The quiet assassins of GREAT

“There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.” - Peter Drucker

As the pace of starting and running businesses continue to speed up, so does the rate at which companies fail. Whilst there are many reasons for the failures, a few latent killers of company culture prevail to speed up their demise. We are mostly not even conscious of their eroding impact on our ability to function efficiently.

After 30 years of experience in various management and leadership roles, I have learnt to spot these silent assassins of company culture. The main culprits are vague/no purpose, complacency, false urgency, ‘office politics' and lack of focus. When any or all of these are left unchecked, they can erode, paralyze or even kill a productive company culture.

“To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager, and the leader. If it doesn't, it risks becoming yet another mediocre corporation.”

Howard Schultz

So, how can we guard against becoming a mediocre company?

Whilst boardroom bookshelves are lined with countless titles that offer antidotes and temporary inspiration, predictably this wisdom remains purely academic unless implemented and sustained with consistency.

I believe that the following provocative questions, regularly and rigorously asked, shine a white light of truth on the corrosive effect of these culture killers and help keep them in check:

• Do we have a clear purpose?
• Are we empowered and regularly inspired to deliver against that purpose and our strategic priorities?
• Do we feel that we can always speak openly? If so, are we brave enough to confront the politics, distrust and bureaucracy that impacts our ability to deliver our best?
• Is it difficult to schedule meetings on the important issues / projects? - “Because, you know, my diary is so full already!”
• Do we create false urgencies by succumbing to 'email overload anxiety' and running from meeting-to-meeting leaving very little time to address the most crucial challenges or opportunities?
• In meetings, are we all clear on the purpose and expectations of that meeting and do we make actionable decisions with clear accountability and tight deadlines?
• Do we leave meetings feeling empowered and even inspired?
• How much of our daily conversations, emails and meetings focus inwardly instead of focusing on customers, competitors or innovation? ?- “What colour shall we paint the product that we’ve not yet developed.”?
• Are we using bias and only selective facts to kill ideas that address a big challenge or opportunity? - “We’ve tried that before”
• Do we encourage, and importantly, support bold ideas?
• How often do we say, "We should / can / must act now!", but seldom do?
• Do we feel truly engaged by our company and in what we do?
• Lastly, and this is a biggie, is there trust?

It seems so logical and easy to address, right? Not always. A strong culture requires much more than just a set of management instructions on a to-do list.

Starting with leadership behavior, an ongoing vigilance is required to weed out the root causes of a toxic culture. It requires a focus on sustaining people centered leadership, brutal honesty and regular engagement with staff to keep these sabotaging influences from harming your business. This is not a 'nice-to-have' or 'soft skill', it is a crucial necessity.

“Employee engagement and culture issues have exploded onto the scene, rising to become the no.1 challenge that companies and business leaders face around the world.” Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Survey 2016

Therefore, as a company’s culture is now arguably one of the most important drivers of competitive advantage, it is imperative to develop and sustain a strong culture as a key strategic priority. The very necessary first step is to engage with people in your team(s) to actively seek out the elements that prevent us from being GREAT and eliminating them, regularly and decisively.

I believe that if people feel truly engaged and empowered to give his or her best every day without being asked to do so, a culture of GREAT will thrive and everyone wins.