Why should you change a culture to affect a business’s value?
There is a systemic norm within our workplaces that acts as a roadblock which prevents businesses from moving forwards to becoming enduring and great. It’s a leader’s responsibility to create an environment within which people can excel. A culture enables or disables the business owner to realise their businesses value.
Some distractions
1 The team must change their ways
Think of all the bosses you have worked for over the years. What were the characteristics of that boss, when you performed at your best? What is fascinating about this question is that everyone ALWAYS answers it in the same way. It’s down to you as the boss
2 The reality check
Pretty much every corporate environment includes well intentioned senior management consistently trying to force something unnatural onto people, or say one thing when their actions show something completely different. The role model leader sets and becomes the standard that the rest will DEFINITELY follow. This gap leaves the value statement looking valueless and disingenuous.
Management should help to develop the courage to liberate capability of those around them. There is a very real fear in liberating the passion in staff, as it requires real courage to let go and start trusting your employees.
3 Focus on growth and exporting?
Flat profit and revenue is sustainable and often a venerable achievement, but behind the scenes to sustain it – standing still is not an option. Never ending earnings and growth are the misnomers of recent years; as we are all fishing in the same pot, the pot and growth must therefore be finite. But it’s a big pond and it’s growing slowly!
4 Giving away value
Too often businesses give away great product and service value. This provides the opportunity to get back to basics and increase margins, by getting closer to customers, and start selling. Increasing margins is a tough challenge that goes beyond sales – all aspects of the customer experience MUST be exceptional and memorable.
5 You can buy passion
Like running up a sand dune, businesses do not grow if customer service is not exceptional and predictable. What is it that makes the customer experience exceptional? It’s simple… Passionate people working together towards a common purpose. Creating predictable results is about liberating untapped capability and demonstrating trust… The myopic focus on emerging economies growth for many businesses is a fatal attraction & fatal distraction. Guy Hands in the last few weeks interestingly stated that Europe still provides some of the best well rooted investment opportunities.
6 To change culture you change “the how” and root “the what” in truth
Organisations should create passionate people, by making employees feel wanted. We should encourage rather than control diversity and continually challenge ourselves to create the environment in which employees excel. How do you best address this challenge? Change should start at the top and it’s not someone else’s problem. It’s Yours.
7 We can do it ourselves
Businesses need a catalyst, employees are naturally inclined to look after thei own interests and the leaders need support as the change starts with them.
8 Waiting for the business climate to change
What were those characteristics of your boss, when you performed at your best? Ask how the passionate people feel in your business.