Jester seeks Creator to get right outside the box

Damsel in distress seeks knight, must have own horse.

The examples at the beginning may seem like strange lonely heart ads, but they’re universal patterns that we function around.

Take great movies like ET, Harry Potter, Pretty Woman, Cinderella, and those up for Oscars this year like Avatar.  Each is so powerful and successful because the characters embody a clear archetype and the story line is one we’re familiar with.  King Arthur needs his Merlin for Camelot to be healthy

An Archetype then is a root word that encodes a complete pattern.  If I said his leadership style is little Hitler you know exactly what I mean.

A picture may paint a thousand words, but archetypes convey everything in the word.  Archetypes carry the seed and energy in a universal language.  What’s so powerful is that you respond at a deep unconscious level and either the archetype draws you in or you pull away quickly.

Within business we’re also running our personal archetypal patterns.

The thing about archetypes is that over time we develop our favourites, and we have those that we out and out reject.  Yet all have their place and purpose.  I remember when I first worked with my archetypes.  My destroyer had in the past done just that, destroyed, so when I really needed to let go of things that no longer served a purpose I didn’t, I hung on, and hung on, and then experienced situations where ‘the baby went out with the bath water’.  My experiences with that archetype hadn’t been pleasant, so when it was required, it ran me rather than me using it.  Not good, and even less so as a leader.  We can do all the Emotional Intelligence stuff in the world, but trust me when I say that Archetypes run much deeper, so if you haven’t got a handle on them then you can only go so far.  Now of course things are different, I can sense when the destroyer is required, so I pay attention, what do I need to let go of  – it could be something physical, like a good office tidy up, it could be mental, like a belief, it could be emotional, maybe I’m not being true to how I feel and I’ve been ignoring myself.  When I know what it is I can work with it, and the destroyer is an Allie.  I also appear way more Emotionally Intelligent – and I am, because I’m paying attention to signals from the core of who am I.

Archetypes then are free powerful resources with a specific purpose, if you’re not aware of them, then they run you, when you are aware of them then you can use them.

As a leader your success – and ability to run a productive business with a  highly engaged workforce – is determined by your level of self awareness.  If you’re ready to take huge leaps forward then join me in April where I’ll be helping 12 leaders understand their archetypal patterns, access these phenomenally powerful resources and use them productively.  You can find more information here on our Archetypal leadership development course or contact us to secure your place.

Well the most superficial response will be bonus’s and pay rises.  Yes of course rewarding your staff is key.  But as Frederick Herzberg said donkey’s years ago, pay is a hygiene factor and not a motivator.  Without it you’ve got serious problems, but there is a point beyond which it doesn’t motivate or engage staff.

In fact Lord Richard Layard wrote a book Happiness – Lessons from a new science.  Research shows that there is a fiscal point above which earning anymore doesn’t make you happier.  If memory serves me right it’s £25K.

So what does increase employee engagement?  Achievement, Recognition, Responsibility, Promotion / Career Progression, Learning and Development, Relationships / Team work, Flexible Working.  These softer, more intrinsic aspects are what  we should ensure are present.  Typically when they aren’t that’s when people start demanding more money.  It’s a sign that they don’t feel valued but are at a loss to put in place the intrinsic factors, so the tangible cash solution is a sticking plaster that patches things up for a while.

As the profits increase staff will, quite rightly, expect a share of that somehow.  Yet in this emergent state your company may not be in a position to offer cash bonus’s.  However if you use the extra cash you have to invest in ensuring the more intangible, intrinsic motivators are present then the payoff’s could be far higher than a pure cash solution.

And if people do find out, what’s the immediate and long term impact for us as an individual and the brand or company we lead?

Golf legend Tiger Wood’s much publicised fall from grace is an example of the catastrophic consequences a business can face when its brand is found to be inauthentic.  The recent stories about the private life of the world’s No.1 celebrity golfer expose a huge gap between the perceived values of the Tiger Woods brand and those of the man himself.

As a leader and as a business we are all judged on whether we live up to the values that are associated with our brand.

Values driven leadership is about ensuring you live up to your values and the values promised by your brand.  After all your customers and employees have bought in to your brand and what you stand for. Your behaviour and the behaviour of your employees then should also reflect the values of the brand.  Of course if the values are what you’d like, rather than what is real then this becomes a challenge to sustain.  So it is important to ensure your brand does not promise something you no longer believe in or cannot deliver.

If your values are aspirational then acting with integrity is going to be a serious challenge.

Every day we’re faced with choices, decision points, where we can uphold our values or not.  At work we can be asked to do something ‘for the good of the company’ and yet we know that it’s against the company’s or our values.  It’s a short term win and another nail in the coffin of that particular value that’s just been over-road.  We may wish to behave differently but go along with it to keep our job.

Consistently acting against our personal values undermines our self confidence and self esteem.  Keep this up and eventually we don’t feel good about ourself and neither does anyone else.    Being consistently asked to act against the corporate or brand values begs the question how real are they and what problems are being stored up for future.

