Are you living the culture or are you just talking about it?
Legendary management consultant Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Drucker’s view is supported by research. Gallup revealed that a strong organizational culture increased his employee engagement by 50 points over three years, and his net profit increased by 85% over five years.
What is culture…really?
According to Harvard Business Review Senior Editor Vasundara Sawney, “Culture is the DNA of an organization. It is the shared values, goals, attitudes and practices that characterize the workplace. It is reflected in the way people behave, interact, make decisions and work. “Ultimately, when it comes down to it, culture is an emotion,” said Bill Johnson, chairman and CEO of The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers. I’m here.
Johnson has a unique perspective on company culture. In 1987, Johnson founded Liberty with his desk and phone as his only assets. He led the company until his 2003, leaving the company to pursue his passion for filmmaking. After 15 years (and his 35 movies), Johnson is back in his position leading Liberty, a changed man, a changed leader.
Mr Johnson said: For example, the ability to manage and maintain relationships. Basically, the difference between the movie business and the insurance business is that the movie business is very temporary. Make a movie, put together a team, but then go your separate ways. The insurance business is a community of long-term relationships. “
Johnson returned to Liberty with a passion for making lasting change. he said:
culture must be authentic
Back at Liberty, Johnson soul-searched for what culture meant to him. he said: As we go through life, it is important to feel happy every day. As I have discovered, the real key to happiness lies in relationships and connections. “
“There was a heartfelt intention to create a place where people here could be healthier, happier and have the opportunity to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. is the exact opposite of what I often see in the business world, where employees are being pressed harder and harder to deliver ever greater returns to greedy financial investors.”
Where does your sense of corporate culture come from? “The foundation lives within the company’s mission statement and its core values, but only if they resonate and are authentic,” Johnson said. I think it means it has to be real, and you can’t leave it up to HR or public relations.”
Johnson reviewed the mission statement he helped draft years ago. “There were a lot of good words, but I couldn’t remember them. No one else knew it. “
Liberty has renewed its mission and values. More importantly, as Johnson explained, “Mission and values have become part of the structure and language of the company. It’s become the North Star that people rely on.How are we going to behave with each other?For example, one of our values is fairness.What does fairness look like in this situation? ?”
Courage to model the desired culture
When it comes to changing culture, leaders set the tone by leading by example. Johnson realized that in order to be a true servant and leader, he needed to reveal his true self.
Upon returning to the CEO role, Johnson, a longtime meditator, sent an email to one of his offices. “Come on Friday, and if anyone is interested in joining, I’m going to lead a meditation class.” I have noticed that there is curiosity even among people who have never meditated in their lives, or who have never been exposed to anything like this. “
Johnson continued on his way. He wrote a memo to his company, sharing subjects such as “Love is the basic currency, Gratitude is the nectar of a relationship.” Seeing Bill’s example, the management team embraced his concept of leadership as a servant. Now, every time they have a management meeting, they start with a five-minute meditation and immediately say thank you. “We started by taking unusual and potentially offensive steps to introduce some of these things,” Johnson explained.
prioritize health
“Our organization’s true wealth depends on the overall health of each member,” Johnson said. We can serve you most powerfully, so our goal is to do what our team members do best, do what they do best, which is the best for all of us, HABU (Highest And Best Use (HABU)). to discover and be able to focus on it.”
Liberty fosters happy, connected teams through a health-focused approach to people care that incorporates mindfulness, meditation, and functional medicine. Liberty’s chief wellness officer, Anthony Dippolito, organizes a group of 10 employees into a “dream circle” to help each employee realize their dream life, personally and professionally. Share what you want. that life.
Meditation, Dream Circles, Mindfulness: It might sound like Johnson runs a retreat center rather than a business. At Liberty, “Remember to do your job. JOB stands for Joy of Being.” At Liberty, we’ve found that the culture of feeling good is about more than just feeling good. This is also a good business strategy.
Since implementing this revamped culture in 2018, Liberty has grown tremendously. In 2018, revenue reached $11 million, and in 2022, he’s on track to reach $225 million.
Do you walk the story of your culture?
Most companies boast about their corporate culture because a strong culture gives them a competitive advantage. However, not many people take a walk. Only 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization’s values apply to their day-to-day work.
A company that talks about its culture but doesn’t live it is hypocritical at its best. At worst, it is toxic. His FlexJobs survey in March 2022 found that a toxic company culture was the number one reason people quit their jobs.
Leaders like Bill Johnson understand that no matter what industry they’re in, it’s about relationships. So you are in the cultural business. What can you do to create a company culture where people are happy, connected, and incredibly productive?
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