Companies Are People, Too

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5 Ways Personality Tests Help You Get the Most Out of Your Team

You don’t have to be ambidextrous to be able to write with either hand.  Most people can do it.  But using your dominant hand is definitely more productive.  Try this simple exercise:  with writing instrument in your dominant hand, sign your name.  Now, switch hands and sign your name with your other hand.

“It felt like a seizure.” “Very awkward.” “Time consuming.”  “Required more thought and effort.” “Stressful.”  “Unproductive.” That’s how the Marketing Works team described this John Hancock experiment.   We all agreed that we wouldn’t last very long in a company that required us to work outside our natural preferences.

This was the first step in exploring, understanding, and accepting each other’s personality. There are many tools available that can be used to start the dialogue.  We used Companies Are People Too ® (CAP2) which is based on the dimensions of personality developed by Myers and Briggs.

The key take aways from sharing our personality assessment results were:

  1. Our team is comprised of individuals with unique personalities and preferences.
  2. Accepting each other’s differences makes us appreciate and even seek out other points of view (rather than judging them).
  3. We now know what each team member needs from the rest of us to function at their highest potential.
  4. Understanding stressors (our own and others’) prevents situations that impact productivity.
  5. Stepping out of our comfort zone is easier when we feel understood and supported.

The Marketing Works team frequently participates in a variety of events, like weekly team lunches, Shadowbox, Clippers games, and Trivia nights. But the personality assessment exercise enabled us to get to know each other on a more personal level. We gained a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and preferred work styles. We enhanced our company’s communication, understanding, and patience with each other. Since our meeting we have found more effective ways to work together and how to appeal to each other’s working styles. It was truly beneficial to not only gain a stronger self-awareness, but an understanding of our co-workers’ personality traits and qualities. The CAP2 exercise helped to enhance Marketing Works’ team dynamic.

Marketing Works Team

 

 

 

 

Do you know what your personality preferences are, and how they differ from the rest of your team?  Check out the free personality assessment provided by CAP2. Let us know your results in the comments section!

Posted in: Company Culture

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Your company can build your culture into your office, literally

The minute we walk in the door of a business, we have an immediate sense of its personality. It’s the indelible first impression. The décor is akin to the clothes we select – and how we wear them. And because it’s where employees spend so much time, it has a huge affect on morale.

 

Yesterday I visited the offices Delta Energy recently built. It was warm, comfortable, inviting, and almost shouted “Make yourself at home.” The workplace was a reflection of Delta’s beliefs, behaviors and values.

 

AnimotoAnimoto, a New York City-based company, makes a video slideshow creation app. When it came time to relocate the business, they took a creative approach and literally built their fun and quirky culture into their space. Moving into an old furniture warehouse in SoHo set up the perfect opportunity for creating workspace that accurately reflects Animoto’s personality. As you can see from these photos, the company culture is brought to life throughout the entire office. From the way they creatively showcase their vision, values and life of the logo to the themed conference rooms and offices.

 

Dixon Schwabl, a Rochester, NY based advertising agency, designed their building around their Companies are People, Too profile, “It’s Fun to Do Good Work.” Morale there is the highest I’ve seen, evidenced by being awarded Best Places to Work nationally.

 

Art ClockProgressive Medical, is an example of a company that instinctively designed its space to its personality – before they took Companies Are People, Too.  Their profile as a “We Aim to Please” personality is perfectly reflected in the huge, colorful piece of art that is actually a clock and a cafeteria that is a wide open space that lets employees take a break and interact.

 

How have you showcased company culture in your workspace? Share your technique in the comments below.

 

Sources:

Does This Company Have The Coolest Meeting Rooms in New York? (Open Forum)

This Company Literally Built Its Culture Into Its Office (Business Insider)

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Company Culture, Organizational Personality

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Part 1: Behaviors Can Be Seen – Beliefs Can’t

Chicago TribunePrior to initiating change it is essential to consider the beliefs and behaviors that are ingrained in the company. Behaviors can be seen – beliefs can’t. This is most apparent in the behaviors of a company’s leadership, which everyone inside and outside the organization sees and monitors. If new leadership is put into place, he/she must behave as the company believes, not as they believe.

