Taming the Inner Mule

Every now and then I need reminding that I can be a stubborn, opinionated so-and-so .  This post helps me remember and  keep working on being less so.  Just in case you struggle with a similar challenge, there are some ideas here that might help you see the wisdom of working on it too.

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The other night I was reminded how stubborn I can be at times. Yep. Really.

I was watching the evening news with my husband and he asked me to change the channel so he could watch the national, rather than the provincial news.  I said, “This is the National News”.

He said, “No it isn’t. Lloyd Robertson is on the national news and I prefer listening to him over the other guy on channel three”

I said, “ Well, this is Lloyd Robertson’s program.

He said, “ No it isn’t but if you think so, you must be right”

Suffice it to say, after a few more seconds of an “It is so! It is not!” kind of exchange, I discovered I was wrong, but not before I had dug in my heels and clung to my view of things until it sounded somewhat reminiscent of this:

Of course our “discussion” was not quite as strident as the one portrayed, but the point is, I believed I was right and clung to that belief as if it were a baby cub and I, a mother lion.  Luckily, this kind of intractability does not happen in our house too often, but when it does, everything seems to shut down until we discover where the error in thinking lies. And, until a correction, and an apology, is made.

Stubbornness is an insidious thing.  It can creep up on you and before you know it there is an enormous barrier between you and another person, or you and a bunch of other persons.  In leadership, it is also a destructive thing that closes the door on creativity and serves to frustrate and exclude people whose potential contribution is often ignored or discounted.

Let’s face it; we all like to be right.  If it were possible, we would all like to be right all of the time…but it’s not.

So, what to do?   Well, a good place to start is by looking in the mirror.  All of us are stubborn at some time or another.  It’s not that rare.  But, here’s the thing.  If we are leaders of people we cannot afford to luxuriate in the illusion that we are always right.  Getting married to our own ideas to the exclusion of others is an appalling waste of everyone’s time and talent.  And really, failing to tame the inner mule comes with the high cost of lost opportunity and damaged relationships, which could be more than we are willing to pay.

So on those occasions when we notice ourselves digging in for a session of  “Yes, it is. No it’s not” Let’s do three things.  Stop…even if it is in mid-sentence.  Step Back…create some space in the dialogue long enough to take a breath. And Listen…focus on really understanding what is being said and pretend, for a moment that the other person actually might know what s/he is talking about.

By doing things as simple as that, our chances of discovering a plethora of useful and creative perspectives that will serve the collective purpose will be that much greater.

That’s what I think anyway. What do you think?  When was the last time you dug in your heels and started braying?

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** Please note the use of this video clip is meant only as a learning tool to compliment the text of this post and is in no way intent to infringe on copyright.

Leadership and the Importance of Being Purpose-Driven

This is a refreshed version of a post from March 2010.

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When I first came to Vancouver to take up my new role as a Human Resources Consultant with a major bank, my boss and I agreed that I should go on a road trip and meet with as many corporate banking employees as possible.  It was sort of an orientation thing for me and provided a chance for everyone else to give me the “once over”. Coming from Toronto, it seemed I was automatically not to be trusted.

On one occasion, I was to talk with a number of Corporate Account Managers.  My objective was to get to know them as individuals; to learn about their ambitions; their challenges; and how we might better support their efforts.  It is entirely possible though that I did not adequately declare my intent, because the first person I encountered, pulled his chair very close to mine; stared sharply into my face and said, “I make money for the bank.  What do you do?”

Aside from the obvious attempt to intimidate me, his question was meant to suggest that as a person who made no direct contribution to the bottom line, whatever my function, I was an expense to the organization and thus a liability.

This is not an uncommon perspective to take, especially in large organizations.  But at the time, I couldn’t help but think that there was something gravely missing from this outlook.

It occurs to me now that “making money for the bank”, while an admirable outcome, did not tell me anything about what this fellow saw as his purpose.  And, for me at least, there is something lost when a person seems to view his primary raison d’être as making money.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I like money as well as the next person and there is a primal need to earn it and manage it prudently.  But, the purpose of most jobs, even most businesses, is probably not principally about money.  It is more than likely something else, something that has to do with providing a service, with making money as an outcome of that. The amount of money earned is usually determined by the quality and consistency of the service delivered and the ability of those who deliver it, to build loyal business relationships.

