Praise for CULTURE EATS STRATEGY
“Culture is the most often overlooked source of competitive advantage. Curt Coffman and Kathie Sorensen’s cutting edge research defines what constitutes a winning culture, and provides a powerful prescription for creating and sustaining it.”
-Kenneth W. Freeman, Allen Questrom Professor and Dean, Boston University School of Management and former Chairman and CEO of Quest Diagnostics
“Culture is probably the least understood element when an Organization undergoes a “Change Management” program. This book clearly explains why it should be the best understood element and offers very practical and pragmatic advice to help you get there. The anecdotes and stories etc. provide very relatable and recognizable examples that enable you to steer Leadership teams in the right direction. A quick but thorough read backed up with supportive data that makes the case for why understanding the culture leads to a highly engaged workforce.”
-George Borst, President and CEO, Toyota Financial Services
In this well-written, common sense book, Coffman & Sorensen demystify how to build a high performance culture. Filled with practical suggestions about what to do and how to do it as well as diagnostic questions to help you think through the process, Culture shows to unlock the vast, untapped human potential in all organizations.”
-Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University and coauthor of The Knowing-Doing Gap
“The importance of one’s corporate culture to the lifeblood of a company is undeniable, yet so evasive: What is that magical spark to ignite your employee’s passions in the office and create a truly magical place to work? Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch goes a long way towards answering those questions and unlocking the true passions and potential of your workforce.”
-Jim Miller. VP of World Wide Operations, Google
Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch outlines a practical call to action that reminds us when it comes to culture, there are no spectators. Every individual has a role to play in the care and feeding of a workplace that invites a sense of belonging. This is really a story about creating a differentiated experience.
–Robb Webb, Chief Human Resource Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
“Culture is a conversation, led by leaders, about what the company values and ‘how things are done around here.’ In this remarkable book, Curt & Kathie will show you how to shape, leap and refine the conversation to produce a winning culture—which is the key to your organization’s long term survival.”
–-Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! and author of Love Is the Killer App: How To Win Business and Influence Friends
“Coffman & Sorensen make a definitive case that real culture change can only come about through a combination of a head and heart approach. Unless the head is connected to a heart which is stimulated and pumping there can be no change in performance. Attempting to lead change without reading Coffman & Sorensen is like studying English without reading Shakespeare.”
-Michael Hickey, SVP Delta Point, former President, AstraZeneca NL and VP, Sales AstraZeneca US
“Many believe that organizational culture is as complex as writing software code and as dull as watching paint dry. Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch proves both beliefs are false. This book is full of great ideas that will stimulate your thinking and help you improve your culture. Coffman and Sorensen are culture architects who give you a blueprint based on what the best companies have done and what you need to do to create a competitive culture.”
-Mark Sanborn, President of Sanborn & Associates, Inc. and best-selling author of Fred Factor, You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader and Fred 2.0
“This book will get the busiest of leader-readers to stop and think, nod in agreement, dog-ear pages and turn to others to converse about it. The authors are not just deeply experienced consultants and researchers but they are elegant wordsmiths as well. I loved their examples, analogies, twists-of-the-tongue, titles, recommendations and provocative questions. In an age of immense competition in the marketplace, this book holds a secret for those who don’t just read but actually implement the suggestions offered, moving you from knowing to doing.”
-Beverly Kaye, Ph.D., Founder, Career Systems Intl.; co-author of the bestselling books, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em and Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
This book has ignited my passion and I’m making a bigger difference throughout my organization. It has made my job easier (and our customers like us more!) This is a definitive how-to-book for high performance culture.
-Bob Donegan, CEO, Classic Brands and former President Canada, Tupperware Brands
“Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch is especially relevant in the world of health care. The cultures in which people live and work have a profound impact on the quality of their physical and psychological well-being. Similarly, the culture within medical facilities can be a powerful force for healing or a source of great anxiety. I recommend Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch for all healthcare leaders who want to create a positive culture and engage the hearts and minds of their patients, staff and physicians.”
-Richard Abrams, M.D., Founder & Director, Colorado Preventive Medicine
“Based on years of solid research, and grounded with experience and practical examples “Culture” sets the standard for building a high performance environment. Proving the old adage that “you can’t fatten the cow by simply weighing it every day”, the authors describe a path to the daily behaviors necessary to build and develop an engaged and productive organization. They help all of us know that it is not enough to simply believe but that we must participate.
