I thought it was a good idea to to start a business blog to supplement the journal articles I write on change management.
(PDF Articles) I trust that some of the issues raised here may be of interest to you to pursue away from this blog of ideas and thoughts. The blogs run in date order with the most recent at the top of this page.
Continuing on my theme of Leadership, I must say am perplexed sometimes by the questions I am asked at training events. Just a month ago I was banging on about how important Leadership was to any business.
I made the point that 'without Leadership there is little chance of any meaningful change,' and was making my way through the famous quote by Warren Bennis that 'Leadership is like herding cats' when I was asked a question from the audience.
The question was "Can organisations have too much Leadership?" It is a great question but one I have difficulty answering. My reply was "It's not a problem I run into that often."
Can World Beating Business have too much Leadership?
I bet Sir Fred Goodwin CEO from Royal Bank of Scotland and Jeff Emmelt, CEO of General Electric, could never envisage a time when they had too much of this characteristic because they prize it in their direct reports and praise it highly. In these two organisations, leadership plays a crucial role in driving the change agenda as 'business as usual'.
My view is that we have to rise to the challenge of turning our culture of change from managing and administering the process to lead it as the only alternative.
I was talking with senior staff at the seminar and asked those attending a simple question: What percentage of senior and middle management staff in their business could be called Leaders by their deeds and through their behaviours? The typical response was between 3-5%! So still there is plenty of scope to develop all those management teams to new heights of performance.
Leadership has been preying a lot on my mind recently because of the upcoming Scottish Parliament Elections. Barely an hour goes by without some aspect of Leadership being aired on TV or radio yet I don't see much Leadership in our political parties. I see a lot of posturing and assertive behaviour but Leadership is demonstrated by few.
This made me wonder about the 'trait' versus 'type' theory on Leadership. Some say that people are born to Leadership positions - they come from the class or section of society that breeds Leadership as a natural 'type' of behaviour. The trait theory contends that people can learn the key traits to demonstrate behaviour that then classifies them as Leaders
So how do we acquire Leadership behaviour?
Some acquire it early in life, and probably learn from example and by modelling others, but most people can become strong leaders given the motivation and the drive.
I have always rejected theory that 'Leaders are born not made' simply because I find the thinking that underpins this belief very limiting. It suggests that there are those in society, who because of their birthright, social standing or strata will naturally portray leadership behaviour more than others who do not share a similar background.
Clearly, this view of Leadership is best confined to the 19th Century and the archaic institutions that depict that era.
On Becoming a Leader
Given development and some self-motivation, most of us can aspire and lead others well. The important point is wanting to succeed and practising the behaviours so they become a dominant aspect of your outward behaviours. No one can call himself or herself Leader. The title is bestowed from others who feel or acknowledge that you demonstrate the range of behaviours that people would describe as 'Leadership'
So who is a Leader?
Anyone who manages others falls within my view of Leadership. Even if you only have two direct reports, you have a role to lead your people. What about technical specialists - are they leaders? In a way, I see them as Leaders because they all have a very important role to play within their own supply chain of internal customers and suppliers. They often have to influence others within that supply chain and for this reason, I would agree that they do need to demonstrate Leadership behaviour.
Committing to Creating a Leadership Culture
Most organisations would benefit directly from creating a leadership culture. I maintain this is a huge challenge for most organisations who seem to believe they manage or administrate their way through change and challenge.
In the Blog this month, I mentioned the core traits demonstrated by Leaders. To access a generated list of behaviours I would refer you to the work of Kouzes and Posner quoted in the Blog of 22 April.
From their research with over 3,000 acknowledged leaders, they distilled a set of five behaviours that reflected a strong leadership style. Here they are: I will expand on these behaviours as we move into the May Blog.
Challenge the Process - there is always a new, better way of doing, managing, leading. We can always do things better, faster and more effectively.
Inspiring a Vision - installing the tangible vision and direction of the future that we can create together.