But sometimes I think we forget.  We take our eye away from our fundamental purpose and allow ourselves to get fixated on the dollars.  That’s when we risk running afoul of ourselves.  We get greedy.  We get miserly. We get our priorities out of order. And then we get into trouble.

So to me, helping people understand and believe in the organizational purpose is Job One. And, part of this is ensuring they know why their jobs exist; whom they are there to serve; and how what they do fits with the overall vision of the organization.

Here are a few of the benefits that can be realized from taking a purpose-driven approach:

It helps us make good decisions and prioritize appropriately. If we train ourselves to ask the question, how will doing this, (or not doing this) help me serve my purpose? The answer will often give us the information we need to move forward.

It helps us resolve problems.  Often problems can build on each other and become so complex that we get lost in them. When this happens, it sometimes helps to get back to the basic questions like, what is my main purpose and who am I here to serve?

It gives value to every role in the organization, not just a few. If you nurture a culture that identifies the purpose and value of each job in relation to the overall vision and to each other, everyone in the organization has an opportunity to feel part of something important.  When that happens people are more likely to do their best work.

It promotes good stewardship. If we are clear about our purpose, it is that much easier to recognize and fulfill our responsibilities to those we serve.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

The Certainty of Ambiguity in Leadership

This post is a refreshed version of one written originally in  June, 2009.

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Anyone who has ever been in a leadership role for longer than, oh, five minutes, knows that leadership is not a prescriptive thing.  As simple as we try to make it with lists of the ten top things to do here or the best five things to do there, it remains rife with complexity.

Part of this complexity lies in the many roles leaders must undertake that, while necessary, seem incompatible with one another.

Here are some examples:

Being conceptual and Tactical

As a leader, it is important for you to be able to rise above the day-to-day mechanics of your operation so you can see where it is all going. This is about having a vision and ideas that give purpose to the work.

There is, however, a limit on the amount of time you should spend at thirty thousand feet without coming down to the ground and working with people to ensure that plans are developed in line with the vision and specific actions are taken to bring it to life.

Leaders who dwell in the land of ideas too long tend to accomplish very little. Alternately, those who keep their noses to the grindstone and never get off the ground might accomplish a lot but chances are, it will be a lot of the wrong thing.

Being a Leader and a Manager

Some people believe that leadership and management are two separate jobs. From where I sit, they’re not.  Both roles belong in the leader’s virtual backpack. Confusion often raises its quizzical head, though, when deciding what to manage; what to lead; and when.

A simple rule of thumb is that you manage things and lead people. However, to add complexity to the mix, you also manage events and happenings that involve people. And that means you must be prepared to manage conflict and other situations that could potentially get in the way of accomplishing the work.

Being a Leader and a Follower

Opportunities for people to show leadership, regardless of their formal status in the organization, are everywhere.  It is a wise leader who will recognize this and make room for it when it serves the organization and supports its goals.  The trick is in knowing when it is appropriate to stand down and become a supportive follower.

In general, allowing someone else to take the lead is a good idea when:

S/he knows more about the specific work involved than you do or;

S/he has demonstrated more skill in a certain area than you have.

This doesn’t mean you abdicate your position.  It does mean that you are leading for a time, by following and supporting someone who can by leading, accomplish the goal better, faster or more efficiently than you can.

To do this effectively, you must first know your own strengths and limitations and also make it a priority to know the capabilities of the people who work with you.

Controlling and Empowering

We all know that empowering others to express themselves and make contributions to the organizational goals is key to creating vibrant, engaged, working environments. And, while this is a leadership responsibility, it is also the job of the leader to create a controlled atmosphere that connects to the demands and goals of the business.

This means finding a fine balance between being autocratic and being liberal. It is where having a fully activated set of organizational values and a comprehensive, well-articulated vision of the future come in handy. They form a framework within which people can be empowered to use their creative abilities and make contributions on their own terms.