-Mick Zangari, Ph.D., Sr. Managing Partner, CEG Worldwide; Director of Sales, Olsson Associates
“This book ‘gets it’ as it relates to what truly drives successful organizations. Culture needs to be defined, created and managed continuously from organizational leaders daily, to really set an organization apart from others strategically. My head was nodding in continuous agreement with the many thoughts and ideas articulated in the book on ways to enhance a company’s success through culture.”
-Mark Kime, former President and Chairman of On Deck Capital
“From anecdotes to appendices, case studies to “connecting points,” Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch has it all. The book’s authors ask us to examine our companies closely to determine where and how we’ve fallen short. And they give us the necessary tools to fine-tune individual and organizational capabilities.”
-Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times best sellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There; the Thinkers50 Leadership Award for Most-Influential Leadership Thinker in the World
“Organizations put so much focus on brand– what we want to stand for in the hearts and minds of our customers. However, if our employees do not have a common set of beliefs and values, the brand simply cannot achieve its strategic goals.”
-Laurie Wooden, Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Hostelling International; formerly VP of New Business Innovation and Brand Strategy, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Copyright © 2013 by The Coffman Organization, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: September 2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coffman, Curt.
Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch: The Secret to Extraordinary Results
Igniting the Passion Within
Curt Coffman and Kathie Sorensen. p. cm.
Epub ISBN: 978-1-940497-01-3
Kindle ISBN: 978-1-940497-02-0
1. Organizational culture
2. Leadership
3. Management
4. Employee Engagement
5. Employee Attitude Surveys
Book design by Bookdesigners, Inc.
Illustrations by Zach Walz, Jason Walton and Paula Sykora
To the tradition and memory of our hero and guide, Peter Drucker, whose quip “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” inspired us to codify how culture can be used to ignite human passion and become a true competitive advantage.
To Tammy and to Jim, who inspire us moment by moment, through their belief and faith, and for putting up with us.
Section One:
STRANDED IN A SEA OF MISSED-CONNECTIONS
What’s it like where you work?
We don’t change that much, but our cultures do!
All culture is personal—so is this story
In words made famous by Texas Hold ‘Em Poker: we were “all in”
Great culture is a state of being; it is energy in motion
If you don’t experience excellence, average looks pretty good
Our destinies are tied to our cultures
We love to be bested by those we love
The economic realities today are “equal opportunity fears”—they unite us all
In the best of cultures there exists a tension between the individual and the organization. The secret to great culture lies within this tension
To get what you want from culture you must give the best of yourself to it
STRATEGY IS THE PROMISE THAT CULTURE MUST DELIVER
Nature is clear. So is business: evolve or die
Effective culture is like a six-lane suspension bridge, and poor culture is like a swinging bridge strung together with fraying rope
Cultures don’t change on leader demand
No people - no culture
An organization doesn’t have a single culture, but about as many MicroCultures as there are people
To manage culture, leaders often take a scalpel to it
Culture doesn’t tolerate shortcuts
On the organizational chart, our reporting relationships are meticulously described with solid and dotted lines. They are the rational explanation for how the organization works
The connection between our MicroCultures and the larger purpose of the organization is the BridgeCulture
The BridgeCulture connects people to purpose, either igniting their passion or squandering their energy in the process
Managers are the translators, the connectors, and the catalysts of MicroCultures and BridgeCultures
The most effective BridgeCultures are built around line-of-sight with the customer, which is the single commonality able to connect the goals of the entire workforce
What companies’ gain in speed (making rules and policies), they often lose in energy, focus, and results
Leadership strategies, structure, and rules take a pretty big bite out of culture!
Organizations, in spite of their intentions to the contrary, strip the passion right out of the people...and the people are the culture
Culture is what results from the collision of the rational with the emotional
Culture is not the enemy of strategy and performance, but an equal player in the game, not to be underestimated or overlooked
It is the emotional nature of culture that renders it capable of becoming your worst nightmare or your most sustainable competitive advantage
Section Two:
MICROCULTURE - IGNITING POSITIVE ENERGY
CHEERS!
