When discussing change in any organization there is some level of trepidation. Will the change be good? Will anyone be negatively impacted? Will the be loss of jobs, financial security, or even more important, life? These changes are necessary to continue the evolution of any company or business. Yet, how do you ensure as a leader that the changes you are making are in the best interest of the company? How do you create a strategy to help improve the odds of success?
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale (2012) realized that his business was about to be out of business. Profit margins were non-existent. The company was spiraling downward quickly and there was nothing on the horizon to indicate upward trends in the financial strength of his company. That is when he decided to implement strategies from a book he read titled Influencer.
McIngvale did not just implement strategies from the book. He looked at his current culture. He developed skill sets, he created incentives and he promoted an all-inclusive approach to change. Everyone knew this was going to be a transformation of the company. He included health initiatives. He made sure that his decisions aligned with creating strong initiatives that would manage the change in the culture of the organization, not the other way around. He didn't just set out a memo that stated all employees must become computer literate. He completed a training system that ensured each employee knew how to incorporate technology into their daily processes. He did not just say, "Call the customer back." He set up incentives and reinforced those that completed the prospect/follow-up cycle to seal the deal and get the final sale.
Similarly, Retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal 2011) realized that he needed to create a strong culture and manage the change of the culture after the 9/11 attacks. The business-as-usual techniques of paratroop jumps and practice maneuvers became real-life combat techniques and the mindset of all those enlisted or involved in the war needed to be centered on one another. During his recollection of the War on Terror, he provided the mantra of the Army Rangers. A mantra that he stated may be more real and true than many marriage vows. These soldiers would go out into the battlefield and do everything in their power to help another on the force. They would lay down their life to come to the aid of a brother or sister. It was not longer about them, it was about being part of The Army. That cultural mindset drove the change needed to win the battles. When sharing about a father that watched his son on screen fighting a battle, I could not help but think of my little one out there in the line of fire. I would want to jump through the screen and protect her. Then I had to think about what was being delivered from the top down as a leadership message to all those on the front-line. These soldiers knew what they were going into. They knew their lives were on the line and cared more about my life, my daughter's life and our freedoms than their own. That is a huge indication that they truly believed the message and there is a strong culture of bravery among the US Army and all military.
Brown (2011) explains that a "strong culture is characterized by the organization's basic values being intensely held and widely shared." (p. 426) In McChrystal account of the Army Ranger mantra, he shared about waking daily to recite a creed in which they promise that if another Ranger needs them, they will be right there no matter the cost. That is powerful. That is intense. With over 2,000 rangers making that promise daily, it is definitely widely shared. If any of those rangers needed to go into a large gun battle alone they would likely not step out onto the field with such confidence as knowing they are backed by the other 2,000 rangers willing to lay down their life for one another. That culture is the culture that will help bring home the greatest number of lives saved in battle. That culture will withstand the greatest attacks of terror. That culture is deeply rooted in good and will prevail no matter what the cost.
Brown, Donald R. (2011). Experiential Approach to Organization Development. Pearson Education. 9th Edition
McChrystal. S (2011). TEDTalk. Transcript of "Listen, learn....then lead." Retrieved July 30, 2016 from http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal/transcript?language=en#t-780000
McIngvale, J. (2012). VitalSmarts. "Influencer Training Helps Texas Retailer Save Millions and Prosper in Economic Recession". Retrieved July 30, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=E20RW75Fhu4
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