Culture simply exists, definitive or not. Some companies, and their leaders have clearly defined guidelines by which they operate, and others don’t. Regardless, what we call culture is how we treat each other and our surroundings. Culture is the willingness and support to speak openly in dissent or agreement. It can be disciplined or not, accountable or not.
The essence of culture is simple: “We do what we say we’ll do,” or “We don’t.” Team members and leaders learn the rules to stay alive and be productive very quickly. Culture also drives retention, who stays and for how long, and who goes how quickly.
In our company we consistently build explicit business culture in our client systems, regardless of industry segment or focus; start-up, growth, or change management. My experience over a career is that the choice of explicit culture, drives exponential performance in every metric, literally, three to five times median. And, the result is as potent for our consulting companies, as it is for our clients.
Strategies, then structures
If all the above drives why we take these steps, the next question is how to do it.
Ask yourself: “Are we happy with what we’re doing and how we’re doing it?”
If the answer is yes, consider how to maintain it
If the answer is no, how can you change?
Next, define the strategies to put in place to effectively maintain or change. This strategic planning typically fails because the next step is not completed.
What structures need to shift to support the strategies decided on? Structures can be soft skill systems like communication, accountability, hiring, training as often as capital investment: new line, new technology, new equipment, décor.
Without the change to structure new strategies, we easily “get stuck in the mud.” Old habits die hard, and simply, new ideas (strategy) fail without the structure or tools to support the new. This implementation may be one of our most important acts as professional FCSI consultants.
There is low hanging fruit in most companies, maybe in yours as well as your client’s. Most companies have a set of values, mission, and vision. Some have all. At the same time, I find leaders rarely use these ‘tools’ as more than passive nouns: they are ‘our values.’ But there is an alternative, which I call this IVS™ decision making.
IVS™ (Issue/Values/Solution)
Consider this example:
When anyone from founder, board, or line staff has to make a decision, ask three questions:
What’s the real issue? Not just the symptom, but the real issue.
What values apply? Hint: the more values named, the stronger and more long lasting the decision will be.
What are the behaviors that support that or those values in action in positive ways?
Try it yourself and remember to celebrate when the behaviors do shift.
With IVS™ decision making, it’s easy to talk about values conflict, profit wins over everything. I invite you to think about ‘values integration’. It is possible to drive both performance and profit.
Performance goes up, retention and engagement go up, sales go up, cash flow and profit go up. In my experience it works every time.
Questions? Comments? Please share: rudy@miick.com; my direct line: 720-641-7565
Rudy Miick FCSI is the founder and president of The Miick Companies, LLC.