Culture is the common core that creates belonging, influences our actions, and shapes who we become
The best cultures can’t be forced—they can only be made to attract
THE POWER OF CULTURE COMES FROM THE PEOPLE WITHIN.
The personal toll for bad culture is more than people can afford to pay.
The negative impact on the person and their family is just one of the penalties of poor culture; the organizational and economic costs are astronomical as well.
Organizations tend to measure human energy in terms of FTEs (Full Time Equivalents), but people and their effectiveness at work are much more variable than that term would imply.
EVERY PERSON IS MULTICULTURAL - IT’S BELONGING THAT MATTERS.
Unlike gravity, a culture’s pull on us is dependent on our commitment to it; the more important it is for us to belong, the stronger the pull.
The drive to belong binds the person to the culture and makes that culture, and everything within it, really matter.
That is precisely why rabid fans always know the intricate details of their teams and follow the associated news stories so closely; they are intensely interested in everything related to the culture. Many organizations wish their associates took such a passionate interest.
“WE’RE LIKE A FAMILY HERE” - AND OTHER CULTURAL MISCONCEPTIONS.
As the family’s culture interacts with the individual’s unique talents, there becomes, or fails to become, a sweet spot, which unleashes and develops the inherent potential of the person.
THE PEOPLE YOU ATTRACT, THE PEOPLE YOU KEEP—CULTURES ARE FLUID; THEY RIPPLE WITH EACH ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE.
Talent acquisition and retention are as critical to culture as fuel is to a combustion engine.
Who wants to belong to a group that anyone can join? Certainly not the best-in-class.
The entire organization experiences problems caused by poor employees and often has issues with management that fails to act.
WHAT DO WE REALLY NEED FROM OUR MICROCULTURE? UNIVERSAL AND INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AT WORK.
People must be clear about the desired outcomes of their role and see the value of their contributions.
If you did your job perfectly, what results would you see?
Some metrics are pseudo-outcomes, which provide the illusion of measurement but can lead us to unprofitable or ineffective actions relative to our real goals.
When people know the real outcomes of their work, they are able to determine the right thing to do without confusing the metric with the end result.
Excellence evolves from purpose.
You can’t create passion, but you can destroy it with a stick or a shrug.
People must feel they have a productive two-way relationship with their manager and team.
All relationships matter to engagement, but in terms of importance, it is the manager/immediate supervisor who has the greatest influence on the person’s effectiveness, tenure, and growth.
People need to feel utilized and develop their talents to reach new levels of success.
What if our personal drive to win—our capability—is subverted by a culture that overlooks the individual?
Have you ever felt as if your day were wasted at work?
The natural variation of the human condition is a vital part of its beauty and strength
Loss of fit to one’s work is like a small death. The first stage is denial and later the anger sets in
Energy is abundant when strength is accentuated
LOST CONNECTIONS - HOW PEOPLE DISCONNECT FROM CULTURE
CAVE DWELLERS - CONSISTENTLY AGAINST VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING
Reason #1: They Came This Way
Managers tell us it takes mere days to know if a new hire really fits the organization or the work. Unfortunately, it often takes 3 – 5 years to do something about it
Reason #2: They’re Not Really a Fit for the Role
If the job doesn’t fit, poor performance will follow
Reason #3: They Hate Feeling This Way, but They Are Stuck
Reason #4: Maybe It’s the Manager
RIDING THE BUS TO EXCELLENCE - FINDING PURPOSE MEANS DISCOVERING LINE-OF-SIGHT
LEAVING HOPELESS AND VICTIM - HEADING FOR CONFIDENT AND COMMITTED
What are the risks to the individual (her growth, engagement, effectiveness) from remaining in a role that silences the spirit?
Hanging on to resentment is like taking poison and expecting someone else to die
Some people enable us; they listen, but cosign our negative feelings and keep us stuck in the problem
TRANSITIONING FROM VICTIM TO OWNER
In spite of our efforts to improve performance, most organizations struggle to provide what people really need most to be successful—an emotional connection to the team and the work
Section Three:
BRIDGECULTURE - CONNECTING PEOPLE TO PURPOSE
LINE-OF-SIGHT IS THE BRIDGE
Excellence is never the result of just performing a task. Excellence comes from connecting the tasks we perform to a deeply felt purpose
Unfortunately, brand only makes the promise. It is the culture that either fulfills these promises...or breaks them
BRAND AND CULTURE: ORGANIZATIONAL COUSINS?
