Your Yoghurt – Your Choice

Time to Eat: A Minute
 

At an event in EY I was asked about the single most important factor in whether people, teams and organisations are successful, or not.

I replied “Mindset”

Someone asked: “Do you mean culture”

“Culture is yoghurt” I replied to much laughter in the room (well, one person actually)

And then a lady said: “But you use the word in one of your books”

I had no reply to that one, as I remembered the two paragraphs very well, how relevant they are today, and also that they are the first words I ever wrote for The Naked Leader book.

Recapture the Magic

Go into any new company, one that is just starting out. Witness the enthusiasm, energy and excitement as the founders discuss their dreams, shape their future and make their plans a positive reality. Feel the culture of a new project at its launch – a new team comes together for the first time, full of hope and expectation at the success ahead of them. Experience a company as it grows fast; see the ideas, instinct and imagination flow through everyone involved, like a collective heartbeat of inspiration. It is a healing process, providing an atmosphere of certainty in the destiny that is being shaped by constructive forces.

Go into any large company, one that has been established for a while. Introduce a management initiative, call it total quality anything, or continuous improvement, or worse still, business process reengineering, then stand back and watch. The blame starts slowly at first, then grows, fast. It eats its way through an organisation, freezing new ideas, initiative and action in its wake. It is like a virus of negativity. War breaks out as everyone focuses on saving costs, avoiding failure, and rooting out anyone who dares to make a mistake. It is a harming process, providing an atmosphere of inevitability in the disaster that is being shaped by destructive forces.

Yoghurt, culture or people – the collective, living, breathing organism that is your organisation.

So take time out, look at your organisation and ask yourself; ‘Which of those two extremes is your organisation closer to?’ If it’s the first what are doing to keep it that way, if it’s the second what are we going to do to change It?

With my love and best wishes to you all

David
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What’s the culture like where you work? Share below.

If you need a partner to do this – you know who to call – ring us we’re experts in behavioural change and we will make sure your bottom line benefits too. 01483 766502 ask for Rosalind.