Casting staff:  do they have what it takes?

Nett Administrator
25 March 2008

When Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM, transformed the moribund computer giant into a thriving global success story, he did it by recognition of one thing, culture. After his time at IBM he concluded: “Culture isn’t one aspect of the game – it is the game. In the end, an organisation is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.”

The measurable output of a successful culture is the ability to get things done and close the gap between vision and action.  There are two key things every organisation needs to get things done. The first is casting, a job no leader should delegate, and the second is the creation of an internal brand that creates buy-in from employees.

There are seven important casting questions every leader should be asking about their team to ensure they have what it takes to walk the talk of the business:

Are they committed?

• Do they know their stuff?

• Can they stand up to setbacks?

• Can they take appropriate risks?

• Are they comfortable in their role?

• Can they be tough when required?

• Do they get things done?

When you have the right people in place, you need an internal brand to get them to buy into and support the vision. Mission statements and operational plans rarely touch the hearts and minds of employees.

In order for your team to understand how to walk the talk of the business, you need to create a brand story about what the company needs to do in order to beat the competition. For employees to engage with it, it needs to be told in their language and touch on how they think and feel.

Here are some key tips to create an internal brand story.

Link the vision statement to a customer’s quality of life. For example, what is it that we must do to create a difference in a customer’s quality of life? Focus on how you can deliver that difference in a way that is unique from your competition. Make the link back to the employee’s jobs, as each individual must be able to tell the story of how they create value.

Successful businesses, whether they realise it or not, already have a clear story about how they create value. For instance, my hairdresser keeps my business because they wax eyebrows better than any others. They style in more ways and better than the competition. My accountant doesn’t just push paperwork around: he calls to ask how I feel about what’s going on. He’s had my business for more than eight years because he always demonstrates he has my interest at heart. In my mind, he cares more than the competition.

When you create the brand stories of how the business walks its talk, don’t just let them live in peoples’ heads: create some buzz, post the stories up in the staffroom or have employees tell a brand story at staff meetings.

Comments:

Posted at 11:42am 27 March 2008: Nett Administrator says:
I hope everyone reads this blog and makes the changes you've suggested as they are so worthy and right.
Posted at 3:20pm 18 April 2008: Jindou Lee says:
Are there any practical resources to help develop my companies' own internal brand story? I guess I'm asking, what practical measures can we take to create a compelling positive work culture?