Brand is how others see us. Culture is how we see ourselves
BRAND CREATES A DESIRE TO BELONG - CULTURE CEMENTS THE RELATIONSHIP
Inconsistencies are the bane of leadership’s existence
When we study excellence in any role, we are amazed at its many facets
Outstanding players are as unique from one another as they are disparate from their more average coworkers. Their individual style, language, and personality shine through their work and render them both memorable and genuine from the customer’s perspective
Talented people with line-of-sight to the customer are critical for competitive advantage
THE LITTLE BOXES THAT DIVIDE US - JOB DESCRIPTIONS (AND OTHER MYTHICAL BEASTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN) MEET HUMAN COMPLEXITY
Organizational charts, job descriptions, and performance evaluations put us in “little boxes” that belie our inherent individuality
Consider that no two people are exactly alike. The closer you come to a real person, the more he or she defies classification
Great managers translate the basic expectations of the role into the right expectations for the person and the team
BRIDGING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE - STAFF AND LINE
Outstanding staff have the ability to leap the great divide and often see themselves as a “servant” to the field, rather than as a teacher, coach, or conscience
When people interact with the structure of the organization, the situation offers an opportunity for heroes, politicians or victims to emerge
A CASE OF BROKEN PROMISES - WHEN THE BRIDGECULTURE FRACTURES
Anticipating customer needs is not necessarily bad, but doing it for the company’s purpose rather than the customer’s purpose makes the whole process go haywire
YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE - WEAKNESS PREVENTION ≠ EXCELLENCE PROMOTION
There is an emotional dimension to excellence that carries more influence than a mere absence of error
SUPER HEROES OF BRIDGECULTURE - WHAT GREAT MANAGERS DO
What do we need managers for? What do we need leaders for?
Albeit well-intentioned, our tendency to see “patently correctible flaws” in our colleagues, family members, and supervisors is a corollary of our farsightedness relative to our own shortcomings
Until we feel the need to change, other people’s view of our need to change is essentially their problem and not ours
THAT WHICH SHALL NOT BE NAMED - HAS “MANAGER” OUTLIVED ITS USEFULNESS?
The formerly empty space is first outlined—given a name—and then filled in and expanded upon with experiences...a concept is born
Retiring the word manager might do more to improve the culture of an organization than any other one hundred things!
We can go from flying high in the zone to end up in a nonproductive lump on the floor of our offices based in large part upon our immediate supervisor
THE IN-OR-OUT LEADER, MANAGER, COACH - BEWARE THE TROLL BENEATH THE BRIDGE
The nature of this model, “In and Out,” demands conformity—everyone has to drink the metaphoric “Kool-Aid.”
Leaders must embrace those they need the most versus holding them hostage.
THE CASE OF BUD
MAKE A RULE, TAKE AWAY A CHOICE - THE CLOSER TO THE ACTION, THE BETTER THE DECISION.
Doing the right thing has never been easy. Ask a soldier or anyone over sixty.
There is no such thing as approximate integrity or an average amount of truth. Integrity starts at the top in a no-excuses/no-tolerance policy lived out by the CEO.
What is a leader to do in the face of this paradox?
MORE THAN “BUTTS IN SEATS” - CHOOSING THE RIGHT HORSE FOR THE COURSE
Whatever the talent you collect, the culture will reflect.
People are much more than butts in seats and interchangeable pawns, they are the raw energy and talent for the organization’s mission, vision, and purpose.
FROM CONCEPT TO PLAYBOOK - WHEN LEARNING DOESN’T TRANSLATE INTO ACTION.
Becoming a better leader, manager, or teacher is personal and often painful. There are no guarantees and few shortcuts.
The best cultures are obsessive about developing their bench:
DEMOCRACY, BUREAUCRACY, ARISTOCRACY, MERITOCRACY - EVERYONE SHOULD BE CZAR OF SOMETHING.
The way we think things should be isn’t necessarily the way things are.
You can confer a title and authority, but you can’t assign credibility. That is earned.
Why, given our almost desperate need for innovation, performance, and growth, is the emergence of true leaders such a cultural long shot?
