Solving the culture puzzle
‘Culture change is hard’ has become a phrase used by leaders who don’t want to invest in the very thing proven to transform business performance.
Most of the time, it’s used because they simply don’t understand what culture is or the steps required to actually change it. I was talking to a senior HR leader about this last week, who expressed her frustration at the intransigence at a senior level to support activity to improve the way things get done.
I empathise. Culture can feel like a magic eye puzzle. You know the answer is in there somewhere, if only you can see it. Yet, like a magic eye puzzle, once you learn how to do it, you can see the answer every single time.
Can you see the two birds in this picture? Stare at the yellow elements in the image for a few seconds and let your eyes blur out everything around…until you see the image.* It won’t happen immediately, it may take a few seconds, but it will appear.
Culture is like this. Once you know, you know and it not only becomes easier to ‘sell’ to senior leaders, it becomes easier to understand and do too.
Having studied this thing that we now call culture for almost a decade and having worked with organisations around the world to successfully transform, I can tell you that there are three principles that are applicable to every organisation, in every sector, in every country around the world. In next Tuesday’s newsletter I’ll reveal what they are.
Every single organisation can have a consistently vibrant culture, but it is only attainable through understanding what culture is and how it’s built, such that it can be intentionally designed by those who have the responsibility for delivering results.
Never forget that you get the culture that you choose to build. Your people are waiting - not for perfection, but for you to help them unscramble the puzzle.
*Of course, don’t strain or damage your eyes! And if you have any sight impairment issues this definitely won’t work.
