“It doesn’t matter if people agree with you or not; have a definite perspective, as it will be a starting place for an educated and informed conversation.”
What seems like many moons ago, I had a mentor who gave me this advice. At the time, I was young(er), inexperienced in dealing directly with executives, and was having trouble being influential without authority in my organization. The counsel I received helped to ground me, give me confidence, and put me on a path towards where I am today.
As an organization, eQ also has certain perspectives. A foundational one for us is that we believe building a healthy, profitable company with massive impact starts with a focus on culture, growth, and talent.
This may seem intuitive, but look around. I can tell you from talking to hundreds of executives and thousands of employees that many companies are not actually bringing this focus to life. It is one thing to say an organization values people, wants a winning culture, and wants to grow, but do the actions support the claims? Really – how many companies are going to post on their website that they aspire to have a crappy culture and that they don’t value people? Zero. Zippy. Zilch.
Here is a quick way for you to do an organizational health check to see if you are on the path to following the recipe that we’ve used to help hundreds of companies GROW REGARDLESS. In the following categories, and with each element contained within the categories, think about whether your entire organization KNOWS, OWNS, and DRIVES these. Wherever you see gaps is an opportunity to operate with a higher level of precise execution towards healthy growth.
Every organization is on a specific journey. An opportunity that presents itself for you, as a leader, is how you want to chart the path, how you want to shape and frame the script, and how you really want to build your brand. For example, if you say you believe the people in the organization are your most valuable asset, yet you’ve not deliberately and specifically designed (with an eye on execution) a talent manifesto that maps the ideal candidate and employee experience (which also links to the broader organizational goals), then you are putting your brand and business health in jeopardy.
It is that simple and it is that serious.
Culture, growth, and talent. In our research and our practical experience in helping companies GROW REGARDLESS (and also creating an environment where we’ve been recognized as a Baltimore Best Place to Work for 3 years in a row), we know these elements to serve as a critical and non-negotiable recipe for success.
Get on the path, or you risk becoming irrelevant.
Looking to avoid this pitfall? Return to our blog on Thursday for the second part of our discussion on culture, growth, and talent.
