Ask any leader about improving company culture, and you’ll hear plenty of buzzwords. But real change? That takes more than fancy phrases and mission statements. It requires practical steps that work in the real world. After years of building project management teams from scratch and observing what truly sticks, some clear patterns emerge. When organizations get three key things right—employee involvement, continuous learning, and celebrating progress—everything else starts falling into place. Just ask Delaine A. Deer, who’s spent her career turning these principles into practice.
Empower and Involve Employees
The first step in building a better workplace? Getting everyone involved. “Create platforms for employees to contribute ideas, such as suggestion boxes, innovation workshops, or regular team feedback sessions,” Delaine explains. This isn’t just about collecting suggestions—it’s about fostering investment in the process. When people see their ideas make a real difference, something changes. “People are more invested in improvement when they see their ideas implemented and valued,” she notes. This sense of ownership drives real change. Want to see this in action? Delaine suggests starting a “Continuous Improvement Challenge” where employees can step up and lead projects that matter to them.
Incorporate Continuous Learning
Professional growth shouldn’t be confined to annual training sessions. Delaine takes a different approach. “Provide access to professional development opportunities, encourage skill-building, and create a culture where learning is part of everyday work,” she advises. It’s not just about checking boxes for professional development. When teams make learning part of their daily work, the impact is clear. Delaine has seen this happen repeatedly: “A learning-focused environment helps employees stay adaptive and innovative, ensuring the organization evolves alongside industry trends.”
The solution doesn’t have to be complicated. Monthly sessions where team members share insights—what’s working, what isn’t, and what they’ve learned along the way—create meaningful learning experiences. No PowerPoints required, just people sharing practical knowledge.
Celebrate Incremental Wins
Big changes start with small steps. That’s why Delaine emphasizes the importance of recognizing progress at every level. “Recognize and reward even small improvements, whether through shout-outs in meetings, a recognition board, or incentives,” she says. This isn’t just about boosting morale—though that matters too. “Celebrating progress reinforces the behavior and shows employees that their efforts are making a difference,” Delaine explains. When people see their work matters, they stay motivated.
Want to put this into practice? Delaine recommends adding a “Spotlight on Improvement” segment to team meetings. It’s a chance to highlight recent wins and the people who made them happen. More importantly, it shows everyone that progress is happening, one step at a time. It’s one thing to know what needs fixing. It’s another to actually fix it. That’s where Delaine’s practical approach makes a difference. She’s helped over 100 women turn overwhelming challenges into manageable steps. Each one learned to break down their biggest hurdles into smaller, achievable goals.
The proof isn’t in fancy frameworks or complicated systems—it’s in the simple fact that her methods work. By focusing on real involvement, constant learning, and celebrating progress (not just the big wins), teams naturally get better at improving. They stop waiting for perfect solutions and start making meaningful changes today.
That’s probably the biggest lesson from Delaine’s work: improvement doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, it’s just about giving people permission to fix what frustrates them, learn what excites them, and feel good about moving forward. When you do that, the big changes often take care of themselves.
To learn more about Delaine A. Deer and her approach, check out her at www.delaineadeer.com or her LinkedIn profile.