Enabling people to Act - providing your people with the skills, experiences, tools and the abilities to operate in a fast changing and challenging environment.
Leading by Example - Modelling the way, by demonstrating how you want others to behave by 'walking the talk' and setting the example and standards.
Praise the Heart - Leadership is about engaging with others' emotional states and motivating them through their current zones of ability.
It's interesting watching the various leaders of political parties tread the boards and demonstrate their undying commitment to invest in Scotland's future. I personally am concerned about apathy and turnout in this and future elections.
I believe that the general public are probably the most cynical they have ever been and this will be reflected in turnout on election day.
It's worth noting what is important in Leadership in terms of why people have confidence in one person over another. Research in organisational behaviour suggests that there are several characteristics which are important. If you want to find out more read, Kouzes and Posner's ' The Leadership Challenge'
which is still the definitive work on what makes a leader.
Saturday was busier than usual day for me. Having promised to deliver a team building event for the JCI in Glasgow I had one of two challenges.
Number one was a badly bruised set of tendons on my left foot (from changing gear charging up and down the M1 and M6 since Xmas) known as *clutch foot" and number two was Hay Fever. Whoever said that one's emotional state can obliterate any pain was right.
I thought I had induced quite a powerful emotional state of positivity between the odd twinge before I arrived and on meeting the JCI people I was delighted to be in their attendance.
On arrival I met 50ish energised, extroverted, serious, fun loving and entrepreneurial members of JCI all gathered in Glasgow at the Strathclyde Police Social Club, adjacent to the Burrell Gallery in the County Park. Here I was to run a creative team building event that would help JCI in building greater membership, retain and acquire new members and reshape their image.
The three hours passed very quickly and was a great success. I loved it and my wife - driver from home to Glasgow and back had another opportunity to go around the Burrell Collection.
What great day - if you fit the age profile of under 40 (sadly I do not) visit these sites. The web link is: for the world organisation to give you a flavour. and a good website to show programmes is JCI Worldwide
JCI Edinburgh like all JCI's is committed to providing a focus and forum for developing young entrepreneurial minds to help people develop their leadership capability and to increase their personal development and social networking.
"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" or "a favour dressed up as a Gift"
As part of an ongoing debate on Influence we have been talking about the difference between assertiveness and aggression and think we have discovered a completely new language pattern.
Aggressive behaviour is asserting our rights or will over others. Assertive behaviour is respecting the rights of others whilst pursuing our own agenda in an open manner.
In our Assertiveness training, we talk through many tried and tested strategies to assert one's views.
Assertive Techniques
These techniques range from using the 'broken record technique, the use of assertive body language, the use of negative self - assertion to walk away from apologising for something for which we had no responsibility.
You know the scene. Someone asks you a favour and you decline but you utter the phrase "I am sorry………..but.............".
These simple words sometimes are enough to create sufficient guilt in self that you end giving in to the request of the other person.
Recently, we have made a simple discovery which is a new one for us. Not orginal, but we find people are using this "pattern" more and more. Sometimes it is reasonable. If applied in the extreme it is not!
Here's the Pattern of Language: What are you doing…………..?
This language pattern is initiated by an unexpected phone call. The recipient has no idea what the call is about and is caught off guard.
Why? Because the person on the other end of the phone is about to make an (unreasonable) request which has been planned to disarm one into agreeing in principle, to give up your time to fulfil their request.
It is designed to hoodwink you into agreement before the request has been outlined in detail. How powerful is that? Very powerful.
The tactic is to get others to agree in advance to an action. Then the second stage is to tell them what they have agreed or committed to do. They cannot get out of it because they have already given their approval.
If they do renege, most experience guilt. This has got to be a winner for those who initiate the call. Good for them. They got what they wanted!
If one person wins someone loses!
But what of the poor sucker who has agreed to actions before they know what the actions entail? Does a constant request of this nature create a great climate for working together?
