“If you don’t take action now, you are in serious jeopardy of having a major health issue.”
I remember speaking those words to Mike, a prospective health club member, in July of 1994. At the time, I was running an athletic club in New Jersey, and Mike visited the club with his wife and two children. Mike was considering whether he/they should become members. Mike lived a very sedentary lifestyle, and followed a nutritional program (if you can call it that) filled with processed foods.
I failed Mike and his family on that day, because they left without ownership of a club membership. The next time I saw Mike was in March of the following year, after he had a heart attack, surgery, and was directed by his physician to join a club. To this day, I still carry some guilt with me that I was not able to bring Mike to the point of enrollment in our first encounter.
The results of a lifestyle marked by high levels of inactivity and processed foods shouldn’t surprise us. There is more data available than ever. There are more television shows documenting the lives of individuals who are morbidly obese (see “My 600 pound life” or “Biggest Loser” as examples), and yet, we are a more out of shape, more medicated, and unhealthy country than ever. Clearly, lack of evidence or knowledge are not the culprits here. So, what gives?
We could ask the same question about business health.
Today, there is more research and data that show the irrefutable links among winning culture, developing talent in an organization, and healthy business growth. Intuitively, it just makes sense, as well: Focus on building a winning culture, make the people in the organization a top priority (in actions, not just in words), and the results should include a thriving enterprise. Why, then, do so many companies fail to get it right?
Well, lots of reasons, actually. In today’s post, which is the second in a series on culture, growth, and talent, we are going to focus more on how to get it RIGHT, than the mistakes others make. This will put you on a faster path to healthy growth.
GET PAST organizational inertia (which is, in my opinion, one of the major killers of growth and impact) by following these very straightforward steps (these are entreQuest infused and adapted from John Kotter’s change methodology). But beware, just because they are straightforward doesn’t make them easy. You’ve got to muster courage, discipline, and resolve to work through all of what comes with moving an organization forward.
Create Urgency – What are the significant upsides, as well as the risks of taking action or not taking action? There are so many things that can distract executives, managers, and front line employees. Why should this “thing” get top billing?
Form a governance effort – How will decisions get made? How will the team or organization avoid analysis paralysis? How will risks be surfaced and escalated?Develop a vision and strategy – This is really the first step. What does winning look like with regards to this effort? How will the organization know what “done” looks like, and what are the corresponding steps to successfully execute towards the vision?
Communicating the vision – This is not about sending an all-staff email or having one state-of-the-union presentation. Communication is an ongoing effort, and needs to include things like sharing information outwards, but also actively listening – especially to those on the front lines who will likely hold responsibility for a large part of the execution.Enabling action and removal of obstacles – Responsibility without authority and vice versa will doom any change effort, especially when working to build a winning culture and fueling growth. With strong executive sponsorship and engagement, there needs to be a clear path to putting people in a position to execute the plan to remove their own barriers, and to get help when it is needed.
Generating short-term wins – Momentum is key. Establishing early wins will fuel engagement, spur creativity, and pull more people into driving successful change. For example, as opposed to only working towards a goal that is 18-24 months on the horizon, what is a win that can be claimed within 90 days?
Hold the gains and build on change – Early in my career, I had a boss who used to say that the best time to make a sale is right after you’ve made one. I still believe that. When making progress, learn from what is working, and build upon that success to gain even more traction.
Anchor changes in the culture – An interesting phenomenon occurs when it comes to change. In surveys and interviews, many people say they like change; that it is good and healthy for individuals and organization. With further investigation, people then go on to point out all of the places in the organization (other than their own) that could positively benefit from change. See, people dig it, as long as it doesn’t impact the way they are accustomed to operate. So, when it comes to driving culture change, know that people want to know why this time will be different, and why they should care. Although they may not verbalize it, many people are just waiting out this new initiative, so they can go back to their old way of operating. Not on your watch. Embed the changes in the fabric of the culture, including processes, systems, rituals, and artifacts of the organization.
Culture, growth, and talent. These are the key ingredients that will propel your organization towards living into your vision. Follow the change blueprint above, and you will see your teams flourish. These three elements of a healthy and successful business aren’t going anywhere – it’s time to start paying attention to them.