LOSE THE LABELS - GAIN THE CONNECTION.
Labels can be limiting and potentially hurtful.
We’ve been known to say: People are messy creatures and quite frequently defy categorization. But more accurately: Labeling people is limiting, destructive, and essentially impossible!
SEND YOUR MANAGER HOME DAY . . . AND SEE IF YOU MISS HIM.
FINDING WALDO AT WORK - PURPOSE BUILDS THE BRIDGE.
SQUEEZING THE MIDDLE ≠ GROWTH
When you build a company on cost savings, you become a slave to the middle part of your value statement. And the middle is where culture lives.
TRUSTING LINE-OF-SIGHT - PROCESS, POLICY, AND ACTION ALIGNED TO THE RIGHT OUTCOMES.
When people are struggling at work, sometimes the key lies in reminding them about what their purpose is—how what they do contributes to the acquisition and retention of customers.
Most policies are all about the what but not the why.
When every person in the organization has line-of-sight to the customer, the energy is focused for growth.
Summary: Bridging Outcomes Cornerstones of performance.
MacroCulture isn’t what leadership expects it to be. It is what it is.
Section 4:
MACROCULTURE - BEING MORE INTERESTED THAN INTERESTING
THE MUSIC OF HIGH PERFORMANCE CULTURES.
Like parents, organizations have a tendency to buy the piano when what they really want is to hear the music.
There isn’t one singular MacroCulture that describes an organization; the MacroCulture is interpreted by the people within it. The people make the music.
TRADITIONS, TRADITIONS - WITHOUT THEM, OUR LIVES WOULD BE AS SHAKY AS A FIDDLER ON THE ROOF!
Traditions are a comfort to us; they provide the answers to questions we no longer need to ask.
Our traditions exemplify much more than the rational events of the past—they represent the emotional essence of it.
Tenure: as a badge of loyalty and persistence, we revere it; as a gatekeeper to progress, we fight it.
The culture reacts to the tradition-breaking in predictable ways, by holding onto the what and trying to find a rational way to explain the why.
Companies find structural ways to make people wait their turn. They say, “But it’s a rule!”
SCIENCE AND RELIGION- WE NEED INNOVATION TO REVITALIZE AND LIVE OUT OUR RAISON D’ÊTRE.
Organizations continuously need new science to help revitalize and live out their true purpose, their religion.
Religion helps a culture transcend itself.
Religion is unique because its primary role is only fulfilled when we passionately express that religion in our own distinctive way and in the service of others.
Inspiration comes in all forms, from the smallest of details to the grandest of visions.
The test of religion lies in this question: To whom does it matter?
IF IT IS NOT IMPROVING, IT IS DETERIORATING—SCIENCE IS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION.
Science makes our lives better and miserable at the same time.
SPACE ... OUR FINAL FRONTIER.
What is needed for successful culture is both science and religion. We cannot sustain ourselves with one or the other. Eventually, religion is pressed to “prove it,” and that proof is always performance.
Cost-cutting without vision and hope truncates our passion and drive.
THE CARNIVORES VERSUS THE HERBIVORES - ORGANIC GROWTH IS THE MUSIC OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURES.
The inevitable clash of two cultures begins to sap the energy of the newly merged entity.
Simply combining two organizations does not create a mutual culture. Often, it incites dogmatism around each culture’s way.
Cellular level growth recharges the energy of the organization and promotes sustainability and future growth because the people themselves are consciously connected to its customers and agenda.
Depending on leadership to deliver growth from the top is like pushing string.
Organic growth isn’t sexy, but it is essential to survival. On second thought, it is kind of sexy.
THE ESSENCE OF YOUR LEADERSHIP - IT’S FASHIONED BY THE CHOICES MADE DAY TO DAY.
THE COWBOY IN THE BOARD ROOM - CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?
Can your culture handle the truth?
Fighting with the consultant versus letting the consultant decide.
Let the contrary thought have its way to challenge long-standing preconceived notions. Thoughts, like books, aren’t inherently dangerous, so there is very little need to burn them or the people who speak them!
AFTER FOUR DECADES OF EMPLOYEE SURVEYS, THE FINAL QUESTION IS: ARE YOU LISTENING?