 

Here’s an example: Sam Zell took control of the distressed Chicago-based Tribune Co. in 2007 with hopes to make it profitable. Zell and newly appointed CEO, Randy Michaels, shocked and alienated their employees by implementing a new culture in accordance with their personal values rather than those of the company. Let’s compare the values of the 166-year-old company vs. those of the new duo:

 

Tribune Co.’s Values

  • Citizenship
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Diversity
  • Employee Involvement
  • Financial Strength
  • Innovation
  • Integrity
  • Teamwork

Zell & Michaels’ Values

  • Creative Spirit
  • Fast Paced
  • Freewheeling
  • Loose Culture
  • Fun Atmosphere

 

Employees felt discouraged by the behaviors from leadership including cronyism in hiring practices, sexual harassment and off-color jokes. Needless to say, Zell failed to revive the company. A year after he took control he was forced to file for bankruptcy protection which lasted until 2012.  Zell sold the company at a loss of $3.7 billion, and Tribune Co. continues to fight to get back on its feet.

 

Will we ever know what would have happened if Tribune Co was placed under different leadership back in 2007? Check back next week for a part 2 post on behaviors and beliefs.

 

To avoid a similar mistake and get a better understanding of what the people of your company are experiencing internally, we can help. Here’s a free trial of the Companies Are People, Too organizational assessment to find out your company’s personality.

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Change Management, Company Culture

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Guiding Decisions and Behaviors – The Refectory and Company Culture

How does a restaurant earn AAA four stars for 16 consecutive years? The Refectory is the most award-winning restaurant in Columbus and has received Zagat, DiRoNa and Wine Spectator Awards, along with Five Stars from both Columbus Monthly and Columbus Dispatch. Housed in a former church, it is known for its ambiance, excellent food, massive wine cellar, and stellar service.  This is a place you celebrate the events that memories are made of – anniversaries, birthdays, closing the big deals. The Refectory is a brand that consistently delivers on its brand promise.

 

Award-winning restaurant

In a conversation with owner Kamal Boulos about the Refectory’s culture, he reflected on “who we have become and the thinking that drives myself and the two key people who have shared this journey with me for the last 35 years.” That team has done a lot of things right, from always being there to greet customers to giving back to the community and celebrating the achievements of community leaders. Like many small business owners, Kamal has focused on achieving excellence every day and only recently realized the importance of articulating the purpose and values that will sustain the business when the founders move on. He realizes that they will serve as a compass that guides decisions and behaviors.

“The first step was articulating them, and we are engaged in Step Two, which is communicating them to everyone.” Next, he will define behaviors associated with each value and weave those into performance standards. Kamal shared his five core values, which are “a work in progress”, inspired by Nancy Kramer’s Resource Interactive culture:

 

  • Pursue Excellence (in every area – our knowledge, how we apply it, work ethic, attention to detail, attitude, maturity and mindset)
  • Treat Everyone with Respect (if we want others to accept us for who we are, we must first accept them.  We can disagree with others without showing disrespect)
  • Be a Person of Integrity (be honest in relationships; resolve issues only with those directly involved)
  • Be a Giver (to those we work with, to those we serve, to our community, and to those we do business with)
  • Care! (about yourself, your family, those we work with, those we serve, the company we work for and the equipment/resources we use.)

We did not discuss Kamal’s mission and vision, but I saw this vision statement from Bali Intercontinental Hotel that is memorable and actionable.

 

Our Vision

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are some great resources for businesses interested in doing the work Kamal is doing. My favorite is Jim Collins’ vision framework and I also like Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why and his Why University, which guides you through the process. It is extremely difficult and time consuming to do this work in a vacuum – a trained facilitator is recommended for objectivity, open dialogue and building consensus. If you want to put your toe in the water, have your management team start with taking the Companies Are People, Too organizational personality assessment.

 

Start With Why the book

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Company Culture, Organizational Development, Organizational Personality

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Company Culture and Sustainability – The Cause and Effect

Some kinds of leaders are more susceptible to losing employees and customers, and therefore unable to achieve sustainability.  This article will focus on the entrepreneurs and the flippers.  They may see significant gains in the short term without addressing culture, but in time, these businesses are like a house with no foundation.  It will crumble.

Very few entrepreneurs start a company because they want to create a best place to work and do business.  They have an idea they want to bring to life. They are taking a huge personal risk, and in the beginning, their priority is growth (i.e. see their idea work, recoup their seed money and start making money).  It may take awhile to pay attention to how their idea is being delivered and received. The risk of failure increases when they lose customers over bad service delivered by employees who don’t care.

Flippers of companies are very clear about their short-term objective of profitability and ROI—metrics that will attract a buyer.  A large advertising agency was acquired by a conglomerate and I watched the enthusiasm of the staff wane as salaries were frozen, lay offs were frequent, and they were expected to do more work with fewer people.  All of these actions improved the bottom line. These “churn and burn” organizations don’t care about culture as much as they do making money.  No wonder 85% of failed acquisitions are attributable to mismanagement of cultural issues.