There are many other situations where leaders are required to make choices between seemingly contradictory activities.  For instance, when would you encourage individual effort over team development? Under what circumstances might you favour an arbitrary decision over a democratic one?

What comes up for you?

Failure…The Other “F” Word

This post, from 2009, is about the possibilities that failure can provide if viewed as something other than a personal defeat or an instrument of blame.  After all, in the wise words of Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

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Failure. I don’t like it.  And, I defy anyone to put up a hand and volunteer if asked, “Okay, so who wants to fail today?”

The fact is though, unless we live in a bubble and do nothing, we are going to fail at something.  Failure is a part of living and, often, the very thing that makes success so exhilarating, if only by contrast.

Leaders experience failure all the time. Indeed, it is often failure that gives them the fuel and determination to succeed in the end. So, if you are new to leadership, know that to be a good leader, sometimes you’re also going to fail.

Some people will say that however you look at it, failure is failure.  But I can think of two kinds of failure, the glorious kind and the pointless kind.

The late Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, talked about glorious failure. As a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh PA, he regularly put out challenges to his students and then gave an award to the team of students that failed to meet their stated objectives.  He gave the award in acknowledgement of their dedication to new ideas; to their willingness to take risk and; to the effort they made toward achieving something that no one else had dared to try.

To me, glorious failures are also those that come from genuine effort.  These are failures that are used as springboards to something else.  They represent a piece of a larger puzzle and are used for learning, growth and exploration.

But, failures become pointless when we don’t pay attention to the lessons they teach.  I expect we do this for a number of reasons.  It can be embarrassing to try something and fall flat on our faces.  So the temptation to pretend it didn’t happen or to find someone to blame is often very strong.

Indeed, in some organizations, there is little tolerance for failure, at least in my experience.  Time is spent, and wasted, in rationalizing and blaming. The lessons that come from failure then become lost and useless.  And, people are less and less willing to explore new possibilities.

When it comes to trying new things I believe that good leaders do two things.

First, they focus on success.  That means they will do whatever they can to anticipate potential pitfalls that could get in the way of achieving their goal and work on mitigating these obstacles so that the way to the goal becomes less onerous.

Second, should they fail to meet their intended objective, they focus on learning. That means they will examine the outcome and circumstances  as dispassionately as possible with a view to squeezing as much juice out of the situation as possible.  To me, it goes something like this:

• Determine what worked and keep it for use at another time
• Acknowledge what didn’t work and determine what might be done differently next time.
• Take corrective action as required
• Remember the lesson and move on

And, if looking for someone to blame, good leaders look in the mirror first.

Oh, and just in case you want more evidence that failure can indeed lead to success consider this:

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Tackling Problems ~ How Big is Your “O”?

Problems.  Whether we choose to call them that or, (in the interests of putting a more positive spin on them), refer to them as ‘challenges’ they are part of life.  In the workplace, where time is of the essence, there are many problems to be solved.  And yet, much of that time can be wasted when people spend it working on the wrong problem.  It happens.

I think it happens because of the very human tendency to jump right into action without employing the critical thinking required to ensure it will lead to a good solution.

For example, many moons ago I was part of a team-building course in Toronto.  At one point, we were divided into groups and marched outside to tackle a project that involved climbing poles and traversing from one to the other with only the aid of ropes and some safety tackle.  Our goal was to successfully overcome the obstacles and complete the course in the best possible time.

We failed miserably. Not only did we not complete the course, we failed to overcome most of the obstacles as well.

With booby prize shamefully in hand, we reviewed what we might have done differently. And, in thinking about it now, apart from doing just about everything wrong, we simply didn’t spend enough time in “O”.

“O” stands for observation.  It is part of a mental process thatEdgar Schein refers to as ORJI in his book Process Consultation- Lessons for Managers and Consultants.

Here’s how it works.

Typically, when faced with a predicament, the human psyche follows a pattern.

We Observe and get a picture of what is going on.