Okay the ocassional request is fine, but its when it becomes a repetitive behaviour, others in the team notice the style and develop tactics of avoidance. So how do we recognise it and what action can we take?
The behaviour goes something like this. You may recognise the approach.
The "Buttering" up approach
Hi, Bill. Hello it's great to talk again. Listen Bill I have wanted to speak to you for ages……….. I trust business is good for you…….. but more on that later. Tell me what are you doing ……… right now/ this evening/ tomorrow/ next Saturday / at the weekend?
Stop now before you reply. Note, you have to pay attention because your answer is critical.
If you say "nothing" or "not much" then the response will come - "Oh Great. You can help me out?" "Can you fill in or do this for me….etc" "It would be really helpful if……….." "Your support would be much appreciated…..". "You are the first and only person I thought of…………" "Your experience is made for this………………etc"
This pattern is designed to shock you from a state of "not doing much" to one of action to fill the time you have available to meet the needs of the initiator.
They use the term "What are you doing?"…… so they can leverage any potential guilt to encourage you to devote your time to resolving their problems.
It is okay if it happens now and again, but it can become a pattern in the behaviour of others and can be perceived as covert aggressive behaviour appearing as a sociable request.
Turning down an offer can be seen as unhelpful, or at worst team busting against agreed norms and behaviours, when, in fact, all one is doing is responding to an covert aggressive request with its less than open intent.
It is aggressive because the intent is covert and concerned solely with meeting the needs of the initiator. None of the pre-frame to the question has been open so far - such as……….. "Look I have a big problem" - "I have double booked" - "I wonder if you can help……etc".
This is a covert aggressive behaviour because there are winners and losers, and guess which you are?
Build It Up So You Cannot Say No
When considering this phrase - "What are you doing..........?" - I did not realise how many times I have (almost) been 'caught out' in the past. I had a colleague who used to pre-frame everything he said with something like………... "I have a fantastic opportunity - just up your street……………" or "This could be a really big project for you………….." or…………… "These opportunities only come around once - if you can squeeze this in and drop everything else the benefits of the business will be with you for years…..etc"
I have other ex colleagues who tell me they have just won consulting contracts or amazing new business when they have not. "Look I have just done this deal or at the edge of new business opportunities - I wonder if you could do………..X for me?"
The list continues and I am not the only potential victim I am sure, but the behaviour is spreading so beware, because the strategy above is about making you feel important and critical to a piece of work others require you complete. Because of the initial build up in the 'pattern of language' and your agreement that you could live up to the work, its hardly likely that you'll turn it down.
A Lecturing Colleague's experience
A friend teaches at a college and she and her colleagues are constantly bombarded by phone calls from one member of the team. The calls are in the evening and opens with the phrase …….."Hi - how are you keeping? How is the family? We must get together for a coffee some time. There's so much to talk about. Look what are you doing tomorrow?"
If the person receiving the call says "Nothing" - the caller then says "Oh great, you can help me with this urgent problem…………
Have you ever been caught out by this ruse dressed up as a straight forward invitation?
Confined to Business? - Not at all, look at the typical Family
Don't for one minute consider that this behaviour is reflected solely in business transactions. I am sure you can think of instances when close and peripheral family members have used such tactics to get you to agree to spend your time and energies differently to how you had planned to use them. So the benefits of finding new ways to counter covert aggressive techniques can impact all other areas of your life and are worth pursuing.
So what is the Answer?
Be aware of the techniques and also the follow ups used to leverage potential guilt for failing to comply with their request……….beware of
"Well if you asked me a favour I'd help out straight away"
"It seems likes you are not part of the team?"
"I would have thought it reasonable that……………"
"If you do this for me now, I'll do…………."
Sometimes it's a good idea to return to the basics of interpersonal skills. I know that is it reasonable to support and work with colleagues but when this becomes a pattern in the behaviour of others we have to adopt new strategies to protect make best use of our time. If interested we can outline how to deal with these behaviours on our tailored programme that we run in-house for businesses - use our contact form to make further enquiries.
