For decades, leaders have known that if you don't answer the culture question proactively, it will answer itself. The maxim "culture eats strategy for breakfast," often attributed to management expert Peter Drucker, refers to the age-old truth that strategy alone will not a successful business make - you need people working together effectively to execute the strategy. While there is some doubt as to whether Peter Drucker ever actually said those words, the fact remains: even the finest strategy will fail without the right culture. Strategy is still important -- even the best culture can't save a rudderless organization. Organizations need both smart strategies and carefully crafted cultures to be successful, and these begin at the top, with leaders' decisions, mindsets, and actions.
Purpose & Vision Are Prerequisites
Purpose is the cornerstone of any strong culture. Simon Sinek famously teaches us that "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." We don't inspire our employees with a list of tasks to accomplish but rather with a compelling purpose and vision that we communicate and demonstrate clearly, day after day. Our people need to know why they are showing up every day. They also need to understand and be inspired by our vision for the future. Where are we taking them?
Intentionally leading with purpose and vision is the foundation of any deliberate culture creation effort. It's important to note as well that if your only purpose is to make money and your only vision for the future is growth, your people will not be inspired. Growth for growth's sake is cancer.
Our approach encourages leaders at all levels to tap into what makes them authentically themselves, inspiring and motivating their teams to do the same. When everyone can bring their unique strengths to the table in an environment of trust, teams can reach new levels of achievement.
Culture: Who Do We Want To Be?
In order to create this needed environment of trust, we need to better understand what culture is and how it works. It is the sum of beliefs, norms, values, and behaviors that a person learns via various communities of origin and adoption throughout their lives. Your culture makes you who you are. Every single one of us has multiple, intersecting cultural identities that form our complex selves. From the country and region of your birth to the type of family, education, religion, and profession, there are many communities in which we learn what the "right" way to behave is in any given context. When we consider the vast diversity of knowledge and experience that can come from any one of these cultural communities, we realize the importance creating an environment at work in which people feel comfortable expressing the reality of who they are. Leaders and managers are largely responsible for setting the example, but every person at the organization necessarily contributes to creating the culture,
People come to organizations with a vast richness of cultural identities to bring to the table. Organizations, on the other hand, create a singular cultural identity deliberately in order to support their strategy. Leaders, therefore, need to clearly convey the purpose and vision as well as outline the culture they want to create. Leaders need to show everyone who they are expected to be at work. While we don't want an organization of clones all behaving exactly the same way, we do want people to adhere to a set of core values and behaviors that we know will support our organizational strategy. Let's look at some examples - these are true stories.
Case Study: From Bureaucratic to Customer Centric
Perhaps you are beauty brand whose success comes from empowering multiple franchises in very different locations to build a local clientele. You are trying to drive a customer-centric culture so that you can promote your outstanding customer service as a key differentiator. But let's also say that your front-line customer service employees are not empowered to make the decisions and take the actions required to provide stellar service. There are too many bottlenecks left over from previous, more bureaucratic leadership styles of times past, when quality was the top priority, and the leadership style was much more hierarchical. Without throwing quality out the window, how will you institute the necessary culture shift to give front-line employees the autonomy and agility they need?
The answer is simple -- if not easy -- to implement: you communicate the behaviors you want to see (local autonomy) and lead by example (root out and cease all micromanaging practices). For the customer-centric culture to really take hold, leaders need to demonstrate the values of initiative, bias for action, and autonomy. This means that leaders need to clearly articulate the values and specific corresponding behaviors and then empower and enable employees to demonstrate these behaviors. To do this, they need to relinquish some control and put their trust in their people. To maintain quality, they need to simultaneously support their people with training and wellness initiatives. They need to also solicit input from these same people about how the core values and behaviors may vary across different cultural identities present in the organization (e.g., people from different regions, older or younger generations). Together, these top-down and bottom-up efforts coalesce to deliberately create a culture where everyone can contribute their unique strengths to the common goal of succeeding against a particular strategic objective.
Case Study: A Rewards Strategy to Drive Quality
Let's look at another example from our two decades in strategic talent management. Many organizations of all sizes and across many industries deliberately decide to pay their employees at or under market rates, due to the high cost of quality talent and the widespread belief that pay is not a primary driver of employee engagement. In an unusual but brilliant move, one particular organization -- a domestic general contractor and building management company - used pay and rewards to foster a culture of quality. At this company of about 100 employees, the CFO interviews all new hires from front line workers to top executives. He asks every hire what they want to be paid, and in 99% of cases, grants the person's request without argument:
"Rarely does an individual ask for something that I can't pay. In fact, most of the time they lowball themselves without even knowing it. Regardless, almost every time, I give them what they want. The loyalty and engagement I get in return is more than worth it."
This leader realizes that the soul of organizations is the people who deliver the product to the customer. His reward for paying people exactly what they ask for is highly engaged employees who take initiative, go the extra mile, and deliver outstanding quality. Not only does he have high engagement, but he also boasts very low turnover in critical roles, and employees that go way above and beyond to ensure the highest quality. Moreover, his employees are happy at work and feel valued.
This leader understood not only that he needs the right people in the right roles with the right skills, but that there is an intangible element of engagement that must be nurtured to get the best results. The good news is that this can be done by including culture and talent in the strategic planning process. It starts with the question: what kind of culture do you need to deliver on your strategy?
How Highrise Vista Consulting Can Help
A well-thought-out people & culture strategy can help organizations not only attract top talent but also retain and develop their employees effectively. This is where Highrise Vista Consulting comes in, offering a range of services to help businesses maximize their talent strategies and achieve their goals.
Strategic Talent Management Planning
We partner with your key leaders and organizational stakeholders to identify people and culture gaps, develop a plan to attract and retain top talent, and ensure that the organization has the right culture to support its strategy. Although change is occurring at breakneck speed across most industries, organizations can count on the fact that culture remains the crucial link between strategy and execution. If leaders don't create culture deliberately, culture will take on its own momentum.
Culture Assessments & Talent Management Audits
Highrise Vista Consulting also provides culture assessments to help businesses understand their unique organizational culture. By articulating and measuring the values, beliefs, and behaviors that define a company's culture, organizations can identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to create a work environment that supports their strategic goals. We can also complete a comprehensive review of an organization's talent management processes, policies, and practices to identify strengths and areas for improvement. By conducting a thorough review of the entire talent management lifecycle, businesses can ensure that their talent management strategies are aligned with their overall business goals and objectives.
Training
Training for business and talent leaders is also a key service provided by Highrise Vista Consulting. By equipping leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively manage and develop their teams, organizations can foster stronger collaboration, drive innovation, and ultimately achieve stronger financial performance.
Highrise Vista Consulting's mission is to help teams and organizations work better together to solve urgent problems and achieve their goals. With a focus on strategic talent management planning, culture assessments, and training for business and talent leaders, Highrise Vista Consulting is well-equipped to support businesses in maximizing their talent strategies for long-term success.
Copyright 2025 Highrise Vista
Comentários