It’s not the ONLY problem that organizations face, but I believe it to often be the most prevalent problem that many companies face – cultural issues.
As someone who works with companies and leadership teams, I’ve seen many situations where cultural issues cause significant problems within an organization.
Recently, inside of my personal life I came across a company dealing with similar issues, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you as they had a direct impact on me. It is extremely difficult to watch an organization that I do not work with, struggle with issues that I know can be fixed. With issues, problems & hurdles that if cleared would make them an industry leader in the space!
To protect the innocent we will leave the names out of it, but I want to share with you what I see, what I understand & how I would approach the work needed to bring the Company from turmoil to thriving!
Company X has been going through significant changes over the past year or two. From the normalish issues that we all deal with as Business Owners (staffing, turnover, churn, etc.) to larger issues (key employees leaving, unsatisfied clients, new competition.)
I’ve seen everything they’ve been dealing with from the inside to the outside. And it has become more and more apparent that it all stems from cultural breakdown in the organization. Now some believe if its that bad, everything ceases to work, but that is not true. There are many companies in the world that from a numbers perspective they are doing well, but from an employee, client, ownership point of view or feeling they are nothing but pain & burden. While I don’t believe they are that far down the rabbit hole, it unfortunately is not far off!
In my experience, if the cultural issue is not addressed, it will only continue to grow and become a more significant problem.
This is why I recommended that they should start looking at what’s happening at the top and see if there’s anything that can be done to start improving the culture.
I recommend starting at the top because I always refer to the quote, ‘the bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle’. Simply, it is the responsibility of the CEO & Leadership team to build the culture of the organization.
Yes, employees must participate.
Yes, everyone needs to believe it.
But it always begins at the top!
It’s crucial to understand that the culture of an organization starts from the top and trickles down.
Therefore, if the leadership team doesn’t address the cultural issues, they will only continue to persist. But, if the top management takes the initiative to address the cultural issue, these types of problems will dissipate, and the culture will thrive, as everyone inside the organization wants it to.
Addressing cultural issues at the top level is not a one-time event. It’s a continuous process that involves ongoing communication, collaboration, and cooperation from everyone involved. It’s essential to have a shared vision and values that everyone in the organization can rally behind and work towards. This can only be achieved if the leadership team sets the right tone, leads by example, and holds themselves and everyone else accountable.
Cultural issues can cause significant problems within an organization. But, if the leadership team takes the initiative to address them, the culture can be improved, and the organization can thrive. It’s essential to start at the top and work together to create a shared vision and values that everyone can work towards.
Here are 3 steps that I recommend for CEOs & Leadership Teams that may be struggling with a Cultural issue in the team or organization:
- 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: Read this book by Patrick Lencioni, then implement the teachings or hold a workshop.
- Proline & Assess: We recommend that all members of the Leadership team start, and eventually all members of the organization be assessed & profiled. This creates an ability for everyone to understand each other, know how to communicate with each other & be able to have constructive conflict.
- Survey: Often we find that companies are not performing surveys of their customers, their people & their prospects. And without proper surveying they are unable to create a positive feedback loop that helps in these scenarios.
These are just a few steps you can take today to hopefully ensure that you & your organization do not get stuck in a Cultural Issue!
If you would like more information on how to build your Culture or try to understand where the current breakdown may be, book a Free Discovery Call with a Culture to Cash Coach today!
