Today I sat in our board room listening to a dear old friend talk about his career experiences to a group of women at our quarterly women’s networking meeting. It was my turn to invite a guest, and in my attempt to be different (shocker), I invited a guy. Not just any guy. I invited someone I’ve known for 20+ years, whose career I’ve admired for just as long. He’s been a consistent chameleon, and has mastered the art of reinvention. He’s also kind, authentic and relatable, and I thought our team would engage with him well. And they did.
And as I sat and listened to him tell the awesome story of his career, I paid especially close attention when he discussed the part about the consulting firm where we both worked and overlapped for five years. At that point, he was the VP of Marketing, responsible for our brand and an incredible strategy that helped quadruple our growth during that period of time. I was in my first job out of college. And yet, we struck up a friendship that has endured over 20 years. What allowed that to happen?
I think in large part, it was the magic of the culture. Let me provide some context. That company was started by my father, and two of his fraternity brothers. When I graduated from college and was looking for jobs, I looked everywhere, and specifically avoided that company, as I never wanted to be known as “Fred’s kid.” Of course, he had been gone for years, but I knew the stigma would still exist. And yet, I ultimately took a job there. It took me a while to realize it, but it was the corporate culture that drew me in. And it took me an even longer time to realize it was the values that I experienced at home that had trickled into the company. My dad and his peers had woven their beliefs of respect for the individual, striving for excellence, having a “start up mentality” and the ability to “think out of the box” into their organizational values. They weren’t articulated as vibrantly as companies do it now, but they were felt, and embraced and really lived. And I was drawn to them like a moth to a lightbulb.
When my tour of duty there was over and I sought to find a start up to call my own and help guide, nurture and articulate their values, I sought out a CEO and leadership team who bought in to this notion of culture just as readily. And I’ve been incredibly fortunate. I’ve only worked for CEOs who “get it” ever since. And each place has been known for its fantastic corporate culture and great work environment. This is partially because I can readily admit I’m not great at a lot of things, but I know how to make this work. It’s not rocket science, but so few companies are willing to put in the tough work to actually make it successful. Here it is, in a nutshell.
1. The leadership team, starting with the CEO, must believe people are a critical element to the success of the organization. Everyone who knows me in a work setting has heard me moan about the field of human resources, and my disdain for it. Ironic, given it’s my chosen profession. But I think the very name of it is misguided. If you think of people as “resources”, you are kind of missing the point, no?That is where the notion of “people strategy” comes from. People are the essential component to your strategic plan and execution of it - and you need to treat them as such.
Someone asked me today in an interview what made our company different. Candidly, the first thing that came to mind was “we actually give a shit about our people.” We don’t do everything perfectly. We make mistakes. But our intentions are pure, and when we mess up, we acknowledge it and we fix it. The fact that we care is seen and understood by our people. And that’s important. If it doesn’t start at the top, it’s a fruitless endeavor.
2. You’ve got to know what flavor of Kool-Aid your people want to drink. Just because you did something that worked at one company does not mean that it’s going to be successful at another. People are unique and fickle. Especially high-in-demand people. They have options for where they can work, and they know it. So in addition to having a tight business plan, a strong leadership team and a fantastic vision, it’s pretty important to know what exactly you are asking people to buy into. But that’s the magic. People love to be part of something bigger than themselves. If you can find that hook, that Kool-Aid, you’ve created the magic. The secret is ensuring that that Kool-Aid is authentic to your company, and your culture. Don’t try to be something you aren’t. If it aligns to your vision, and attracts the type of people you want to carry out that vision, you’re golden.
3. Live it daily. You can articulate what you believe in all day long, but if you put it on a coffee mug or on a poster on the wall and no one is paying attention to it, what is the use? You’ve got to find ways to embed your culture and values into your everyday lives to make it stick. Weave it into your everyday language. Your company awards. Your performance management and compensation processes. However you choose to reward and recognize people. Find ways to highlight people living the values. Hire people who exhibit these values. Test for them during the interview process. Don’t settle. Get rid of people who are misaligned.
Again, this isn’t rocket science, but it’s the hard work that so few companies take the time to do because it can be tough, or painful to manage people through a change. But the effort can be SO beneficial. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky. Ever since I hung up my apron at Brigham’s and started working in start ups in college, I’ve worked at companies known for their amazing culture. Most people, if lucky, get to taste that experience of working at a place they love once or twice in a lifetime. I feel that way about every place I’ve worked. I suppose mostly that has to do with the fact that I get to create the actual environment I want to work in. But it also has a lot to do with playing a role in hiring the team I get to work with. I might be a frustrated rock star, but I wouldn’t trade my career with Pink for anything. Well…maybe just for a day :)
No comments:
Post a Comment