corporate culture

Do you know enough to care and care enough to know?

Corporate culture drives results. Improve the culture and you WILL improve the results. It’s why so many companies are investing in and evaluating their corporate culture. Beginning a culture change or shift is a senior leadership thing, not an HR thing. HR can assist and guide; however, the leadership team must be on the same page to ensure that the desired results from a shift or a change are achieved. When it comes to instilling Servant Leadership in your culture, you’ll want to focus on individuals along with results. Building a culture of accountability requires having measures in place to ensure that responsibilities are being met by each individual.

Building trust with your team is crucial for people to feel confident in making decisions and taking ownership of their individual responsibilities. This is a core element of Servant Leadership, and it begins with a simple understanding. First understand yourself, how you come across to others, and how people may perceive you. Then focus on understanding another person and then understanding a group. When you understand the beliefs and motivations of a team, real understanding can be created which leads to trust.

If the idea of a Servant Culture resonates with you, I invite you to become part of a movement we are starting that is growing across the state. Join Servant Leaders of Wisconsin, Fox River Valley Group, for our free quarterly meetings. On September 21st, Robert Chapman, CEO and chairman of Barry-Wehmiller, will share his people-centric philosophy that he and his team have replicated over and over in the dozens of companies they own across the world. Come to be inspired and meet like-minded people, and we’ll help you get started on your Servant Leadership journey.

E-mail me at joek@prophitmarketing.com to reserve your spot. Space is limited so please let me know how many will be attending. Meredith will send you more information on the event if you’re interested.

Change your culture, change your results!

Joe Kiedinger

ACTION PLAN: Join us September 21st from 3-5 p.m. at The Marq. R.S.V.P. is appreciated.

Oh, What a Brand!

Today is a big day! My quest to understand corporate culture has led me to Zappos. If you are unaware of the Zappos brand, learn about their products at zappos.com. Once you order from them, you will begin to understand customer service. Zappos got started selling shoes online. They have a 365-day return policy. All shipping is free. If the shoes don’t fit, go online and order another pair. They will send those generally next day air. The service is excellent and has gained national recognition. They have been number one on Forbes’ Best Places to Work list for three consecutive years.

 I recently heard Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) speak. He is a regular guy with a simple message: Chase the dream not the paper. His new book, Delivering Happiness, shares his ideas on corporate culture and creating WOW! He noted that we don’t know what will bring us happiness. We often think “as soon as I get that promotion” or “as soon as I lose 20 pounds” then life will be great. When we accomplish these things, we may not be happy because we are off to the next thing.

 He pointed out that whatever you think you want comes down to one desire—happiness. It’s not the goals that make us happy, it’s a higher purpose. True happiness is only generated from knowing you are a part of something greater than yourself. He noted that all companies need to define their purpose. The simpler you can define it, the more income potential you can expect. Tony explained that only two years ago the Zappos purpose became Delivering Happiness. Because of this vision, a new profit center opened up. Today you can do the Zappos experience and attend their culture-building classes. Cool! Our company is meeting in a couple of weeks to begin defining our purpose. Why are we here? Figure that out and watch how engaged your employees will be!

 Joe Kiedinger

 ACTION PLAN: What’s your higher purpose?