👀 Your company culture is hiding in an ordinary Tuesday

You Already Created a Workplace. Now Choose What It’s Like to Work There.

Hey Reader,

Think about the places you’ve worked at over the years.

Chances are, you can remember how some of them felt almost immediately.

There were workplaces where people were trusted. Where mistakes became learning opportunities. Where good work was noticed.

And perhaps there were others where everything was urgent, nobody really unplugged, or the official company values bore very little resemblance to what happened on an ordinary Tuesday.

Nobody had to explain the culture to you.

You experienced it.

Here's the interesting part for those of us who now work for ourselves:

We've created workplaces, too.

And even if YOU, Inc. has exactly one employee, it already has a workplace culture.

Employee You is learning every day what gets rewarded around here. What happens when she makes a mistake. Whether good work gets acknowledged. Whether rest is actually allowed. Whether CEO You trusts her — or second-guesses everything she does.

That’s why I keep coming back to this distinction:

Culture isn’t what you say you value. It’s what happens repeatedly.

You can say you value flexibility while feeling guilty every time you use it.

You can value creativity while demanding that every idea immediately justify its existence.

You can value well-being while treating lunch, movement, and rest as rewards you have to earn.

And you can value excellence while quietly expecting perfection.

That disconnect is what I’m exploring more deeply in this week’s article, What Kind of Workplace Culture Do You Want for Your WFH Business? We’re looking at what workplace culture means when you're the only employee — and how to intentionally create one that supports both your business and the person doing the work.

Click here to read the full article on the blog.

But here’s one idea you can use without clicking anywhere:

Instead of choosing company values because they sound admirable, make them observable.

Don't just say, "We value connection."

Go deeper and finish the thought with an observable action like this:

At YOU, Inc., we value connection, which means relationships aren't routinely sacrificed to accommodate work.

Or:

At YOU, Inc., we value growth, which means learning gets both time and money before every resource is spoken for.

That's when a value stops being a nice word and starts becoming a leadership standard.

Because values tell you why.

Culture reflects how you do things around here.

And the policies we've been talking about help establish what you actually do.

Together, they're creating the experience of working at YOU, Inc.

Your Action Step this Week

Choose three values you want to define your workplace culture.

For each one, complete this sentence:

At YOU, Inc., we value __________, which means we __________.

Then ask yourself one slightly uncomfortable — but very useful — question:

Would Employee Me recognize this value from the way I actually work?

If the answer is not quite yet, don't worry, you haven't failed the workplace survey. 😉 You've identified an opportunity to lead differently.

Finally, choose one small behavior that you could start this week that would make one of those values more visible on an ordinary Tuesday.

Because you already created a workplace when you created your business ...

Now you get to decide what it's like to work there.

And if you’re ready to keep building YOU, Inc. intentionally, now's a great time to upgrade your Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur experience. Insiders and VIPs receive a new Mini Power Tool each month, along with access to the archive of previous tools. September’s Tenacious WFH CEO Vision Brief can help you connect the culture you’re defining this week with the bigger vision you’ve chosen for the season ahead.

Because Employee You deserves more than a workplace that gets things done.

She deserves one that helps her do good work and build a good life.

💛 Insider & VIP Corner

This month's CEO Vision Brief Mini Power Tool is available exclusively for Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur Insiders and VIPs. It walks you through your CEO North Star, Leadership Compass, Next-Season Vision, CEO Investment, Strategic Focus, and CEO Declarations — giving you a practical place to work out your direction on paper before the season gets busy.

Upgrade anytime to unlock this month's Mini Power Tool, along with the growing archive of practical worksheets, templates, and resources created to help you build your business with greater clarity, confidence, and sustainability.

Premium subscriptions start at $7/month.

💎 Upgrade your experience here.

Get the WIN Working From Home online course and learn the next-level tactics and simple systems you need for sustainable WFH success.

As always, I'd love to know what you think of this week's newsletter. Post your thoughts on social and tag me (@coachmichelepeterson), or simply reply to this email!

Thank you. I appreciate you!

xoxo,
Michele

Now for more good stuff ...

Upgrade Your Experience ...

Click here to learn about exclusive premium content available only to Insiders and VIPs.

Tenacious WFH Insiders get access to monthly Mini Power Tool downloadables like this month's CEO Vision Brief, an exclusive audio version of the weekly newsletter and blog via the private podcast Insiders Only Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur Audio Experience that you can listen to on your favorite podcast platform ... and more! Get all the details here.

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Interesting Reads ...

How moms can reinvent themselves as they become empty nesters (click here to read on The Telegram)
‘What You Don’t Admit, You Won’t Quit’ Dr. Jolander Headley Has A Wake-Up Call For Entrepreneurs Entering 2027 (click here to read on Bossip)
Make Money Selling Your Knowledge: 10 Flexible and Fun Ideas (click here to read on The Work at Home Woman)
A Reminder From Neuroscience: Discipline Is Not the Key to Productivity (click here to read on Inc)
Meet [Solo Entrepreneur] Tijera Wright (click here to read on CanvasRebel)
Hancom launches 'Nomadian,' billed as world's first AI workforce platform, targeting US solo entrepreneurs (click here to read on The Herald Business)
Why I'm doing a September reset and how you can create a new routine (click here to read on BBC)

Win WFH Tip of the Week

WFH Tip: To WIN working from home, do a weekly review — a CEO Meeting with yourself — to stay on track with your goals.

Grit & Grace Affirmation of the Week

I am beautiful on the inside and outside.

I am comfortable with myself.

I think positively.

Say it. Believe it. Be it.

From the book Badass Affirmations by Becca Anderson

I hope you enjoyed this week's newsletter. Thank you for linking arms and being part of my working from home tribe!

I'll be back next week with more tips, inspiration, and other fun stuff to empower your WFH success. Until then, have a beautiful week!

xoxo,
Michele

P.S. It's my goal to inspire you and remind you of your greatness as we navigate WFH life together. If you loved this week's newsletter, please feel free to forward it to your friends!

And just one more thing ...