It would appear from the interest generated by 'Change Agent Mastery' on 11 April and especially the element dealing with adversity, that this one behaviour could significantly impact the performance of people in achieving their potential. This does not just relate to corporate life but also to the 'pain' of real personal change much of which is presented to us as 'bad things sometimes happen to good people.'
We have all read of famous sportsmen or public figures who have had to overcome tremendous problems but the message is that in reality 'Joe public' has exactly the same pressures with which to cope but they just get on with it, without making it a big deal. What is the difference that makes the difference with these people?
Its not what happens to us that is important - its how we respond to what happens to us
No one knows in advance how we will deal with what fate has in store for us, and a true test of our character is the ability to be able rise to the challenge. After all, it's not what happens to us that is important - its how we respond to what happens to us!
Knowing how resilient we can be and how we cope with adversity tells us how we can build a strong inner resilience which portrays itself as 'self assurance' and 'self confidence'. It is a good investment of our time to know and practise the core behaviours for dealing with tough times when they come calling.
Major Components of Resilience
1. As long as you think you have Control - you have!
It does not matter whether you have control or you don't, BUT if you think you do have control, you can take action. Having a high degree of 'perceived control' will encourage and empower you to take action. You are not likely to give up if you believe you can succeed.
Those who give up too quickly have abdicated responsibility for fixing their problems a long time ago. The person who moans, - "I was passed over twice for promotion to senior management......and then decides to whinge on for the rest of their life........... will hardly take action and start afresh and try again.
Those who do not have stamina and falls at the hurdles will not have the inner resolve to try harder and put more energy and effort into new ventures. They create their own self-fulfilling prophecy.
Having the................."I'm not sure I can do it but I am going to give it all I can to succeed"......is always going to win over the "I failed before so why should I succeed now". Psychologists may say the first comment is unhealthy and 'not true to self' and the other "more truthful and honest," but which do you think is more empowering in encouraging people to take action?
2. Taking OWNERSHIP is okay but being seen as being the ORIGIN of the problem is unhealthy
Ownership for things going wrong is fine - BUT you should never believe that you are the 'origin' of the problem. If you do, you blame yourself and create a hell of a lot of guilt!
Its all very 'macho' to accept blame when things go wrong. In fact, our parents probably taught us that independence and taking responsibility for the good and bad decisions we make helps us build a strong character. Well, that may be true, but only sometimes.
Constant acceptance that 'self is to blame' does not do much good for building a strong resilient style. If we adopt this style, be careful not to take ourselves too seriously. Therefore, ownership is good - but believing inherently that we caused bad things to happen depletes any positive action to finding and implementing a solution.
While we are being 'grown up' and taking the criticism for whatever problem arises - at the same time our trust and belief in self is being eroded. Of course, there should be balance. However, what research tells us is that taking it on the chin is okay but one needs to move on very quickly. Its much better to say "It was unfortunate, but really how many others would have really read the signs and seen this bad thing coming?"
This deflection of blame is actually very good for building resilience. It says, "Okay, although I was in control - would the average person have dealt any better with this problem than I have done any better?"
3. Containing the Spread of Emotions to other aspects of our Life
Ensuring that tough times impact only a small part or aspect of our world is a good thing. Just because something happens in our business life, does not mean it permeates into our other roles and parts of our life. Characteristic of people who demonstrate this trait or behaviour is the attitude "Okay, this happened here but it is contained." It is not spreading to other roles or parts of their life. "Business may not be going well but my relationships with my family are still good, my fitness and health will improve because I'm directing more energy to build up my reserves, and, further, there are always new opportunities around the corner."
The alternative is the crisis bound self absorbed casualty and victim that lets every 'knock-back' or minor conflict or even moderate disaster let it spread and bleed into other parts of their life and cause widespread ruin. Containing the reach of this adversity is a behaviour that supports the resilient individual.
