May 21st, 2014
Go Networking Session
Be Significant: Lessons and Leadership from a CEO
Thank you Eileen
Tonight we’re going to talk about what it means to build a significant, sustainable corporate culture.
Or another way of putting it
Making a commitment to be significant and purposeful in how we lead our Teams our Divisions or our Companies.
But before we do…
Grabber: What does Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Kanye West and Eileen Kenkle share in common with Steven Harper and friends of Obama at the White House? Answer - Warm happy feet!
So how many of you are familiar with Nuheat? For those of you who don’t know the product…it is like an electric blanket that goes underneath tile and stone primarily in bathrooms and kitchens. It’s only 3/8’s of an inch thick so it’s ideal for renos as well as new home construction.
For the next 90 minutes I’d like to present to you how as leaders we can best culture significance in our organizations.
1. I ‘ll start by giving a brief background of my business history
2. I’ll introduce you to the concept of the Five Commitments that I believe we, as leaders need to understand and embrace.
3. We’ll then work together using the Five Commitments to uncover your natural leadership character or tendencies…what you excel at and what challenges you the most.
So let’s get started -
What does Culture mean to you?
I believe that we drive culture can be captured in “The Five Commitments” and so that’s what we are going to spend time on this evening! Whether you are leading a team, a division or the company the principles are the same.
My hope is that through the understanding and sharing from these Five Commitments that you can be a more inspired and effective leader!
Let me talk to you about the culture from when I first joined to where it is now. When I joined Nuheat what were my first impressions–
There were 15 employees, they shared 3 computers, there was no lunchroom, no refrigerator, no hotplate nor microwave and no stove but there was one Mr. Coffee maker, sugar and powdered milk. Needless to say there was room for some significant change in the environmental culture. On day two I brought in a toaster oven and we had a small fridge within a week. It took 3 months and we had built a small lunchroom, doubled the number of computers but we needed to have a purposeful overhaul change in our culture.
The story goes that the former GM would set up a staff meeting where the chairs were placed in a semi-circle and his chair was at the front. He told the staff that he was the Orchestra leader and they were the Orchestra…emphasizing that the woodwind section does not speak directly with the string section and not to the brass section…all communication went through him the orchestra leader.
I was lucky because the existing culture wasn’t working and it allowed for me to lead the change! Fast-forward to today and Nuheat has a thriving culture that is both significant and empowering!
There are Five Commitments that I learned along the way that were essential in developing Nuheat’s culture but also I believe they are present in many successful companies!
Empower Staff – Stoke Your Hires – Mentor and Sponsor – Embrace Conflict and Commit to Connect
We will now start examining these Five Commitments. First let me explain how this is going to work. Please use the worksheets in front of you to capture your ideas and examples.
The Commitment:
What does it mean?
Why does it matter?
I’ll then provide a personal Example
I will then ask that you Share an experience. This Activity will be at your tables.
What will follow will be a Group Sharing of one an example.
We will use this format for all of the commitments.
At the end we will have time for G & Ts…that’s Gems and take-aways not gin and tonics!
Commitment 1 – Empower Your Staff
What does this mean?
Building a team of go-to employees who can develop & execute strategy and change the performance of a company
Why does it matter?
A command and control environment won’t inspire employees to give their best each and every day. Building a team that can develop and execute strategy and change the performance of a company will.
Example:
The Pulse Room
Experience Sharing Activity – Now think about a personal example of how you have been empowered or have empowered others and share this example with your group. Once you’ve gone around the table then choose one sharing example for the Group Share.
Group Share
Commitment 2 – Stoke your hires
What does this mean?
An effective and purposefully driven process for hiring new employees and then motivating them to be the best that they can be
Why does it matter? It matters because of the high the cost of hiring the wrong person into your company…from $ to morale to productivity. The key is to try and get it right the first time.
Example:
How many interviews do you put potential employees through? How many different people meet them? I was talking with John DeHart at Nurse Next Door and they have a vigorous hiring process that starts with group hires…that is 8 people come into an interview at the same time and get questioned together. It’s not for everyone as some candidates leave before it starts or at a break. One of his favourite questions he asks towards at the end is “if not you who do you think would be a good fit for us?” I’m not suggesting that this fits your culture…what I am doing is trying to get you think of possibilities.
We weren’t quite as radical as that but what we did learn was having a New Employee Review after 60 days of their hire made our process much better. Our hiring process evolved and became much better with the feedback. We got creative and started offering things like -
A signing bonus as part of the enticement
A gardening allowance to the wife of an employee that you want to relocate
A free trips home or there for family members
Experienced Sharing Activity - So what are you doing in your organizations to stoke your hires and bring on the best potential employees?
Group Share -
Commitment 3 – Mentor and Sponsor
What does this mean?
Mentoring is about spending your time and sharing your experience with others for their own personal development.
Sponsoring on the other hand is about speaking up for a person who is not in the room.
Mentorship and Sponsorship both help you rise higher. So in thinking about them...I would like you to consider who inspired you in your business career and who are you inspiring in your organization?
Why does it matter? It matters because this is one of the most important areas of leadership and one that can and is neglected. You can’t have successful growth or succession without developing your people.
a. Example
Suzie Cho – include “leap of faith suit”
Sandra Wilson of Robeez Shoes - coffee with Sandra
Activity – So now I want you to spend some time talking about mentoring…all the while I want you to be thinking about sponsoring and what that looks like for you in your organizations.
Group Share
Commitment 4 – Embrace Conflict
What does this mean?
Proactively and constructively tackling problems, crises and awkward situations as they arise
Why does it matter? Most of us try to avoid conflict and don’t enjoy dealing with it. Those of you that do enjoy it and understand that you have to have awkward conversations to get to the root of a problem in order to solve it. If you can become skilled at embracing conflict you will elevate yourself to a whole new level of leader. One of the keys for success is that you can never allow it to become personal.
Example –
Apricot Story Contrast confronting conflict and embraced the conflict (Michael)
Activity – share with your group examples of embracing conflict and its outcome.
Group Share
Commitment 5 – Commit to Connect
What does this mean?
Seeking opportunities to connect with people whether they’re customers, suppliers, friends, and community leaders or people you just randomly meet…knowing and believing in the natural law of the power of attraction.
Why does it matter?
It matters because connecting like you are doing here tonight at this Go Networking event will have significant impact sometime in the future. Connecting starts relationships that open doors.
Example
I was at a Political at fundraising event in a line up, waiting for a washroom … that’s where I met Ken Voth…and from that initial conversation I found out that he was building a new home and that he was major developer in the Valley. After that conversation, not only does he have Nuheat in his home and he has put it in all of his valley developments…we have become great friends. And oh one other thing when he found out that I was involved with Canuck Place he negotiated with the city of Abbotsford and secured the property for the new Canuck Place Hospice…all of which at no cost. He also recently agreed to join the Board of Canuck Place. What an amazing person!
So my thought for you to consider is “Are you committing to connect to people around you every day?” Be significant everywhere you go!
Activity – This time I want you to share stories of your connecting with others either inside your organization or at events like this.
Group Share
A Big Gem and take-away from each table
So I’ve been asking questions of you all night and now it’s your turn to ask questions from me.
In closing - So hopefully now you have a better understanding of these Five Commitments and see how they contribute to building a significant, sustainable corporate culture.
Your Commitment to You Culture Significance
Take what you’ve learned here today, Choose one area to focus on, and maybe it’s not one that you naturally excel at but one that challenges you---as that is where the real learning takes place in your leadership journey.
Final thought: Leaders create the culture---the culture creates the results!
Thank You!