Let’s go back to the challenge facing Tiger Woods, now he has to re-build his brand so he can move forward.  Some people I’ve talked to say it’s not possible.  I think there is hope.

After all, authentic leadership is about who you are being as much as what you’re doing.

There are however more things I do during December and January.  They’re simple, practical and also contribute to my success.  3 of which I’ve put into a complimentary ebook for you.  Well OK ebook might imply vast swathes of reading, think more ebooklet.  To get your complimentary copy right now just fill in your details below.   We’ll also sign you up to our monthly ezine so you get the next installment I’ll share with my clients in January.

Once you’ve signed up check your inbox (or spam folder) for a subscription confirmation message, say yes and the ebooklet should be with you in the next few minutes.

Merry Christmas and of course an abundant and prosperous 2010.

As leader’s we need to be aware both of our presence and the wake we leave behind, these are powerful forces that impact our ability to encourage our staff to live the company’s values.

We might ask our employees for Creativity, Commitment or Integrity, but they have to choose to give them.  They’re not skills but intrinsic traits which we can only encourage to be expressed.

Join us on this 1 day workshop to discover your personal fit with your organisation’s current and desired culture and learn about the common barriers to business growth and cultural transformation.

What will I learn?

You will complete your own Individual Values Assessment before the day and we’ll take you through what the results mean.   Looking at what it means to you, your leadership, the current and desired culture of the organisation.  You’ll have a cleared idea of what’s important to you and what’s required of your leadership in 2010.

You’ll also learn the common barriers to business growth, the cost and symptoms of these and the 4 steps you can take to avoid them.

Plus we’ll share with you some aspects of best practice in the role values play in business performance and releasing human potential.  There will also be the opportunity to learn from your peers as you share your experiences and insights.  The event has been designed to be interactive, informative and experiential.

Who is this designed for?

This day is aimed at CEO’s, MD’s, FD’s and HRD’s who want to improve the performance of their organisation and create a profitable and healthy culture.

Date, Location, Investment

4^th February 2010

Manchester, venue to be confirmed

8:30 Registration and coffee

9:00 – 16:00 Event

Your investment for this event including all materials, lunch and refreshments is £247+ VAT.  Places must be booked before 31^st December to allow sufficient time for you to complete your Individual Values Assessment and for the results to be processed.

To book or find out more contact us now.

Addressing business leaders from across the North West at this week’s ‘Emerging from the Recession’ conference at Manchester’s MacDonald Hotel, the Runcorn based Group Managing Director said the adoption of values-led leadership could assist organisations in weathering the economic storm.

“At Fresenius Kabi, values have provided an important underpinning of what we do as a business and they have enabled everybody within that business to be engaged,” he added.” I am convinced that our progress would not have been as sustainable without values.”

Ruth Sanderson,one of the conference organisers and MD of blue pea POD, the Chester based leadership consultancy told the delegates that all the speakers would outline their experiences of corporate culture and its impact on performance.

“The uncertain times have seen many companies lose their way,” she said:” But forward-thinking CEOs are working with their corporate culture and leadership values because they know these hold the key to business growth.

“The level of interest in this conference in Manchester is, in my view, a clear indication of the growing acknowledgement of the role of values in corporate life. We have senior players in attendance today who have all experienced the positive impact of company values. We want them to share their experiences with all our delegates.”

Her co-organiser Sue Coyne, Executive Coach and Culture Change Consultant of Stockport-based Connectiveness Ltd added that research had shown that the adoption of a values based corporate culture within an organisation had a measurable effect on performance from sales figures to the bottom line.

Mike Stevens, the Manchester based Group and UK Human Resources Director for the £300 million turnover Odeon and UCI Cinema Group told the conference that he became involved in building a values based corporate company when the Odeon and UCI operations were being integrated.

“We conducted a company wide survey of our employees and as a company we were shaken to the core when the results showed a worrying level of disengagement and negativity.”

“We made a conscious decision to apply values to the culture using engagement, communication and development. We have already seen some very positive results from our work and now values are integral in every aspect of our business.”

After the conference Ruth Sanderson said: “Many companies are now looking forward to emerging from this long and difficult recession and this conference was the start of a series of events to give our delegates the benefit of the experiences of our speakers, all of whom spoke very positively about values-led leadership and corporate culture.

“We believe in the effectiveness of values-led leadership and the end of the recession will give many companies the opportunity to examine the many positives from this approach to business. Putting in those values now will pay huge dividends as time goes on.”

“The performance of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2009, in terms of three-year compounded annual revenue growth, has significantly outpaced the S&P/ TSX by an average of over 300% –or three times,” says Marty Parker, managing director of Waterstone Human Capital, a Toronto-based executive search and human capital consulting firm that has been running the program since 2005. The TSX/S&P compound annual growth rate from December 2005 to December 2008 was 3.8%; for the same period, the CAGR for Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2009 was 12%.

