Culture: What a difference it makes!
Having worked for several prominent retail organizations I have
seen the impact of both positive and negative cultures on the
workforce, the customers and, of course, the success of the
business. Have no doubt whatsoever, the head of the organization
dictates, through words and actions, what the culture will be. I
want to tell you about the incredible culture created by a CEO,
and a gentleman, I'll call Sam.
For three years, I had the opportunity to work for the company
that this man headed up before he decided to sell his successful
enterprise to a large, old school retailer. We were all very
happy for him. This sale was going to mean a lot more time for
he and his wife to travel and generally enjoy life after a lot
of years of hard work and dedication to their business. We were
saddened to be losing such a great leader but we knew he
deserved the rest and we wished him well.
Those three years were perhaps the most rewarding and
educational years of my entire career, one that spans over
twenty years. The company was managed in such a way that you had
no choice but to feel like an important part of it. No employee
was ever treated like a number, unworthy of receiving up to date
communication on what was happening within the company. The
executive were always aware of the impact their actions would
have on store personnel and customers. In this company everyone
understood where, and by whom, sales were made and every effort
was made to include input from the field whenever important
decisions were being made that would affect employees or
customers.
The man I speak of did not always have a successful company on
his hands. At one time, as I understand, the company had been on
the brink of failure. He, and his loyal employees managed to
save it. It was quite a feat, requiring dedication, a new
direction and a new way of being. Sam did many, many things to
move his company in the right direction. To detail all of them
would require a book, which I hope he will write some day, and a
lot more information than I have available to me. I did not know
this man as well as some of my colleagues did but I know, for
certain, that he is a man with integrity. If he says it, you can
take it to the bank.
By the time I came on board the company was doing very well. A
brand new culture had been built. That's right...built. Culture
is something you build with every word you say and every action
you take. A positive culture does not come about by accident. It
takes a lot of soul searching and checking with people and just
when you think you have it all figured out you have to check
again. It takes the ability and the willingness to know and
admit that you don't know everything and you don't have all the
answers. It takes a desire to get input and feedback from the
people affected by a given situation. It takes the guts to take
action to fix something that's not working. It takes coaching
and loyalty and lending a hand to those who need it. It takes
understanding that people don't make mistakes because they want
to. It takes a firm, but kind, word to someone who messes up. It
takes the ability to foster a feeling of belonging among those
who are in your business family. Sam certainly did all of these
things and he worked tirelessly to ensure his executive and
management teams did also.
Store Managers were invited, and expected, to have an impact on
the whole organization and not just their own store. If she made
a request there were only two acceptable outcomes. 1) The
request was granted and a date for completion was to be given or
2) The request was not granted and the reasons were explained.
It did not stop there if the Store Manager was not satisfied
with the outcome. She was never expected to settle for an answer
that did not satisfy her. The process that ensued was one of
open and on-going dialogue until either the Store Manager became
convinced and was satisfied with the reason that her request
could not be granted or she managed to convince her Manager that
the request should be granted. It wasn't over just because
someone said it was over.
And the company flourished. Following the news of the sale of
the company, most field management stayed in place for some
time. Unfortunately, as with all good things, the culture we had
come to know and love ended. It was like a period of mourning.
Executive and management moved on to new challenges and the
business went straight down, at least for the short term.
The new owners will never understand what happened. There will
be reasons and excuses but they all amount to nothing. The
truth, that they probably do not even realize, is that the great
culture was run out of town; obviously deemed unnecessary and
not worth saving. It's that simple and it's such a shame.
Those of us who lived in Sam's environment clearly understand
what happened when he and his carefully chosen team were no
longer at the helm.
The key to sustaining a successful business is to RESPECT the
culture - after all, the business is secretly thriving on it;
OBSERVE carefully, for a time, and then ACT appropriately.