Creating a "Can Do" Culture

A concerned Senior Manager asked me yesterday, “Peter, how do you create leaders in your business?” He then added, “You always seem to have so many people who are willing to step up to the plate.”

“Leaders create leaders,” was my response.

It’s no use putting the onus on the employee or the other person to lead, if you are not prepared to wear that responsibility yourself. Leadership is evoked by examples of it in practice.

I have found that it is far too easy to be distracted from the main game of being a leader and owner in our own businesses.

As the owner of the business, or as a Senior Manager, the hard questions have to be first asked of ourselves:

• How do I create leadership qualities in myself?
• When do I step up to the plate and put in the extra hard yards required to get the job done?
• When do I take time to think deeply about how to fix a problem? To find an effective solution?

We must set the pace of what leadership means in our business by making it visible and tangible for others. This is what builds what I like to call the ‘Can do’ culture. This is what builds leadership capacity into our business and into those around us.

We must show the way.

The Development Plan

I was speaking to one of my contract managers yesterday, and she was asking me about the culture of my business. She found it intriguing that the people in my business are so passionate about what they do, and she was looking for some insight into why this is the case.

I was more than happy to share my take on it with her.

I explained that it all starts from the moment you recruit people. You must recruit people who are open to learning. Then, you must insure that you support them on their ongoing learning pathway.

One way to do this is to make sure that everyone, including the owner, has a development plan in place that identifies the things that the person should be learning. Such a learning environment in business provides a means of firing up people’s imagination and harnessing their creativity by generating projects that both help you meet your business objectives and help them achieve their learning objectives.

This ensures that everyone is learning in the context of achieving the business’ mission and vision.

The development plan provides opportunities for developing new skills and exposing people to new experiences. We all learn most from doing new things.

The development plan enables people to begin to use their under-developed skills and talents and to build on their strengths. By doing this, we reap great benefits, both personally and in the business. The development plan also provides a means of measuring results and rewarding people when they accomplish their learning goals.

Employee Value Proposition

Do your employees feel valued? We often pay attention to the unique value proposition that we bring to our customers in business. What about the employee value proposition we bring to our employees?

Some businesses I am aware of have introduced flexible working conditions, established a family-friendly environment and employee assistance programs that demonstrate the value that the business places in its employees.

People want to work for businesses that have carefully thought through the value that is assigned to them. Work places that provide human-need satisfying environments attract the best talent. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my business a fun place to be?
• Do my employees feel like they belong and are part of something they can be proud of?
• Are they involved in the decision making processes of the business?
• Are the working conditions flexible enough so that employees have a sense of freedom and still achieve the business results we need?
• Are employees listened to?

Considering answers to these questions will help shape your employee value proposition.

Cultural Change and High Performance

Cultural change in business is based on a simple idea - create positive energy. Positive energy, in turn, will deliver sustained effort and outstanding business results.

For example, when we take the time to tell someone what a good job they have done and thank them for their effort, we create positive energy in the form of good feelings in that person, in ourselves and in the business.

It is simple, straight forward common sense that positive work cultures come about as a result of positive interactions between the people in the business. This is a “no-brainer”.

We make people feel good about their work and themselves. This leads to even higher performance, where people will do that little bit extra, and makes a huge difference to the overall performance of the business.

Therefore, one of the business owner’s primary tasks and major roles is to create a generous business culture, in which this creative, positive energy flows freely and is rewarded accordingly. Apart from simply creating a happy and fulfilling work place is the fact that such a culture delivers positive results on the bottom line.

High performing business cultures are managed positively against objectives and results. Personal responsibility is the catchphrase. When we fail to meet targets, the positive business culture that we have established will hold us in good stead and enable us also to address non-performance concerns with the people around us in an open and honest manner.

The Gaining Of Wisdom

Listening to experienced people in business is so valuable. So often, these people tell stories about struggling to make ends meet. They rely so much on selling their product or getting the next project on their books. Their jobs and their businesses always seem tenuous because of the prevailing conditions.

They are dealing with customers who are not paying their bills on time. They are disappointed by people around them who do not do what they say they will do. The weather is against them. Despite these setbacks, they persevere, and the wisdom born of years of hard work shines through like diamonds. They are an inspiration.

Recently, I had the privilege of hearing a world famous winemaker talking about his overnight success. It had taken him and his family twenty years of hard work and perseverance.

Know Your Market All The Time

There is always someone who is out to beat us to market with their product or service. You must know what you can do and what you cannot do. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

We need to know where we fit in the market place. We have to be very practical about this. In small business, there are wonderful opportunities to help your current customers and your future customers find ways to use your product or service in a manner that will build their business success. These are the customers I want.

I use a strategic framework in my business that captures my thought and helps me come up with great products, services and delivery systems for customers that are a "best fit" for them and ensure their success in the market place.

Observe, Orient and Act

I am indebted to John Boyd, the military strategist, for these simple words and basic approach. I am learning something new everyday about observing what is going on, seeing what needs to be done and simply doing it.

It seems to me that the more I practice and take personal responsibility for embodying this approach in my business, the better are my results and the more my personal energy is reignited.

Sometimes when my motivation is ebbing, I find that by reminding myself of my Mission, Vision and Values and the ‘Boyd approach,’ as I call it, I get back on track quickly and easily.

If you want to read more about the late John Boyd and his approach, there are two books I highly recommend: they are ‘Certain to Win,’ by Chet Richards and ‘Building the Real time Enterprise,’ by Michael Hugos (Chapter Five in particular).

Surround Yourself with People of Quality

No one makes it on their own in business. Success in business comes about through the support and the relationships that we have with other people.

Successful relationships in business are born of having common values and treating each other with dignity.

In business, it is important to have colleagues who are quality people. These are people we can be proud to be associated with. We can be open with them without fear or favor.

Of course, this does not mean that we will always agree with them about everything or always see eye to eye, but having these kinds of relationships in business is essential for achieving excellence and creating the kind of business that delivers high value and enhances our reputation.