We obsess over our own clarity; we tend to overlook whether or not the other person feels understood.
Organizations are successful when their people feel understood. Anything less is falling short.
TESTING...TESTING...TESTING...
Not measuring employee engagement when times are bad is equivalent to not balancing your checkbook on a bad month.
In its basic form, an employee survey is a promise extended to associates.
WHAT IS Y? FIGURING OUT LEADERSHIP’S SIDE OF THE DEAL.
Why is denial such a common reaction to surveys and other organizational dilemmas?
Discuss results by asking people what they mean.
People need to see positive changes resulting from the survey process.
Keep the conversation going from survey to survey.
IS FILING THE ONLY ACTION RESULTING FROM YOUR ACTION PLANNING PROCESS?
Action planning has become the latest energy-consumer in the engagement world. It appears to drain more energy from the manager and team than it returns in results.
Employee data is not about fixing problems, it is about continuing the conversation around how we work to maximize our effectiveness.
CELEBRATING PROGRESS IS FAR MORE USEFUL THAN PLANNING ACTION
Leaders need to get dirty.
The best managers approach the entire feedback session more like a student than a director.
What will we do differently as a result of this conversation?
Problem cultures—where nothing is ever celebrated—destroy optimism and hope, ultimately stripping the passion from work.
IT’S THURSDAY, 10 A.M. - DO YOU KNOW HOW ENGAGED YOUR WORKFORCE IS?
Most management practices have their feet firmly planted in the past.
DOLLARS AND SENSE TO CULTURE - HOW FISCAL REWARDS AFFECT US.
Inappropriate or pseudo-measures distract us from the real business of developing customer loyalty.
Money is a metaphor for the organization’s reverence of our work. What does your organization revere?
SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE A SIGN
The next time you see a sign, ask yourself, is this here to help us or control us?
If you have a problem, skip the sign and talk directly with those who need reminding.
Most organizations manage to the lowest common denominator; great cultures develop policy around great practices.
LIGHTEN UP! - SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW, A DUCK IS WATCHING YOU.
When humor is at the expense of another person, a negative synergy develops.
Highly productive culture is always an exception to the norm. Highly productive cultures don’t laugh at customers—they cherish them.
BELIEVERS MAKE THE BEST CUSTOMERS
A great customer is not an easy customer, any more than a great place to work is an easy place to work.
When organizations have problems they don’t know how to fix, they inadvertently decide they can’t be fixed.
Customers who help us to improve results make extraordinary partners. But customers who resist our products, advice, council, service, and representatives can make hostages of our people and diminish our culture.
SUCCESS INSPIRES GROWTH - GROWTH FEEDS SUCCESS.
Like any organism, when the MacroCulture becomes fat with growth, its focus waivers.
But culture doesn’t respond as quickly as the human body. It lags behind, reflecting yesterday better than tomorrow.
MAD HATTERS - A CULTURE IN FEAR MAKES EXPENSIVE DECISIONS.
THE BRIDGE INSPECTION - WILL YOUR CONNECTIONS SUPPORT THE TRAFFIC?
Like the synaptic connections in our nervous system, the connections among our groups within an organization signal true synergy or its absence.
In terms of negative feedback—or poor data—you can’t unring the bell.
BOP THE GOPHER - LEADERSHIP’S ROLE IN ELIMINATING BAD MANAGEMENT.
PEELING AWAY THE ORGANIZATIONAL VENEER
Most organizational communication is a type of bureaucratic veneer.
REAL TRUMPS PRETEND - SPARE US THE FLAVOR OF THE MONTH.
THAT’S WHY WE CALL IT WORK
WORRYING ISN’T ENOUGH - GETTING DIRTY IS REQUIRED.
Section Five:
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT - CREATING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
ACTIVATING OVER ASSESSING
Unfortunately, these tactics are no longer a differentiator of great culture. They are now more reflective of the status quo. Not bad, but timeworn.
Are we saying the survey process is obsolete? Hell yes. More to the point, we are saying it doesn’t match the goals we want to achieve.
Do your people actually need a “scorecard” to talk about what really matters at work?
Surveys are an adjunct to, not a natural part of, the workplace. No matter how well-executed, surveys introduce an artificial element to conversations about working together that are usually separate from our true goals and priorities. These conversations need to be “acculturated” into everyday working life - creating high performance culture “patterns.”
