Upstanding

CHAPTER 9Stories from Exemplar Companies—and Leaders

“Learning never exhausts the mind.”

—Leonardo da Vinci

An organization's upstanding character is a reflection of the people in it.

As I got deeper into what makes corporate culture tick—and thinking about my own experiences at IBM, Cisco, Red Hat, Anaplan, and all the companies we did business with—I stepped back and asked myself, “What really drives company character?”

I started to think about the importance of the character of leaders, and how leaders play a critical and strong role in the culture of an organization—both good and bad. A culture can be tested from time to time due to lackluster business results or other factors, but if you truly have a strong foundation of a good culture, the company is much more likely to withstand the different challenges that may come up.

An organization's upstanding character ultimately derives from the individuals who are a part of the organization—the people who most hold it near and dear to them. This, of course, includes you as a leader, but it also encompasses the people that you surround yourself with—your leadership team, frontline employees, board members, and other stakeholders. What ultimately creates a strong and enduring culture is intentionally nurturing the organization's character.

One of the great benefits about writing this book was it gave me time to talk with others—both inside and outside Anaplan—and get new perspectives. I learned a lot from these discussions, ...