29 Sep 2009
Shaping the culture of a company
I spent time recently with two entrepeneurs that run a very successful, but complicated business. They have multiple locations across a number of states and their industry is as competitive as it gets. These guys are smart and energetic, they have hired good people, and they have a great strategy. But I don’t think those things are the key to their success. I think it’s the passion they have for the business and how that passion rubs off on their employees.
In our time together, we didn’t spend a lot of time on small talk about sports, or our families, or even politics. (…maybe we spent a little time on those topics). We talked about their business, and in these discussions the guys were animated, excited, proud, humble, worried, confident – the whole range of emotions. More impressively, their passion has rubbed off on the people around them. I’m not sure I met anyone at any of their locations who didn’t seem excited about what is going on in the company. It wasn’t fake – it was real.
Many years ago, I participated in a “culture shaping” excercise given by the firm Senn Delaney. The firm is still going strong, and in their promotional material they capture the essence of what I saw in my recent visit:
“Cultures become ingrained over time as a response to the style and actions of influential leaders. An organization’s culture plays a significant role in its ability to successfully execute strategic plans. Successful leaders shape their cultures instead of allowing their cultures to shape the company”
We have all seen it ….. the employees that make up organizations take on the personality of their leaders. Leaders that hide in their offices and dictate rules through emails end up with department silos that don’t cooperate with each other. Tyrants end up with employees that hide bad news. Bureaucrats end up with slow moving processes and work-arounds. Indecisive leaders cause gridlock and are frustrated by lots of unfinished projects.
I realize that as organizations get larger, the culture issue gets more complicated. I also know the company I visited and the two passionate guys that run it have challenges and issues. But a solid culture - taking its cue from the style and actions of its leaders – will help organizations power through the issues and keep moving forward.
How does your style and that of your leadership team impact your organization’s culture?
Great thought paper and thanks for acknowledging Senn Delaney. The phenomenon you describe so well in your blog is called The Shadow of the Leaders. That was on of the central findings of my doctoral dissertation published in 1970. It was the first field studies on the concept of corporate culture and it led to the founding of Senn Delaney as The Culture Shaping Firm in 1978.
What you point out so well is that not only are behaviors learned from leaders at the top but the very spirit and energy of senior leaders is contagious. That’s why leader have such an accountability to take care of their mental as well as physical state so they can show up “at their best”.
Dr Larry Senn
Chairman Senn Delaney
Larry Senn
October 9th, 2009 at 10:43 pmpermalink
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