Enhancing Your Company’s Culture (#33)
One of my favorite books for leaders to read is The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. It has some very practical tools and ideas to improve the culture of any organization. And it’s a quick read. One of Coyle’s big takeaways is that organizations that have great cultures typically use some form of the After Action Review (see post #10 —https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/the-coronavirus-crisis/the-after-action-review ) to make themselves better. Another key takeaway is that they celebrate their history and use it as a foundation for where they have been, what they stand for, and where they are going.
The Army’s personnel system makes everyone’s assignment to a unit temporary — typically soldiers serve in the unit for two to three years. To help build the culture of the organization, the unit relies on its history. Every Army unit — companies, battalions, brigades, divisions — you visit will have a portion of their offices dedicated to the history of that outfit. And the soldiers and leaders are required to know the history of the unit, such as what battles it fought in, the heroic actions of its soldiers, and what awards the unit received.
For instance, the battalion I led — 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, known as the Iron Rakkasans — was founded in 1943, fought in the Pacific during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Over those campaigns, the battalion conducted three airborne assaults, fought the battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam, cleared Saddam International Airport in Baghdad in 2003, and had two Iron Rakkasans earn the Medal of Honor. The walls of the battalion headquarters building, the conference rooms, and the company headquarters offices were covered with historic images and tokens from battles fought around the world, like the torii (Japanese gate in the picture) over the last 77 years.
Yet the history on the walls wasn’t there for aesthetics. It was a way that helped the organization tell its own story — that tough training enabled the Iron Rakkasans to overcome adversity and accomplish the mission, remind its constant influx of new members of the team what those that came before them stood for, and help create the unit’s direction forward as it trained to meet its next “rendezvous with destiny.”
I recently did some work at a big company in the midwest. Their walls were covered with pictures from their history: the first store, the 200th store, its acquisition of other companies, and its charity work. Each picture reinforced to the team their humble beginnings, their corporate culture centered on family values, and their strong desire for dramatic growth over the next five years.
The big midwest company got it. But one of the aspects that small and medium sized companies could borrow from the military is using their corporate history as a way to enhance their culture. What historic events are important in your company? Does your entrance, hallways, and conference rooms celebrate this history? What recent events should be added to the history? What has the company done during the coronavirus crisis which should be recognized? How are you using the history to reinforce your narrative?
Recognizing and getting the history on the walls is the easy step. Take the next step and figure out how to use it as part of your narrative of where you have been, what you stand for, and where you are going.