Building a Branded Culture (part 2 of 4)

do you have a clue about your culture?

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg

 

In our last blog (Branded Culture Part 1), we built a business case for CULTURE as one of the most powerful levers you have in creating organizational vitality. Culture is ultimately manifested in the rites, rituals, and traditions of the organization as well as the values, attitudes, and behaviors of its people. Your view of whether or not the espoused values are being lived out loud and whether people are bringing the right attitudes and behaviors to the game often depends on where you sit.  Do you really know your culture? In order to transform it into what you envision you have to have a firm grasp on where it is currently. Here are 12 questions to help you get started; my bet is that you will come up with more of your own:

1. Is your organization extremely rigorous about finding talent that can make capital dance? Does it do a great job of investing in people re-recruiting people who are indispensable? 
2. Do people in your organization really care about the future? Are they proud of where they work and what they do? 
3. Is everyone in your business working on things that matter or are they doing things— that five years from today—no one will ever care about? 
4. Do people in your organization have a voice? Are they encouraged to speak up and tell it like it is or do they feel like no one listens?? Is okay to challenge and question broken systems and outdated rules? Do they truly believe their ideas are valued or do they feel ignored? 
5. Do you have a culture where people make excuses or make things happen? Do they take orders or take the initiative? Are your people accountable—do they think like owners of the business or do they feel entitled? Do they assume responsibility or fall into the trap of being victims? 
6. Has your company cultivated a spirit of community where people trust each other and enjoy working together? Has your organization traded tribalism and turf protection for radical collaboration or is it hindered by the silo mentality? 
7. Is your organization hungry for change? Does it move with speed and agility or does the hierarchy make it sluggish and slow? 
8. Does everyone in your business believe that innovation is his or her job? Does your organization encourage people to take risks by rewarding intelligent failures or does fear and intimidation rule the day? 
9. Do your people have the margin (time and space) to think about the next big thing and ponder new ways to make the organization better or are people stressed to the max?
10. When someone in your business has a breakthrough idea, do they know where to go with it or does it fall into the black hole of bureaucracy?
11. Do the leaders in your organization see their roles as hard-working servants of the people they lead or is it the other way around?
12. Does your organization celebrate extraordinary accomplishments by telling stories about the heroes and heroines who deliver great results?

how does your corporate culture measure up?

Perhaps your company is an exception to the rule, but the likelihood is that your culture doesn’t match up—few do! Perhaps your organization has been around for a long time and people have become set in their ways and comfortable with the status quo. Maybe you have a MD who leans toward command and control or maybe you are an enlightened MD riddled with employees who aren’t willing to “step up” and own it. It might be that your business was once a leader in innovative products and services, but you’ve gotten trapped in the incumbent’s mentality of thinking small (unexciting) improvements on old designs will carry the day.

Whatever the case, if you recognize that you are in need of a cultural transformation to create the kind of organizational vitality described in part one (Branded Culture Part 1) of this series, stay tuned. Next time, we will discuss some of the transformation strategies that will increase your chances for success.

Building a Branded Culture (part 1 of 4)

is your culture purposeful or accidental?

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg

World-class service, game-changing innovation, and flawless execution are inside-out propositions. Leaders must understand that culture is one of the most powerful levels they have in creating a company where everyone gives their best. What happens in places that encourage employees to think big and act bold, question taken-for-granted assumptions, and engage in work that has meaning? What happens in work environments where the propensity to say “Yes” fast—to colleagues, customers, and partners—translates into radical collaboration and getting more done?

The answer is clear. Great work environments foster the kind of creativity, initiative, determination and perseverance that create organizational vitality. Impassioned people who show up to work everyday fully awake, fully engaged, and firing on all cylinders produce extraordinary results. They create better products; take better care of customers, and get more done with fewer resources. Organizational greatness starts from the inside-out. It starts with culture.

A BRANDED CULTURE is a place where the culture is as well known as the company’s products and services. Branded cultures are famous for being extraordinary magnets for world-class talent. Think Apple, Google, Medtronic, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, and Wegman’s. Think Tata, Infosys and Apollo. Employees both want to work in these places and choose to stay in them because of the way they are treated. The result is a reciprocal effect where employees create an experience that fosters innovation and blows the doors off business-as-usual.

Culture is the fundamental character and personality of an organization. It’s critical to unleashing a courageous brand because culture touches everything. Southwest’s Herb Kelleher says culture is “the way people think and act when no one is looking.” Every company has a culture, the question is: Is your culture purposeful or accidental? How intentional are you about building a culture that is as much a part of your brand as your products and services?

Your people are the face of your brand. They are the ones responsible for creating the intellectual, emotional and physical experiences your customers have when they interact with your products and use your services. They are the ones responsible for delivering on the promises you make. Leaders who want to unleash courageous brands must see themselves as catalysts for building a branded culture.

What do we know about strong brands? A BRAND IS A PROMISE OF A PENDING EXPERIENCE.

It says to the CUSTOMER: Do business with us and you will tap into more than a product or service. You will tap into a team of industry experts, gurus and thought leaders who are better than anyone at delivering solutions that will help you grow your business.

It says to the CONSUMER: Buy our products or services and we will deliver the kind of convenience, reliability, and excitement that addresses your wants and needs, caters to your lifestyle, supports your dreams.

It says to the TEAM MEMBER: Come work for us and you will engage in work that matters with people who are committed to making a difference.  You will become part of a fun culture that values your ideas, equips you to be a strong performer, encourages you to take intelligent risks, and rewards you for getting great results.

Now, consider YOUR brand. With regard to customers, consumers and team members, how consistently does the experience deliver on the promise? Does your culture deliver on the promises made to these three stakeholders?

You see, a brand is a perishable asset. It must be renewed over and over again by people who are passionate about the brand. Southwest Airlines is only as good as its last trip. Starbucks is only as good as its last cup of coffee. Google is only as good as its last search and you are only as good as the last experience you created for one of these valued stakeholders.

There must be an ongoing effort to renew and refresh the brand—in a way that widens the gap of competitive advantage between you and your competitors. It begins with creating a branded culture that equips people to win and inspires them to be passionate about what they do. So, here’s the question:

Is your culture purposeful and intentional or accidental and haphazard?

Is it BRANDED or run-of-the-mill?

In order to create a BRANDED CULTURE you must first face the brutal facts of reality and identify the gaps between the culture you have and the one you envision. Check into Part 2 of this series for some critical questions that will help you assess how wide or narrow that gap is.

Drs. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg have been renowned authorities on leadership, innovation and culture for the past 20 years. Their clientele includes the likes of South West Airlines, Turner Entertainment Corporation, Bank of America and British Petroleum.