About Culture
Culture is initially shaped but then rarely driven by top leaders. The more an organization grows, the more the culture solidifies and takes on its own life without the ability for any one person to reach in and shift it. So, the culture is best shaped in the early days with energy around how we like to work together and energy around building a true team.
There is a phenomenon of the yes-man in most organizations. It surfaces in surprising ways even in cultures that are wide open. Also, culture is shaped by what we do and don’t do. Sometimes we can influence the way people feel and push them into a shell by trying too hard to emphasize a certain cultural tendency. For example, if a cultural goal has a punitive element for those not perfectly living up to it, then often people will move to conform out of a sense of self-survival. While the goal of the outward culture is achieved the opportunity cost is severe. The result is decision making paralisys in the sub-culture, less risk taking, and less innovation.
The art of shaping culture is a difficult art to master. I watched Nike shape their culture with broad strokes and then the people built it with innovation and ownership.
About Teams
They like to operate fast and independently. They like to have the big idea, see the connection to it, and then shape their direction. My experience has been extremely positive when the big ideas are limited to a couple of concepts. That way people internalize them and they become a part of their thinking.
About Leadership
The most interesting thing about leadership that I’ve discovered is that cause-centered leadership really drives people to action. For example – winning the super bowl is a cause. Winning the right for women to vote is a cause. Such causes push people to prepare, take risks, and perform at levels they never thought of before. In business, going public could be a cause – but only if everyone has a slice of the pie (no matter how small). If they don’t, then using going public as a cause will work in a negative direction.
Leadership is about making sure people are able and interested in performing. Both elements have to be there for people to feel empowered. Whenever empowerment is discussed we have to also recognize true empowerment comes only when both authority and resources are sufficient to empower.
About the Bottom Line
At Nike we grew from $2b to $6b during the time I was there. Wow – what a rush! Everywhere we went there were Nike shoes and products on people. I was at Disneyland and it seemed that wearing something Nike must have been a requirement just to get through the gates. But, during that time we threw money at problems like crazy. Growth was almost uncontrollable and we did anything to meet it. The problem is that when growth stabilized for a bit we found ourselves in an expense trap with G&A being more than it should have been, which caused financial stress, cutting people, and other negatives. It was an inevitable outcome of pushing the growth, which could not last forever.
So, I have now learned to watch SG&A carefully and make sure it stays in balance as a company grows. How do we translate that idea into the thinking of the line-manager and team-leader? Creating ownership to the bottom line in our corporate behavior is a critical welding link in sustained high performance. If people are engaged in strategy, they will also want to be engaged in expense and profit management as well.
About People
The average worker wants to belong to something great. Compensation is really important, but people give their most when they believe they belong to an organization that makes a big difference.
Consider the nature of incentives and motivations. This is best understood by combining the hierarchy of needs with the concept of incentives and you can then understand where people are and what is going to trigger their best work. It isn’t always about money, though money is always a factor.
Organizations that need change cannot afford false starts or missed opportunities. We provide both leadership and experience that speeds adoption and competitive advantage.
Our success is a result of understanding the impact of change on 5 fundamental concepts:
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People
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Culture
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Teams
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Leadership
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Bottom-Line
We recognize change is an art. We begin with the end in mind and help you manage change with speed and effectiveness.
Change For Large Organizations