There’s no Band-Aid for a listless culture.
THE ANSWER TO ANALYSIS PARALYSIS: TAKING ACTION.
A PRACTICAL APPROACH FOR EVOLVING CULTURE INTO A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.
CONNECTING POINTS - PRACTICING DAY-TO-DAY ATTENTIVENESS.
NEXUS POINTS - THE INTERSECTION OF BUSINESS AND CULTURE.
The intersection of business and culture creates the nexus point—a sweet spot for improving execution.
Case Study: The power of nexus in a highly specialized engineering firm: The best solutions are never generic.
CULTURAL P&L - TURNING A CULTURAL PROFIT.
MACROCULTURE P&L
HOW TO INTEGRATE NEXUS POINTS INTO THE CULTURAL P&L
Collecting Data for the Cultural P&L
Sustaining momentum is easier than creating it; once we get people going, we need to encourage the movement.
ESCAPE FROM THE LAND OF NO - WHERE GREAT IDEAS GO TO DIE.
APPENDIX
Getting Started
Strategy
Vision
Culture
Confidence in Leadership
Line-of-Sight
Energy and Engagement
Managers
Talent
BridgeCulture
Measurement: The Devil in the Details
Endnotes
Acknowledgments
The scene opens:
One man (Tom Hanks sans the volleyball) stands on a small sandy outcrop in the ocean. His only possession—his DNA and what knowledge and skills he has picked up along the way.
He has goals:
- A happy family.
- Meaningful work.
- A chance to make a difference.
But these goals continue to elude him, alone on his island. He doesn’t have the tools, talent or know-how to get his needs met.
We feel for Tom, a victim of his circumstances.
The camera pans out and shows us the “rest of the story.”
Tom’s sandy beach is a desk in the middle of the second floor in a five-story office building. A sea of cubicles, quiet little keystrokes and the people who make them, surround him. Each person is isolated, separate, alone. Occasionally someone gets up to grab a cup of coffee. Tension hangs in the air; the mood is somber, the energy non-existent. The shared purpose? 5 pm, quitting time.
Things are different on the 4th floor. Well, the cubicles and jobs are the same, but not the feeling.
Like a magnet, Mary’s desk pulls in people, their dreams and their talents. It is a hub in the buzz of the room, intense, collaborative, and productive. Sounds of people laughing waft up from cubicles and coffee pot. The energy is palpable as people celebrate the little victories in working together and in the mission they share.
Research suggests that a full 35 percent of people feel alienated at work, working around people but never really connected to them. But this is not about the work—it’s about the workplace.
Does your workplace suck the life out of you? Or are you one of the lucky ones, the 42% whose work life fills you with a sense of accomplishment, partnership and joy?
Our DNA is what it is—we don’t have the opportunity (at least yet) to “swap it out” for better genes. Our talents are “hardwired”—but our environment is highly variable:
A small boy. A new school. A bad teacher = an eager boy stifled, uncertain, and lonely.
A young woman. Trusting coworkers. A great manager = a confident woman encouraged, productive and happy.
The world we find ourselves in either enhances or diminishes our life, our growth and our contribution.
We were blessed to have experienced great culture. As young professionals, in the beginning of our careers we were each, separately drawn to a small organization with a huge promise: to help us understand our unique talents and put them to vital and productive use. It was there that we learned the building blocks of great organizational culture first hand: Individual talent, trusting relationships, and the right expectations.
These fundamentals were celebrated in Curt’s first, best-selling book, First Break All the Rules, What the world’s greatest managers do differently (co-authored with Marcus Buckingham), and his next, Follow this Path, How the world’s greatest organizations drive growth by unleashing human potential (co-authored with Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina).
We both credit the culture of that organization for nearly three decades of personal and professional growth. It accentuated our strengths and brought out the best in us. We came to know the power of belonging and the exhilaration in pursuing a shared mission. We reveled in the challenge, sense of ownership and the partnership we had with colleagues. We saw our goals become accomplishments and dreamed bigger.
What we didn’t fully appreciate at the time was the delicate balance within culture.