We React emotionally to our understanding of what’s happening.

We Judge, and draw conclusions based on our understanding and how it makes us feel, and then:

We Intervene, making decisions and taking action based on what we see, feel and conclude.

In the case of our deplorable “team” effort, we spent perhaps a nano second really looking at the challenge ahead or trying to understand it.  We asked no questions of either the coordinators or each other.  We did not inspect the obstacle course or make any kind of effort to evaluate the resources available to us, human or otherwise. The loudest voice took the lead.  The action oriented ones chomped at the bit to get out in the field and DO something. And, the reflectors, being completely overwhelmed by the noise and confusion registered what can only be described as insipid protests about making a plan first, an offering that, not surprisingly, fell on completely deaf ears

So, instead of looking like this: “ORJI” our process looked more like this: “oRJI”

Having said that, not surprisingly, staying in Observation is hard. When problems are pressing, emotions can work in opposition to rational thought, often wanting to take over at the most inadvisable times.

So, here are a few thoughts about how we might delay a move to action long enough to establish that the information we are working with is accurate.

Gather factual data about the nature and scope of the problem

This means suspending our feelings about what’s going on long enough to get some solid information.

Ask questions and, when finished asking, ask some more.

If the problem is particularly perplexing it’s important to go deeper and wider asking questions of people who are, or will be, affected by it.

Determine what we might be assuming about the situation and the people involved in it.

Giving some time to validating our assumptions is never a waste.  Assumptions almost always hinder the process of getting at the true nature of a problem.

Make room for dissenting views.

This is simply about listening to every voice, be it soft or loud. And, often it is the dissenting view that holds the clue to a solution.

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I guess the bottom line is this. We are always going to experience problems.  Spending a little more time in “O”bservation will help us to address them in a way that provides the best chance of coming up with the best solution.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Leadership and the Credibility Factor

What does credibility mean to you?  Here’s my take on it and why I think it’s an important quality for leaders to develop, not just in effecting change initiatives but in everything else they do.

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I’ve been thinking about change lately, mostly about what it is that separates a person who seems to be able to influence change in a positive direction, from a person who might have the authority and the technical skill to do the work, but seems unable to pull it off.

The word credibility comes to mind.  The Thesaurus suggests that credibility is synonymous with trustworthiness, integrity and sincerity. I think that if these basic values are present, the chances of arousing the interest and respect of other people are pretty good. And, I believe too, that change agents come in many forms, manifest themselves in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.

Thinking about that reinforces for me, the notion that it is credibility not title, position, role or authority that makes the difference between an effective change agent and an ineffective one.

So, if you are with me so far, the big question seems to be ” How do I prove my credibility to others?”

Here’s what I think it takes to earn credibility:

I do what I say I’m going to do… and I do it, when I say I’m going to do it.

Reliability is an important ingredient in establishing credibility.

There’s nothing more infuriating or counter-productive, than when someone makes a commitment to do something and then fails to follow through.

I represent myself honestly and do my best to be candid and open with my colleagues and bosses.

I think that to gain credibility with others we must simply find the courage and confidence to be ourselves and make our contributions without pretense or bravado.

I show that I’m open to learning and trying new things

Nothing puts holes in our credibility more than conveying the impression that we have all the answers. And, it is arrogant to think that we can influence change in others without feeling the need to change something in ourselves as well.

After all, change is a learning experience in itself. If we believe that it is for everyone but us, we are likely not asking the right questions, enough questions, or paying attention to what is going on around us.

I demonstrate respect for the experiences and knowledge of others.

One of the best ways to build credibility is to observe those who have gone before us and learn from their experiences.  If we want to be heard we must first listen.

When I challenge the status quo, I offer feasible and thoughtful alternatives.

To me, presenting a problem without considering a solution is not supporting change.  It is simply complaining.  This doesn’t mean that we have to have a solution for every problem.  But if we want to earn credibility, we have to consider not only the problem, but also the possibilities and questions that will stimulate further exploration.

I own up to being human and making mistakes. And, when I make mistakes, I apologize and then do my best to make amends.