4. Adversity is an Episode not a Theme to my Life
Knowing that setbacks are temporary not permanent is what completes the resilient individual. The person who knows that life is going to be tough but also knowing that they can 'endure' the pain because they can see the end of the tunnel, is the person who bounces back quickly. Believing that good times will return, and knowing that you can shape the future for the better is the final behaviour that will create the bulletproof attitude to create a strong resilient enduring personality.
Change Agent Mastery: Navigating Self through Change
Before anyone can go out and create change in business, they need to be able to handle change themselves. Core to this is taking responsibility for driving change and taking ownership for how one's future turns out.
I have been listening to what the experts in Change tell us about what makes great 'change makers'. It all starts with changing self and is down to practising new behaviours in the following three areas:
1. Interpersonal Competence
Know self and in particular focus on how we influence self and others. Understand the dynamics that motivate you first, and you can easily see how and when you turn prospects and your business contacts on and off.
The key is to be empathetic and adapt to the style of others - addressing their objections before they are raised. You have to be nimble on your toes but it works very time. Find out more about personality dynamics.
2. Knowing the Change Curve
Know how you cope with change. We all go through a cycle of activities when we are subjected to personal change. First, we experience shock, then denial, followed by 'coming to terms' with some of the negative elements of how change impacts us.
Eventually we get used to the idea that change has to happen and we start experimenting and stretching beyond our comfort zone. With experimentation comes choice and then courage to try doing things differently.
Later we gain some degree of competence and then our behaviour changes for the better. Knowing how we cope with change and where we are on the transition curve is imperative. By knowing this precisely, where we are on the 'change curve' we become aware that things are going to get better.
3. On Resilience and Adversity
Knowing how resilient we can be and how we cope with adversity tells us how we can build an inner strength. Knowing the core behaviours of what makes us resilient is the foundation for dealing with tough times when they call.
Believing that you have control even if you don't can help things. Rejecting 'self blame' and saying to self "most other people would not have seen this coming" is far more positive and gentle on the ego than the alternative mantra of beating oneself up saying " I should have known better".
Not letting adversity bleed to all other areas of your life is a behaviour that supports the resilient individual, as does knowing that you can 'endure' the pain because you can see the end of the bad times and that knowing that good times are just around the corner.
The really interesting thing is you can learn and develop these skills on our unique change management programme!
Not so long ago, a good friend asked me a very simple question - how can I turn my business into even more of a sales culture? This guy is very focused and a great business leader so he set me thinking. I guess a key responsibility resides with those who manage or lead the business. A sales culture cannot be managed into an existing culture it has to be led or driven from the top.
Commit to the belief for a sales focused strategy to drive more customers to your door. If you don't have customers and sales - what do you have? Everyone has a role to build, repair, support, contribute and make the organisation stronger. The more robust the business, the greater security and wealth for all who work in it,
A sales culture is critical for any business. Anyone who is not selling the business and influencing customers or consumers in a positive manner, is not really adding value. It may sounds trite, but every employee has a key responsibility to the business and his or her colleagues. If you are not promoting the business, then what are you doing? This is just as applicable in a school, hospital or public utility as it is in commercial organisations. It is something that we take as given but is too often lacking in many organisations.
The leadership and values that support such businesses and behaviours are negative. Soon this behaviour becomes business as usual standards and norms decline and before you know it you are only operating at 50-60% efficiency because it is a mindset that can be easily installed. It seems that bad behaviour is condoned. You'll know the sort of organisation I'm talking about? I once asked a manager of a prospective client - "How many people work here?" His reply, ……."on a good day about half of them". You know this sort of business where people confuse attendance with performance! It's okay to joke about them but they do exist, I have worked in them and I suspect readers of this Blog have also.
Back to the key issue. How do you build a sales culture? So here are some ideas.
