Culture Is the Way

CHAPTER 5Five Steps to Building a World‐Class Culture

Culture guides discretionary behavior and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off. Culture tells us how to respond to an unprecedented service request. It tells us whether to risk telling our bosses about our new ideas, and whether to surface or hide problems. Employees make hundreds of decisions on their own every day, and culture is our guide. Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn't in the room, which is of course most of the time.

—Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, co‐authors of Uncommon Service

You should never apologize for being obsessed with excellence and expecting the best from yourself and those you lead.

“Unfortunately,” I said over dinner one night to my friend, Brian, “many of today's business leaders simply miss the mark when it comes to driving culture, and if I were them, I would be obsessed with it.”

“What do you mean, Matt?” Brian, a rising manager at a technology consulting firm, took a sip of his beer, then folded his hands on the table and leaned back in his chair. He had just received a promotion and we were celebrating.

“I'm not making a reference to you, Brian. You're doing very well. Overall, I believe it is time for a seismic shift in what is acted upon, rather than simply saying all the right things. If leaders and managers do not constantly reevaluate how to build culture for current and future work environments, and if leaders do not lead the charge, many companies will cease ...