do things that are done at an organization. It may start out unintentionally, but it becomes something that you can see and feel and measure.” Moe explains that the third lever is purposeful design. She defines that as, “Everything from the physical space to performance conversations to compensation structures to the process flows on the manufacturing floor. Any design element has a huge role in whether people thrive or suffer.” This is the meaning and context that drives employees. Moe explains, “I think we often fail to convey to employees why what they are doing matters.” She points to companies that rely on perks and rewards to drive engagement, rather than focusing on why the work matters. “We need to design the system to reinforce truth–telling, conversations, compassion, clarity of role, and that's where we are going to get the big lift.” So, then we get to the how. This is how you make it all happen. Moe explained that it's not just one thing—though people being real and authentic is really a core component to creating a bravespace workplace. She explains, “Self–awareness is key. We've got to work at debunking the myths we have about vulnerability and show up as we are – both perfect and flawed.” We need to listen, to understand how we show up, and keep working to create an environment where everyone has room to be brave and be themselves. Bravespace Workplace with Moe Carrick
- Brandon Laws Brandon Laws
is the Senior Director of Marketing and Product at Xenium HR. He is the host of Transform Your Workplace, a podcast he started in 2012 which has grown to over 400 episodes and 950,000 downloads. Ranked the number one HR podcast, with a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts, it provides inspiration and practical tools for HR professionals and people leaders. Brandon
continues to drive the conversation forward through webinars, speaking appearances, and social media.
He lives Oregon, with his wife, Angela, their children Parker and Paisley, two cats, and a dog.