Organisations can have the right product, the right strategy, and even the right individuals in place to achieve success, but results are simply not going to be achieved if the environment does not have a winning culture. While it’s easy to quantify product, strategy and skills sets, identifying or creating a culture is a more ephemeral notion. It is the key to unlocking sustained success.
In our work with some of the world’s leading businesses, we’ve identified the four pillars that form the foundation of winning workplace cultures: Productivity, execution, leadership and trust.
Productivity
It has never been easier in human history to accomplish great things, and a big part of this is the dramatic increase in the power of technology to make us more productive. Our research into neuroscience, along with our experience in the field, has highlighted a productivity paradox: we are making more decisions than ever, our attention is under unprecedented attack, and we are suffering from personal energy crises. Finding ways to master your energy and attention management will increase your ability to achieve what matters most to you.
Execution
The real enemy of execution is the massive amount of energy that’s necessary just to keep your operation going on a day to day basis. When you execute a strategy that requires a lasting change in the behaviour of other people, you’re facing one of the greatest leadership challenges you will ever meet. Creating a culture of execution means embedding four basic disciplines into your organisation. At every level, individuals, leaders, and teams need to institutionalise a common approach. The Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable and proven formula for executing on your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind, and includes: focus on the wildly important, act on the lead measures, keep a compelling scoreboard, and create a cadence of accountability. 4DX is a proven set of practices that have been tested and refined by hundreds of organisations and thousands of teams across the globe.
Leadership
Accessing higher levels of human genius and motivation in todays’ new reality requires a change in thinking, a new mind set, new skill set and a new tool set. To thrive, innovate, excel and lead in a knowledge worker age, great leaders must inspire trust, clarify purpose, align systems and unleash talent. In a global knowledge economy, the source of highest value is in the creative engagement of the whole person, body, heart, mind and spirit
Trust
You don’t need to look far to realize that, as a global society we have a crisis of trust on our hands. There is one thing that is common in every individual, relationship, team, family, organisation, nation, economy and civilization throughout the world, and that is trust. If there is an absence of trust, the most powerful governments, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leader, the greatest friendship, the strongest character and the deepest love will diminish or be destroyed. Trust is the one thing that if developed and leveraged has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life.
If your organisation is seeking growth in 2017 and beyond, identifying shortcomings in these four pillars is a good foundation for future development. Working with a trusted specialist consultancy with decades of experience in building the efficiency, efficacy, and confidence of your workforce will improve your chances of achieving the kind of success that will see your business gain momentum at the speed of trust.
Marlinie Ramsamay is the CEO of FranklinCovey South Africa.
