Is it time to
change your
corporate
culture?
5 questions to determine
the levers for change
By Natalie Michael
As an executive coach and
leadership consultant, I’ve
noticed a theme to my recent
coaching sessions: CEOs want to
change their corporate culture.
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I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E
In one recent coaching session, the CEO of a $40 million
company here in British Columbia told me, “I believe our
culture is too ‘country club.’” Another client, the CEO of a
$120-million manufacturing firm, commented: “I believe
our culture is too fun. We are missing the business agenda.”
It is refreshing to see CEOs tending to their culture,
especially in a world where culture is touted as a primary
source of competitive advantage, and as an asset for
attracting and retaining key talent. Yet, there is a reason
that culture is a prime executive coaching concern.
Corporate culture can be elusive to define and hard to
change; it’s challenging to pinpoint what elements need
to shift.
If you believe your culture needs adjusting, here are five
questions to help you determine the levers for change.
1
To what extent does your culture drive
the business agenda?
A company’s culture is a combination of patterns
of behaving, feeling, thinking, and believing—in
short, the patterns that determine “the way we do things
around here.” At its best, an organization’s culture is an
immense source of competitive advantage, energizing
people to get the right things done.