"What drives a culture of excellence?"

This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of hosting a group of People and Talent leaders in San Francisco to discuss the timely topic of “What drives a culture of excellence?”

At a high-level, our guest, Dr. Charles O’Reilly, defines culture as “a pattern of behavior that is rewarded by people and systems.”

The consensus across the thought-leaders in attendance was that achieving a strong culture required more than just the right people, in the right roles, at the right time.

Key Takeaways: 

• Think about culture in concrete terms and align goals to short and long-term strategic initiatives.
• Accept your organization can have micro-cultures within an overarching culture - always ensure each of these sub groups tie into your core values.
• Take an “Iron Man” approach when it comes to technology by surrounding yourself with data while staying true to human emotion at your center.
• Instill an environment of engagement and motivation to reward positive behavior.
•  Invest in training and development to win top talent in competitive roles.
• Always have an Executive sponsor, but emphasize the importance of delivering on your mission to Managers and Directors. These are your “flag bearers” of company culture.

Research confirms organizations with leading cultural norms and higher adaptability perform better than their peers in terms of net income growth, market value, and employer ratings.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss with my network how OutMatch and Pomello, an OutMatch Company can support your efforts in attracting top talent, measuring cultural strength, and developing your leaders of tomorrow.