Strategy & Values
"We do what we value, and we value what we do". Behaviour begets behaviour. In order to build a business and grow the customer base, sales has to be at the forefront of everyone's agenda. It has to be a mantra. How can we grow the business? How can I use my talents and behaviours to leverage greater customer delight? How can I shape what I do to support the customer? If you don't support the customer, support those who do.
Encouraged behaviours should be assessed in terms of contribution as to how best to service and retain existing customers, and convert interested bystanders, onlookers, and prospects into loyal customers.
Everyone has Ownership of Sales
It does not matter what your role in the business, everyone can contribute to provide great service to their customers - even if you are support staff. For those who don't have customer facing roles - support those who do and, more importantly, the internal supply chain. This will mean error free work, doing it right first time, delivering on time, consistently, above expectations and specifications, and providing better quality than others in your field.
Mindset
Actions start in the mind. An enthusiastic leader with focus can change the way people think. As Henry Ford famously stated "Whether you think you can or you think you cannot - you are right". Our job as leaders and managers is to ignite passion into our teams and our staff. It is to engage with them emotionally to want to delight the customer or consumer. Doing so starts with thinking with this in mind as our goal. Generating a winning Mindset is about engaging with staff at all levels and working as a team to achieve objectives
Personal Goals
Engaging with our people to joint goal-setting is vital to creating a total team effort to push for a sales culture. People need to feel valued and often more willing to contribute than we are aware. They should know how they are being measured and develop the metrics themselves to take full ownership. When you jointly agree and set challenging specific goals, you'll find that behaviour changes. So currently if people are not measured on 'adding value to their customers' then they will probably not engage in that behaviour.
Motivation & Reward
People have to feel valued and will tend to orientate towards goals where they have some say in forming and then achieving them. If the current reward structure fails to encourage the behaviour that leads to creating a sales culture, then its unlikely that people will display those required behaviours.
Define Behaviours with Precision
Staff need to know what is expected of them. So, for instance, if you provide training for businesses it seems likely that part of your responsibility is to devise a marketing plan to attract new customers. Part of this is, of course, focusing on retaining existing customers as well as winning back the disenchanted or those who have ventured to other providers.
Ask Great Questions
Finally, I believe that we have to ask of ourselves some fairly challenging questions.
What assumptions are we currently making that hinders my view of our sales and customer management strategy?
Why do some customers use us and others do not?
How can we appeal more to those who are currently not our customers?
How can we retain the loyalty of existing customers and win more business?
What cross-selling can we do that will strengthen our ties with our customers?
Can we partner with our customers on new developments?
How can we add demonstrative value to our customers?
What three things can I do as a leader to empower my people to go the extra mile with customers?
What training would impact sales for our business?
What actions can I encourage my managers to focus on to deliver excellent service?
How can I promote a culture of care for customers so that we are their only natural choice as a business partner
Finally, I like to ask the one question of myself which is all to do with the successful sales strategy of IBM in the 80's. People used to say of purchasing IBM products "You'll never get fired for buying IBM" - because they are so customer centric. Just substitute the name of your company for IBM in this last sentence and you have the right mindset.
Synergy is 1+1=3 and "what goes around comes around!"
Working together with others gives me a great thrill. There is nothing better than others in your network enjoying an increase in business activity because of one's personal input, good deeds and selfless acts on their behalf.
I believe in creating a powerful set of networks and partnerships without the need to constantly reward each other financially for good deeds delivered.
Creating business is based on people working together in partnerships focusing all the time on adding value for others. Building a network this way has huge payoffs for all, especially if we adopt a 'win-win' attitude.
All Take and no Give!
I am sure most of us have experienced the ungrateful, selfish, individual who takes much and gives little in return. You know the outcome of this one sided relationship. The relationship soon breaks down and the 'selfish' party goes on to form other relationships with the same 'win-lose' objective in mind.
Selling within our Networks
I prefer to work on building a close network of trusted associates and colleagues. The one value that binds us together is working hard for each other. This means 'selling on' the skills of others to those who will derive value from this behaviour.
