“Any leader who doesn't genuinely step into culture as a business imperative, five years from now will look back at this as one of the greatest missed opportunities of their time in leadership. Your culture can unleash all sorts of creativity that you can't begin to imagine. And if you're a leader and you don't see the chance to do that right now, you're missing the greatest opportunity – that’s being handed to you, on a plate.” (Hilton Barbour, 2020)
Printable Shownotes HERE: https://talkabouttalk.com/podcasts/#shownotes
CONTENTS

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Summary

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References & Resources

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Andrea’s Introduction

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Interview Transcript

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Andrea’s Conclusion



SUMMARY: Communicating Corporate Culture
 HILTON'S 2 "CULTURE CHALLENGES" FOR LEADERS IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT

* SEEK TO OBJECTIVELY UNDERSTAND YOUR CURRENT CULTURE

* Leaders are probably the least objective about the cultures inside their organization.




* BE HUMBLE AND VULNERABLE

* No one’s crystal ball is working right now! By being honest and vulnerable, by trusting your people, you can provide the opportunity for your organization to genuinely thrive, and for you to create a culture that attracts talent like a magnet.




DEFINING CORPORATE CULTURE

* Culture is how we act, behave, and make decisions to fit into an organization.
* Culture is how the edges of your organization behave on your very worst day.

* Do you TRUST your employees? Are they empowered to do the right thing for the right reasons? And what will they do on their worst day?


* Culture is a marker of the commitment of your people. (Stan Slap)
* Culture is about how decisions are made (Edgar Schein)
* Evaluating corporate culture:

* Culture is not binary. It’s not simply good or bad.
* Is your culture is able to accelerate the delivery, execution, and activation of your strategy? Or is it impeding the execution of your strategy?
* Customer-centricity is an outcome of culture, not an objective. As such customer-centricity serves as a barometer of the health of your culture.



 
COMMUNICATING CORPORATE CULTURE

* Communication is absolutely foundational to establishing a positive corporate culture.
* Similar to marketing messages, consistency is key – over time and across media
* Great people and great organizations succeed in this busy world based on what they think, what they do, and what they say (Ron Tite)
* Cultural artifacts: tangible and intangible signals or queues that communicate the culture (the strategic plan, the values, mantras and slogans, walking the talk…)
* Communicating corporate culture is like coaching a professional sports team. You’ve got to be testing the edges every day. Ask yourself, am I getting the maximum out of these people? What can I do to inspire them to even greater heights? What am I doing that's impeding their ability? Hilton says that's what true leaders who “get” culture obsess about.


 

REFERENCES
Hilton Barbour

* https://www.hiltonbarbour.com/
* LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiltonbarbour/
* Twitter – @ZimHilton
* Recommendations:

* “PIVOT” podcast (Scott Galloway & Kara Swisher) –