Soul Mates...

When I was elected Chairman of the Board of my previous company, the other Board members had expressed their concern that the company had seemed to have "lost its soul". I agreed. What followed next was a long, painful, and expensive process that taught me a valuable lesson. You cannot give a company a soul. You cannot give a company a set of core values. They must already exist in your upper management team.


If your desire is to change the culture of a business - even if you are at a lower level of management - first look to your people. Remember "First Who..." from "Good to Great"? This is where you apply it first and foremost. If you don't have people you can trust, or those who already subscribe to a set of core values that matches your own, you are doomed to fail.

Caution: Beware those who would have you believe that they can be trusted or do have the set of core values you need to fulfill your mission. Don't be naive, don't be sold, don't be fooled by those with the savvy and charm necessary to pull it off. Some people will do anything to get what or where they want.

Test your team regularly. Allow them room to do what they do best. Then ask them to report their actions and decisions (especially if they can effect company policy), along with their reasoning behind them. Have open discussions about your own thoughts and decisions along with your reasoning so everyone knows exactly where you are coming from and going to. Get them to open up. Open discussions should include all of your team members. Don't allow some people to simply report their activities and reasons without participating in the open discussions. It can be very revealing if you pay attention. My own trust in certain members of my team blinded me to something I should have caught. As a result, I was betrayed and lost my job of 32 years.