The Ultimate Leadership Challenge

Something that permeates all of society is the challenge of creating a winning culture. From a corporate perspective, this means creating an environment where people can do their best work, and where the team can consistently create value. But it certainly isn't exclusive to business:

Music:

"Well, we all listened to Miles. And if Miles came down, I guess it brought us down to earth and brought us each out of our silo and to not be grumbling to ourselves about the injustices of the world and of the band, but having to actually … so what’s the next song?"

Stewart Copeland, The Police

<Worth noting there were only three members of the Police :) >

<Miles was Stewart's older brother and the band manager>

Sports:

“If somebody is below the standard, if somebody’s below the line, well, the herd gets them back in line," Campbell continued. "That’s what I feel like is a little different now. Here we are going into Year 3, and I can feel the team beginning to take over, that our captains, our core, this team, are beginning to set the standards. That’s what I wanted all along. That, to me, is culture.”

Dan Campbell

Detroit Lions, Head Coach

Film:

“What I like to do is go to a place and have us all live there and become a real local sort of production, like a little theater company — everything works better for me that way,”

Wes Anderson, Director

Culture is not the framed pictures you see in reception. Those are values. They may or may not align with the corporate culture. Culture are the things that are not written down. Some simple examples:

• You need to be five minutes early to each meeting

• You never contradict the boss

• Profanity is fine, in moderation

• We come to consensus through conflict

• We always eat out for lunch, joined by at least one colleague

Culture is often a bit of a secret - people may mention it to you in a hushed voice, or you learn through trial and error. Every corporate culture is different, and it is often built up over decades, so it does not change easily. 

Changing culture is more of an art than a science. It involves leadership, excellent communication skills, and ongoing training and guidance. Many firms are looking to improve their culture. If you are one of those folks that can help build a winning corporate culture, well then the world can be your oyster. Although you might prefer to turn around the Cleveland Browns, or get the Police back together one more time :)

Ken Tucker is the lead consultant at Connaught Ealing Solutions, which offers fractional CIO services, digital transformation, and a structured approach to the selection of ERP software.