change

To begin with, there was a high degree of caution. People needed
reassurance that what they said was confidential, but at the same
time they really wanted to know that some action would be taken
as a result of what they said. I answered them honestly; yes, the
feedback was confidential, but no I couldn’t guarantee that any
action would be taken. However, I did believe that if they spoke
from the heart, people would listen. And speak from the heart they
did. I found that I was fortunate enough to connect with a thousand
people who cared passionately about their business; they wanted it
to succeed, to be proud of it and go home every day knowing that
they helped to contribute to that success. And guess what, they
knew what was needed was a culture change. They knew that they
needed to be empowered to be more customer-centric, but unlike
those at the head office, they actually knew some of the practical
changes that could make that culture change happen. Their analysis
was far superior to any culture briefing that I have ever been given
in the C-Suite. It became clear to me that:
1. Culture change was needed
2. Culture change was wanted
3. It didn’t need to be “done to” people
4. It still wasn’t happening, so something was blocking it
The next task was to help other people hear what I had heard, so
I prepared a “wall walk” for the CEO and laid out the unfiltered
truth. The impact was immediate and large. Even though an ExCo
meeting was due a week later and I had intended to present my
findings there, I was told that this wasn’t quick enough and so
diaries were crashed and every single ExCo member was taken
through the same wall walk over the next couple days. The top
50, and then top 100 leaders soon followed. Important decisions
were made, investments were approved, task forces were initiated,
but interestingly, none of them was given the task of changing the
culture. Instead they were all set up to address the practical barriers
to culture progression.
I am sure that you are wondering whether this approach has worked,
and in truth it is much too soon to say. Progress is definitely being
made, but only time will tell by how much and for how long. In Red
Pill: The Truth about Leadership, I explore some of the false beliefs
that we may have about leadership. All too often we think that
great leaders use their intellects to figure out what the business
needs and then lead the way towards it. We hero worship those
at the top and attribute organizational success or failure to those
few, while ignoring the many. As an alternative, I would heartily
advocate giving listening a go. Listen with genuine openness and
humility, listen to more people than you ever have before, listen for
longer than you ever have before and like me you may find that it
becomes the biggest cultural intervention that you will ever make.
I found that I was
fortunate enough
to connect with a
thousand people who
cared passionately
about their business;
they wanted it to
succeed, to be proud
of it and go home
every day knowing
that they helped to
contribute to that
success.
6 | LPS Quarterly