Making excuses for the mistakes we make is simply unproductive and, well, not very attractive either. In general, we do not adversely affect our credibility when we make mistakes. We adversely affect our credibility when we try to cover them up, rationalize them away, blame them on someone else or otherwise pretend  they didn’t happen.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Taking Charge: When NOT to Delegate

Somebody once said, “ You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.”

I think this week’s post kind of speaks to that.

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In leadership, one of the things we are always being reminded of is the importance of delegation, and with good reason. It not only ensures an even distribution of work and authority, it also provides important opportunities for individual exploration and growth.  I expect we can all agree on that.

However, there are times when leaders, regardless of their level in an organization, have to rely on their strength of character to call upon the backbone and take charge.

So here are some situations where I think delegation is not an option:

• When you have to deliver bad news or make a change that you know will not be well received.

Let’s face it, everyone likes to be popular but leadership is not about popularity.  It involves making tough decisions, sometimes decisions that affect jobs and the futures of those who do them. It means not only delivering tough messages personally but also staying around to respond to difficult questions and participating in the process of making hard and sometimes upsetting transitions.

• When the objectives of an assignment are unclear or people don’t have the tools they need to get the job done.

Delegating an assignment that is not well thought out or does not include the tools necessary for implementation is pretty much guaranteeing failure. And, it does little for the people charged with carrying it out, apart from adding to their frustration level.

It is the leader’s job to ensure clarity around what is to be achieved and to provide the resources necessary to promote success. Turning a concept into an assignment while it is still in its formative stage makes everyone’s job harder.

• When something goes wrong that affects the entire department or company

So let’s say that things are motoring along nicely in your domain.  People are attending to their responsibilities and you are delegating assignments in accordance with your knowledge of their capabilities. Great.

And then, something goes wrong. Someone makes a big mistake that reverberates beyond your sphere of control, affecting other areas of the organization and its reputation.

While you might have delegated the work assignment, the responsibility for the outcome of it rests with you.  That’s why you get paid the big bucks, as they say. It is your job to find out specifically what went wrong and why.  It is your job to work with the person or people involved in bringing the mistake about and taking whatever corrective action is deemed appropriate. And, you are the one that must be accountable. ‘Nuff said.

• When you are trying something new and the risk of failure is high

In any enterprise, innovation is crucial to growth and sustainability.  As such, risk is an inherent part of business life.  If a project being contemplated carries with it a high risk/reward ratio, it also requires full involvement by the leader. To some extent, this will mitigate the risk and send the message that, while you asking others to “go where no man has gone before” you will be right there with them, to share in the glory…or the blame.

People often say that leadership is not for the faint of heart.  I have described only four situations where a leader must stand up and be counted.  There are no doubt countless others.

What comes to mind for you?

The Importance of Integrity in Leadership

In today’s world, we often look for faster ways of getting things done.  The magic of technology makes this possible.  And, there are all kinds of ways to cut through processes when they start getting in the way of progress.  One thing we can never afford to compromise however, is the integrity with which we conduct ourselves.  That’s what this post is about.

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No amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honour… Andrew Carnegie

Good leadership relies on our ability to live our lives with courage, strength of character and honesty. It is harder to do than talk about but without it, leaders can’t thrive for any length of time regardless of how skilled they may be otherwise.

There have been many prominent leaders who have risen to great heights only to fall with a severe thud because they have acted solely out of self-interest.  Sadly and frustratingly, there is a lot of evidence of this.

These people have, or are experiencing, the consequences of a kind of self-absorption, that assumes that power gives them a certain exemption from behaving responsibly and honourably.

What they seem to have ignored, or failed to understand, is that the more powerful we become, the greater is our responsibility to others. And, when leaders go awry of honourable actions, the impact of their 
behaviour is felt very deeply by people who have had little, if anything, to do with decisions made on their behalf. At these times, honour is offered as a sacrifice to greed and trust is destroyed.

Trust is one of those things that often takes a long time to build but only a minute to destroy. As such, it is a thing to be treasured and protected. That’s where strength of character comes in, and where telling the truth and keeping promises become vital.

