For April’s Twelve Seasons, let’s address growing a greater culture in your company to create even greater results. You already know the link is real: great culture creates great results!
So, here are some thoughts and tools to “inculturate” your company with behaviors and beliefs that we have seen work in bringing more top-line, more bottom-line, happier employees creating happier customers, and better cash flow and balance sheet health.
First, try adopting Ron Fleisher’s remarkable value system…three simple values for you a your people to embrace. They are “Customer is our First Focus Always” and then “Revenues minus Costs and Expenses is Profit” and it’s a VALUE here because without it, there is no company, no customer, no product, no nothing! And then third: “Over-Deliver” which means promise what they say and they want AND what you know they really need, then Over-Deliver every time. This approach is simple to instill, and it really works!
Next, add some of the tools we continually talk about in the “CEO Tools” book, namely tools about Walking the Four Corners “W4C” and Communication tools, Recognition tools, Celebration tools and events. Many easily-implemented tools in these areas are laid out in the “CEO Tools” book which most of you have. They are also available in the many blogs at www.ceotools.com/blog and on the website.
Another thought on improving your culture: Greg Bustin, a top Vistage/TEC speaker/chair focuses on this area in a unique way in his recent blog and email, which identifies the “culture crashers” in your company; these are those folks who destroy culture and whom you can re-direct. See his insightful piece at the following URL: http://www.bustin.com/_blog/Greg_Bustin_Executive_Leadership_Blog
Finally, it is my immense pleasure and honor to work with some of the very best cultures embodied by clients that I now work with: these include Phillips Corporation headquartered in Hanover Maryland, Triton Management Group headquartered in Montgomery Alabama and Hotze Entities in Katy Texas. These are just a few businesses which anyone would be proud to be affiliated with in any way…there are many, many more!
Please set aside some time in the coming few weeks to consider your culture. What is it now, how might it be improved, and what is your plan with your senior management team to inculturate your company into greater performance and results? You will be surprised how huge the positive impact will be on your profitability and cash flow. Best wishes for creating your championship culture, Kraig