Culture Change Does Not Require a Large Personality

If you are responsible for the leadership of your organization, you know how imperative your team is to its success. This is not only true for getting things done but also for creating the culture of an organization. As we all know, “Perception is Reality,” and this is a prickly subject that some leaders dance around who have a difficult time seeing the forest through the trees.

It’s important to know that cunning manipulation or inspirational appeals to staff are not required to build an extremely healthy organizational culture. In fact, these practices are hazardous to a building a strong positive culture. What is required are simple honest declarations of what the organization stands for accompanied by actions that prove them to be true. That’s where the rub is. Sometimes proving something is true is much more difficult than simply stating it.

A perfect example occurs when an organization has promised something such as, “Your Complete Satisfaction or Your Money Back,” but when the customer asks for his money back the organization puts him through so many paces and hoops he simply walks away in frustration. A few quick pointers to form a positive culture begin with:

1. Realize your organization’s greatest strength is its internal talents, not its external programs and services.
2. Realize your organization’s greatest challenge is internal, not external.
3. Realize the more your people feel connected to you and your vision, the more effective they will be in delivering on the promises your organization makes.

Being decisive through this planning process will help the organization grow when you listen carefully to all inputs and engage in a healthy debate with your team. Once all of the voices have been heard and you’ve taken time to design the type of culture you’d prefer, it’s time for everyone to get behind it and pursue the organization’s goals. It is extremely helpful to both leaders and staff to fully understand what the guiding cultural beliefs are so when anyone faces a decision, they have a context to take the correct course of action.

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Tom Marin, president of MarketCues, a national consulting firm wants to hear from you! Follow MarketCues on Twitter for strategy and related tips.

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