Okay, so we’re all human and who among us has never told a lie? But, the consequences of deception and lies often have a greater impact than we think when we first venture into the realm of the untruth. It is a lesson that most of us learn eventually.

There is a certain arrogance in believing that the rules of the universe apply to everyone but me. And, believe me, there have been times when I have been very arrogant indeed… always with a poor result.

Maybe this is what happens to business leaders who come to believe in their own importance to the exclusion of everything else.

Skill and talent can take us only so far. To travel the rest of the way, we must make sure we bring with us a large measure of honourable intent, concern for the welfare of others and the willingness and courage to do what is right, even when it means giving up something we want very badly.  That’s what makes it so hard.

One of my favourite movies is “Scent of a Woman”.  In it, Al Pacino’s character makes a declaration that speaks to exactly how difficult it is to live a life with integrity…and exactly why it is so necessary.  I offer it here with no intent to infringe copyright but simply to reinforce the movie’s message and my own.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

Making a Shift to Leadership…And Also Stepping Back

Dear Readers,

I first started writing “You’re Not the Boss of Me” four years ago, publishing my first post on January 6, 2009.  Over that time, it has been my intent to write current, timely posts that would give rise to deeper thought or practical action, sometimes both.  Now, I’m reaching a point where my ‘fresh ideas’ are, to me, becoming less fresh.  And so, I feel a sabbatical is in order, a time for me to step away and give myself a little time to recharge & regroup.

Between now and when I start writing new material here again, I will be republishing posts that appear to have resonated the most with you.  They carry with them the wish that you will find in them something new or a reminder of something old worth noting.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. I hope you will continue to engage me, and each other, in conversation by way of your comments.

The first offering is about the subtle and sometimes not so subtle shifts we have to make when we first move to a management role.  It is a lesson we all learn sooner or later.  But sooner is better. Don’t you think?  Cheers

Gwyn

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             Making the Shift to Leadership

I think the biggest (and perhaps most difficult) shift a person has to make when s/he makes a move to leadership is the Relationship Shift. (Try saying that three times fast!).

In working as individuals we often develop relationships with our co-workers, many of whom may actually become our friends.  We tend to pick and choose the people with whom we become close.  We become involved in their lives.  They become involved in ours.  And the balance of power between us tends to remain reasonably level.

Promotion to a leadership role changes all that.  Whether you are promoted within your current work area or move to another area or even another job, know this:

Promotion to a leadership role demands the establishment of a professional distance between you and those who work under your supervision.

This does not mean that you must isolate yourself from the people who work with you, far from it.  It does mean though that the relationships you develop must transcend your personal feelings about the people in your work group and expand to include an impartiality that allows you to make appropriate decisions and get the work done.

This shift in relationships is not a one-way street either.  With promotion to a leadership role comes a change in the balance of power.  People who were once peers become, (organizationally speaking), subordinates and that means you will have some influence over areas of their working life that you previously did not.   They will be looking for evidence that they can trust you with that.  And they will expect you to be fair about it.  So, you may not be invited to lunch as you once were.  And if you are, you should consider the wisdom of accepting.

The up side to this (and there’s always an up side) is that as a boss, you will have opportunities to build new relationships with not only those who work for you but with a new set of peers.  One of the crucial roles of a leader is to build relationships across a variety of lines of work.  This allows for easier communication, collaboration between and among stakeholders and an opportunity to learn new things from a variety of perspectives.  And that’s a good thing.

So while you may initially feel the loss of your previous working relationships, there is a bigger world out there for you to play in.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?

P.S. While I think the shift in relationships is probably the most difficult one to make.  There are others.  Here are two more posts that address some of these ~ The Leadership Activity Shift and the Leadership Measurement Shift

Corporate Culture: 10 Elements That Help Drive Results

Recently, in the National Post, there was a whole section dedicated to Canada’s most admired corporate cultures.  In it was highlighted some very successful, vibrant companies, diverse in their business interests but with many themes in common. These themes reinforced my belief that success in any enterprise relies on its ability to bring people together and extract from them their best work, not through rules, policies, processes and bottom line focus but by creating cultures that invite participation .  It is from this softer, yet more difficult perspective that these companies drive results.

