A company’s leadership and culture are always on display by the stories the employees tell about the firm. These are stories told at the water cooler, at a lunch table or in the ladies or men’s room. These aren’t the glowing stories created by a PR firm or ad agency. These are the stories that reveal the true DNA of an organization.
Culture Defined
If culture defines “how we do things around here.” then the stories employees tell are the way it’s conveyed. In many organizations there are the SOPs and then “the way we really do things.” In other organizations they are one in the same.
Great companies have employees who tell great stories that are aligned with the direction set by their leaders. When negative issues surfaced great companies listen, discern and take appropriate action. They do this because they know failing to do so is the first step down a slippery slope towards a dysfunctional culture.
Troubled companies either don’t listen to the stories or they only listen selectively. In companies like this, leadership is fed filtered or heavily edited versions of the stories so that they are disconnected from the employees. Therefore, leadership doesn’t act, issues begin to fester, and employees feel ignored. Eventually the employees’ frustration spills over to customers and the business suffers. The leadership and culture in these companies is often the root cause of poor performance.
The Leadership Challenge
The challenge for you is to know what stories your employees are sharing. If your employees were to write an op-ed in the New York Times about your organization’s leadership and culture, would it be glowing or scathing?
Leadership and culture must be developed and cultivated over time. It’s based on what you say as a leader and the extent your actions support your words. The by-product is the stories employees tell. Make sure your actions cultivate the stories you’d want to appear in the New York Times.