Selling others has a huge reward for the seller - because when others derive and experience value from one's efforts - in return one can bask in the glow of helping both parties - our colleague or associate and those who were the recipient of the service delivered by our them.
Serving Others
In sales training - the word sales derives from the Norwegian word 'selje'. A literal translation for 'selje' means "to serve". I like to use this interpretation of selling the skills of others. By serving others, we are creating a culture of attraction and acceptance. Building this climate is central in understanding the dynamics of trust and mutual respect, which is so often missing in many commercial relationships.
So my believe is that 1+ 1= 3. Bringing several people together with the sole purpose of doing good for both parties increases the size of the cake. To me integration and building each other's business is what does this. So instead of arguing over which slice of the cake belongs to whom, we should all concentrate on creating a recipe that contributes to a rich network and super size cake with plenty for all.
It's true. What goes around comes around!
This is a focus on feeding each other - not being greedy. I don't know if you know the story about the mother who was trying to teach her twin children a lesson on cooperation and working together.
Tackling Win-Lose
The story goes like this………The mother of the twins was constantly having to intervene because one twin was always trying to get a bigger slice of the cake than the other. She decided that a method for dealing with this greedy behaviour would be to encourage the children to look after each other and share, rather than compete for the big slice. She created a new ritual at the tea table. One twin had the job of cutting the cake into slices. The other would choose which slice of the cake to eat.
This protocol is not necessary in business, or is it? Do you ever witness this behaviour where you find that one person succeeds while the other loses? Sometimes people forget that just because one wins, does not mean others have to lose!
The Law of Attraction
So, over the Easter weekend you might want to think about how you can make the cake bigger for all those in your commercial and family network. The rewards flow fast and, as you provide good fortune for others, so you will attract wealth in its many guises.
New Cultures & Welcoming Change: Response to Trusted Lieutenant Syndrome and the Downfall of CEO's
I have had quite a few responses to this piece on the 26 March - but none from CEO's. I await those who are curious and self critical enough to respond! The responses appear to come from the ranks of middle managers who are keen observers of what transpires at the senior echelons. Trusted Lieutenant syndrome permeates all aspects of management and all sectors.
It's interesting to note that this 'syndrome' is more common experience than one might imagine and is directly tied up with the political and social system that is interwoven within the culture of most businesses. It interests me because it reflects a number of cultures which I will expand upon in the coming month - including:
Negative Punitive Cultures
Cover Your Ass - 'I'll cover your ass if you cover mine'
Clicque or Mafia culture - Sometimes known as the innner sanctum - 'let's keep decisions in the family'
Don't take any risks - 'I must move on up before anyone finds out what I have not been doing'
'I did not get where I am today........... by challenging, thinking, taking risks etc .........'
Bully boys - 'Pay attention and read my lips - do it my way or it's the highway'
'They shoot horses don't they? - be one of the herd, conform, don't question, play the game
On Competition .....( and mediocrity)......... "We are no worse than anyone else...we are in danger of over-training people anyway!"
Positive- Curative Cultures
Challenge & High Achievement - "you can only score if and when you take the shot"
Breaking the rules, thinking differently, acting courageously - "taking action and questioning new ways is the only route to the next level of performance"
Lifetime Value : Re-engineer the managerial mindset to focus on emotional bonding with our customer, so we become their natural choice of partner
Desire and positively attract change - welcome it as a 'wake up call' - it is our ally and friend not our enemy
If you're not Leading, Selling, Partnering the Customer, Motivating or Coaching - then what the hell are you wasting your time on? You cannot manage or administer yourself to greatness
Matrix and process services the Customers - inward looking and adherence to bureaucracy reinforces the old beliefs and styles of managing
Obsessively Customer-Centric - "We do what we value and value what we do"
In the following weeks and months will explore both the negative and the positive cultures and how we all can build towards developing a new wave of change strategies to replace the "ancien regime".
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