 

In both scenarios, when short term gain trumps long term gain, a company can have great success up front.  In time, it is not sustainable.  There’s a better way to do business.

 

Centric, a Columbus-based consulting company, was founded by partners who wanted to be different.  From the day they began planning the business, culture was the driver.  They defined their “why” and their set of beliefs/core values right out of the gate.  And they made sure every person who came to work there shared those values and used them to guide their behavior.  Centric’s growth and profitability is off the charts.  It has won many accolades including Best Place to Work, which is all the more impressive since it is a virtual company.

 

Culture matters to the people. Where do you want to work – a company that cares, or one that is incongruent and doesn’t care about their people?  (It’s not rocket science!).

 

Culture matters to the end users.  Who do you want to do business with – a company with people who don’t care, or who happily deliver what it promises? (You do the math).

 

As the economy recovers, talented people will be in demand.  They will be incentivized by your competition to jump ship. To many enlightened business owners, this culture thing is a no brainer. To others, it’s a total revelation.  If you agree that when culture matters you will be able to get and keep employees and customers, how do you start?  By finding out what’s going on. Defining your company’s purpose beyond making money. Articulating your mission and your vision, and most importantly, your values.

 

To find out what is currently going on with your company’s culture, take this Companies Are People, Too easy assessment.  Contact me, Sandra Fekete, for access to five additional assessments and a phone conference to help you interpret the results.  It’s a great starting point!

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Change Management, Company Culture, Mergers and Aquisitions, Organizational Development, Organizational Personality

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Finding Your Organizational Identity

Remember the WWJD bracelets worn as a reminder to base our daily decisions on what Jesus would do? Because we know Jesus’ values, how he lived his life, and examples that he shared, the WWJD question is easy to answer across a broad spectrum of circumstances. We can be fairly certain we will make good decisions using this framework as our guide.

WWJDWhen your team is expected to make decisions that will greatly impact your company, what framework do they use? How comfortable are they that they will make the right decision? Will they opt to please the boss, or follow their personal preferences? Empowered employees need more than “let your conscience be your guide.” Ideally, everyone is well indoctrinated about the company’s core mission, vision, and values. There is no better framework…..assuming they can remember the company’s core ideology.

 

There is a way to embody these characteristics…literally. Creating a persona gives a human face to the otherwise intangible dimensions of organizational identity. What emerges is a fictional yet factual representation of the character of the company. Hoselton Auto Mall in Rochester, NY learned about their company’s personality with Companies Are People, Too. Using an Up Close and Personal exercise, they created Walt to personify the company. Everyone “met” Walt and knew his favorite food, most prized possession, best trip ever, cars he drove, where he goes for inspiration, what he likes most about himself, what it is he just can’t stand, what he does for relaxation…you get the picture. Walt was introduced at a pep rally to the entire team, who were given WWWD bracelets as a take away. Every existing and new team member refers to What Would Walt Do? as their framework for decision making.

 

Elford Construction’s “Pop” persona drives behaviors tied to each core value. The “Pop” award is given to the employee who best demonstrates behaviors that align with Pop’s core ideology.

 

You can find more examples of personified companies and get more resources to help you find your company’s persona on the Companies Are People, Too website.

 

The drive for consistency is strong in every successful organization. Decisions based on the values and preferences of the company deliver consistency, clarity, and alignment. What are you waiting for? Start your organization on a pathway to success today. Contact Sandra Fekete to learn more and take your FREE trial Companies Are People, Too assessment to get your company moving in the right direction.

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Company Culture, Organizational Development, Organizational Personality

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What does your tagline say about your culture?

I was astounded to learn that Avis’ iconic slogan, “We Try Harder” has been replaced with “It’s Your Space” in an effort to target the profitable corporate user segment.  New ads show businessmen driving Beemers, singing on their way to a meeting.  What does this have to do with motivating employees, living its values, or delivering a brand promise?  “It’s Your Space” makes a great campaign targeting a very specific audience.  But it is not a tagline. There is no manifesto written around it as there was for We Try Harder (which, incidentally was named one of the top campaigns of the 20th Century by CNBC).

The Avis we try harder Manifesto

What does your tagline say about your culture?  Is it motivating to employees–giving them something to act on?  Is it promising something to your customer that your entire team can deliver?  Does it align with your values?  Here are a few other great taglines that accomplish those objectives. Can you identify the company they belong to?

 

  • You’re in good hands
  • You deserve a break
  • Just Do It
  • Think Different
  • The Few. The Proud.
  • We bring good things to life.
  • When you care enough to send the very best.

 

Posted in: Brand Alignment, Change Management, Company Culture, Organizational Development

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