If you’ve ever used a carpenter’s level to hang a picture, you know the importance of keeping the “bubble” centered between the lines. A fraction of movement sends the bubble careening off to the side, a tiny change with major consequences to the final product.
Like all energy, great culture can’t be stored and saved for later. The energy within is either productively used or squandered. When the culture “bubble” goes off center it drags down individual hopes, organizational results and global competitiveness.
Little detractors start dragging the culture off kilter; decisions are made too far from the action and rules replace communication. Politics substitute for relationships and self-interest wins out over shared mission and purpose. People are divided, as the competition focuses inward.
Whatever you want for your life or your children’s, it is a journey you can’t take alone. Who and how you connect makes all the difference. That’s why the role we each play in building and maintaining a great culture is so important.
Culture is not a situation–it is an opportunity to be “all in.”
Four generations of Americans have proven their worth in the legacy to their children: their kids have exceeded the standards set by their parents. This is our right, isn’t it – to expect that our children will reap the benefit from the world we had a hand in creating?
As parents, we find an immense sense of satisfaction in our children’s struggle to “best us” – to demonstrate that they are smarter, more compassionate and more capable than we.
The transition from child to adult has never been easy to watch. But now, today, it is terrifying. We are being told that we are about to become the first generation whose children will not achieve our standard of living—nor experience a plethora of opportunities for employment and growth. It shocks us and appalls us that this is happening on “our watch.”
Today, an industry-staffing expert shared this statistic: 53 percent of college graduates in the US are moving home after graduation—and some 83% are unemployed or under employed. We could describe this as a national tragedy, but as parents, these statistics are almost too personal for us.
We have colleagues, friends, and neighbors (many of whom are Baby Boomers), who, at the height of their careers have lost their high-paying jobs once, and then again, to less skilled or inexperienced employees. No longer managers, leaders, or directors, they are reeling from the loss of self-definition perhaps more than from the loss of income. We are speechless to console them, for we, too, see them as victims of unforeseen and unmanageable circumstances.
And what of the Millennials (born after 1982)? They have never worked in a great or healthy economy. Not to be stalled, they are racking up advanced degrees as substitutes for real jobs. Admirable, but advanced degrees seem unlikely solutions for today’s culture problems.
We have written this book for all generations (Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millenials) that must solve the culture crisis in America. This is the only time we will refer to you by group. We choose not to separate us with labels. No matter what your age, voting preference or line-of work, you are in this with us.
In the course of our research and soul search we came to an enlightened understanding of the real issues in developing high performance cultures. We are not simply victims—“Make a Deal” losers, destined to pick the wrong job and get the pointy-haired boss. We are moment-to-moment architects of our workplaces—our own cultures.
A WORD ABOUT THE RESEARCH
Our research has spanned over three decades and six continents with millions of individuals, thousands of managers and working teams, across volunteer organizations, small businesses and mega-corporations. We are continually seeking to extrapolate and verify our findings across contexts and methodologies.
Our consulting with leaders, managers, sales executives and with students, colleagues and friends has put real faces to our research, resulting in a whole new reverence for the myriad of cultures to which we each belong.
For that reason, we have deliberately provided a wider range of cultural examples i.e., shared references (the media, movie stars and other national disappointments and successes). We want you to see this amazing phenomenon we so casually refer to as “culture” in all its power to affect the quality of our lives.
Like the dinosaurs before us, business giants are tumbling from their perch—Arthur Andersen, Circuit City, Hostess, and many more. Some are gone completely; others cling to a gray half-life that keeps them at the brink of the economic tar pit. To survive in this new economy, many companies have placed their faith in strategy, brand, and innovation. Yet time and again, even the best plans fall short of their potential and the companies end up where they began. We have discovered that in the majority of these cases what goes wrong isn’t the strategy; rather, success or failure is a result of the organization’s culture.
We refer to the chasm between organizational dreams and present reality as the “strategy gap.” The distance across that gap is the province of culture.
The gap between our goals and our results has prompted a call to realign culture with strategy. But what does that mean? And where does the realignment occur?
Perhaps you are expecting us to say: At the top! If so, you are going to be disappointed. Realigning culture with strategy can’t be done at the top because the energy to act exists deep within the organization.
The brand promise may be crafted at the strategy level, but it is the organization’s culture that either delivers or breaks that promise.