“This proves that an outstanding corporate culture has a significant impact on performance, and that culture is an incredibly valuable asset,” says Mr. Parker.

A wide range of organizations made this year’s list, including: Telus Corp.; Fairmont Hotels and Resorts; industrial supplier Acklands-Grainger Inc.; human resource solutions provider Ceridian Canada;  and coffee retailer Starbucks Coffee Canada.

“This year’s data reflects the market correction of 2008,” says Mr. Parker. “What this tells us is that if an organization’s culture is strong, even with a major downturn, it outperforms “Our Canada’s 10 reflects these findings,” says Mr. Parker. “The reason these organizations are outperforming is because of phenomenal leadership and because of the commitment — from the top — to aligning corporate culture. These leaders are focused on behaviour. And behaviour drives results.”

Results of the 2009 Canadian Corporate Culture Study show that 88% of respondents believe their current leadership has led to the evolution of their organization’s corporate culture. In addition, 82% of respondents said that “leading by example” is a key strategy used to align culture. Furthermore, when it comes to hiring, 75% of executives surveyed said that cultural fit is more important than necessary skills.

Leadership Challenges As We Emerge From The Recession – How your values impact the bottom line

If you’re a CEO, MD, HRD or FD based in the North West of England and you’re seeking any of the following in your organisation :-

-          A breakthrough in the performance of your organisation

-          Want to understand the magnitude of corporate culture

-          Look to tap in to the energy and commitment from your people

-          Wonder if there is another way of leading – for yourself and the business

Then you might want to attend this event being held in the center of Manchester on the 17th November.

Never before has it been so important for the Board of Directors to identify, manage and embed the desired culture and values in their working environments and never before has there been so much emphasis in place to encourage organisations to do so.

This year Maurice Summerson has been leading a team, with Phil Clothier CEO of the global Barrett Values Centre, working with NW regional business, NWDA, IoD, NWEO and other regional stakeholders. Key intentions of the programme are to create a values based, whole systems change framework to support the NW economy and wellbeing of citizens through both public and private sectors. This project team has brought significant regional, national and global capability, experience and advocacy, already resulting in the embedding of relevant values in the emerging Regional Strategy 2010 from NWDA.

You are invited to join us on this complimentary half day event to learn about:-

-          The new principles of business that are generating sustainability, resilience and shareholder value.

-          What some of your key values are and how they impact your leadership.

-          The results of the North West Values Survey.  Conducted this year it reveals the challenges and potential opportunities for both Companies and the region as a society to grow stronger.

-          Plus you’ll hear from two Directors in the North West who have seen their business grow in size and profitability through the conscious application of values and an understanding of their culture.

Here is full information – Values 17th Nov 2009 – and we hope you can join us.  To secure your place call 0845 123 1280 or email angela@bluepeapod.com.  If you can’t make the event but would like to receive our white paper also call us.

Due to space limitations please RSVP by the 30^th October.

People are seeking to work for a business where they can experience fulfilment and authenticity.  Organizations which treat their employees well have experienced a better retention rate, increased productivity, increased innovation and lower sickness and absenteeism.

That said developing your organizational culture can be a big challenge for the leaders as well as its employees.   Here are few suggestions of things you can do:-

• Analyze your corporation’s existing culture and compare it with employees, suppliers and customers’ expectations and perceptions.  There are even tools that can measure this very accurately now and give valuable business insight that helps with performance and growth.

• Discuss the existing culture in your department.  What aspects of the culture are great, what’s good and what needs to change?  Then agree what you’d like the culture to be and how everyone can support and make it happen.

• Induction.  This isn’t just about training new recruits in their job, it’s about making them aware of the culture you’re growing and how they can play their part.  Even though you’ve made the culture clear in the interview process, so you’ve not recruited a misfit, it’s not enough to think that’ll do.  There are of course still companies that spend all their focus on skills and fail to explain the culture and check for alignment – which of course is expensive as they can find themselves losing the new recruit within the next 6 months and having to start all over again.

• Communication.  And I’m not talking a quick 2 line email saying our culture / values are this,  it’s important and can you just send a quick reminder to all your staff.  Yes those emails are still too common, ouch.  I’m talking about a 2 way conversation where you bring awareness that this isn’t a band-aid or quick fix approach.  Rather an ongoing, strategic process to build a more attractive culture that fits the needs of the organization and that can improve its business growth.

• Have Champions.  This is a journey so it’s important to have people who whole heartedly support the creation of this desired culture.  Plus it’s important that the champions / key culture group realise that not everyone is going to jump onboard right away.  There’s going to be scepticism, even from those who would like the desired culture.

• Momentum and Measurement.  Developing the culture to being a sustainable, profitable and healthy one for both the business and staff takes time.  Look for low hanging fruit, celebrate what works, don’t re-enforce what doesn’t.  Lastly measure.  Not incessantly but say every 12 months assess your progress against the desired end point.

If you want to do more, if you’d like to measure your culture, if you’d like to discuss how you can not only manage your culture but generate wealth from it, then give us a call.