So, what does this “softer” perspective look like?  Well, as I read through the variety of articles on offer, I picked up ten elements that figure prominently in the cultures of these highly successful organizations.   Here they are:

Clarity of Vision and Values ~ This of course, comes up every time.  Most companies have some kind of vision statement and a published set of organizational values.  Not all actually use them as their guiding force.   And not all faithfully model the values they espouse.  Creating clarity about what business you are in; where you see it going; and how you intend to get there is a critical ingredient in everything else you do.  That’s the philosophy Claude Mongeau, CEO of CN Rail, has embraced and it has proven to be highly effective.

Respect and Civility ~ Eckler Ltd, an actuarial consulting firm has a simple but powerful mantra.  “Treat people like adults”

This company has high expectations of its workforce.  They hold themselves and each other accountable for the commitments they make while limiting the number of rules and policies they enforce.  Operating from a platform of respect and civility seems like such a simple thing to do and yet its potential for making productive conversations easier is enormous.

Learning and Growth ~ In highly successful companies learning, growth and development is not just a nice to do thing.  It forms part of the fabric of the organization and as such is not the first thing to get cut from the budget when times get a little tight.  Companies like Medavie Blue Cross see it as a critical part of ensuring a solid future for the company and everyone in it.

Service Before Selling~  Arthur Mesher is CEO of Descartes Systems, a Software Company in Waterloo Ontario.  When he first joined the firm, he noticed that people were not delivering on their commitments.  Theirs was a ‘sales’ culture that seemed to leave the customer out of the equation.  Mr Mesher recognized the limitations of the sales philosophy and the ineffective practices that went along with it.  And so he went about shifting the focus, away from sales numbers toward the achievement of customer satisfaction first and foremost.  This shift, while financially painful at first, now reflects the wisdom of the new maxim of service before selling in 2012 results any organization could be proud of.

Collaboration ~ Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald’s Restaurants once said, “ None of us is as good as all of us”

This has formed the basis for McDonald’s organizational culture, which continues to value and build on collaborative relationships with its employees, franchisees and suppliers.

Social Responsibility ~ In today’s world, establishing roots in the community is an essential part of building a successful business.  Those who participate through sponsorships and volunteerism build a rich environment that people want to be a part of.  Organizations like McDonald’s, CIBC and Camp Oochigeas (a camp for children with cancer) are a testament to this.

Balance ~ When you treat people like adults, you also give them flexibility to find their own formula for delivering on their company commitments.  As Stuart Suls, CEO of Mr. Lube puts it, “ You only have one life.  It’s up to employers to give people the space to balance things out”

Simplicity of purpose ~ Being able to state your organizational purpose as simply as possible provides great clarity especially in hard times.  For instance, at the North York General Hospital, the CEO, Tim Rutledge expresses his organizational purpose in a way everyone can understand.  It goes something like: To make people better; keep them safe ; and give them timely access to care.  Everything else can flow from that.

Innovation and Finding a Place for Failure~ At Cineplex Inc., CEO Ellis Jacob says, “ I would rather you try something and fail, and learn from it than never try at all”

This is a tenet that so many have difficulty with because it can be costly.  But, in today’s world an essential ingredient to success is risk… and sometimes failure.  So taking a more positive perspective on failure is becoming increasingly important.

Diversity and Inclusion ~ This is a common theme among many of the companies recognized as having corporate cultures to admire and emulate.  There is, after all great richness in the diverse talents, skills and experience people bring to work every day.  Organizations who make the best use of their available resources tend to challenge their own assumptions, suspend judgement and invite a wide variety of people to take an active part in their present and future.

There are of course other themes that exemplify workplaces with much admired corporate cultures. But, if you are starting a new business or are working to effect change in your own organization this might be a place to start.  It couldn’t hurt.

That’s what I think anyway.  What do you think?