Foundation a la Brucie

The foundation is elegantly simple. When constructing a building what is need to construct upon to have a strong building? The answer is obvious, you need a strong foundation. What do all religions have? Foundation documents: the Torah, the bible, the Koran and the like are examples. What do we call these documents? The foundation of the faith. What do the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights do for the good old US of A? Why it forms our foundation. Are you getting this? There is a theme here.

Organizations also need a foundation that outlines its goals and purpose. As an organization grows and develops, having mission and vision (or in my words, “Reason for Being”), BHAGS (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) and values can create a “True North” for the organization. (“True North” is a Steven Covey term that relates to the true direction of an organization. It is based on the analogy of a compass.) 

The Reason for Being, BHAGs, and Values of a company can be critical to the overall success of the organization but they’re often forgotten. The corporate Reason for Being is typically created by the senior leadership team, captured on posters, and strategically tacked up around the building. Meanwhile, the Reason for Being, BHAGs, and Values are seen as irrelevant to the organization’s day-to-day operations. In other words, the organization’s behavior is not congruent with its declaration of ideals.

However, at their best the Reason for Being, BHAGs, and Values, a give an organization a future to live into. This potential future galvanizes and focuses the organization. Whether or not goals are met entirely, movement toward them develops teamwork and is valuable to the company.

How exactly can you create the foundation material of an organization? One of the issues with this topic is that each bloodsucking consultant like yours truly and especially the other ones writing this book —God bless our souls because the world would be a boring place without us—has a different idea of what a mission statement, values, BHAGs, etc., should be. The lack of an agreed-upon definition creates lots of confusion. Corporate citizens argue about what a mission is, what a vision is, and what the differences are. Yikes! Save me or stab me with a stick.

So, in the face of all that, let me finally give you the right definitions. KIDDING! There is no “right” way to do this kind of foundational writing—the exorbitant fee charged by the bloodsucking consultant claiming to have the right way notwithstanding. There are only two necessary ingredients to foundational writing: that the work is relevant to the participants and that the participants are prepared to demonstrate, through committed action, their adherence to what they created—no kidding.
Over the next couple weeks, I'll post some tips and thoughts for creating meaningful and relevant Reason for Being, BHAGs, and Values for your organization.

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Sharpening the saw

To illuminate the point of these posts, let’s take the classic Steven Covey tale.

We have a woodchopper who is from the southern part of Lithuania. (This made-up tidbit is totally irrelevant). In the story, the lumberjack is sawing away and noticing that he is accomplishing less than he used to. So, like the good Lithuanian Lumberjack that he is, he saws harder. However, the harder he saws, the more he dulls the blade. But he is blind to what is happening. This well-intentioned, but rather dull, lumberjack just keeps sawing harder and accomplishing less. It was a truly dullicious situation. (That was a pun.) Does this situation sound familiar?

For businesspeople, working harder and producing less is a common pitfall. What’s missing for the lumberjack is the realization that his saw needs to be sharpened in order to keep up his level of productivity. Yet, given how he thinks, there would be no time for sharpening because he is so driven to produce. So he continues to saw, even though he might find himself getting board in the process. (Sorry, another pun.)

I find that when my own saw gets dull, getting away—really getting away—has been a way to sharpen and refocus. New ideas and vistas open up in the process of truly leaving my routine behind. New perspectives appear that bless me with fresh creativity and vigor.

This sounds spiritual and metaphysical, and while I would love to go there because it would make me look like a guru or Gandhi or something (and I love the turban and loincloth look, especially when bare chests are involved), this getting-away mandate is not complicated. In fact, it is simple: get yourself stimulated.

Go to Antarctica. CEO Noah did this.

Climb Kilimanjaro. That is what CEO Suzie did. Help Haiti recover. Executive Judy did that.

Rebuild New Orleans. Senior Vice President Thaddeus did that.

Just make sure that you are awake to the miracle of this planet. It’s good for your business, and it is good for you.

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BOOKS AS COMPOST

As I used to be an organic farmer, I appreciate how compost works. Take it fresh from the horse and let it lie and develop in what is referred to as a compost pile. After a year, put that compost stuff on the seeds and baby plants. Behold how it allows the veggies and fruits to mightily grow and develop. You then get to eat the succulent tomatoes and cucumbers – yum.


Books in organizations get good things to happen. Over the years of coaching and annoying companies, it has become clear to this baldy that books have the power to change. Reading specific and special books in organizations is conducive to creating and causing organizational development. When a management group reads the same book, it is like they now have a common language and have had a common experience.

What does that get you? For one thing, it gets executives of the company on the same page when talking about a topic. There is, after everyone reading the same book, a common vocabulary. Group reading allows for an understanding and the acceptance of new ideas. Even when the Leadership team does not agree on the ideas of the book or how those notions should be implemented, the executive team now has parameters from which to debate and explore the issues.

I have seen business teams put together really terrific customer service programs after reading Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard. Heck, after reading that book I have seen teams for the very first time have the notion that having raving fans customers could be a very good thing. Before the reading, they did not have that distinction or interest in having raving fan customer service.

Case in point: One company, after reading this book, put into practice using a survey that asked their customers are you satisfied with our service – Yes or no and why. Another question was, “Are you our raving fans?” Yes or no and why. This type of survey gave them lots of feedback. It also focused the employees on making their customers raving fans. That step alone for this company was a big step forward and a triumph over the past.

I have seen teams better communicate after reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven covey. After reading Blue Ocean Strategy, some executives actually have a transcendent moment and see God. They then alter how they think about and create their new services and products.

Here is an example of the power of a book. About two years ago, I am working with a company that runs homes and services for the disabled. They are a for-profit company and they are fairly large -$100M. They are an ESOP owned company. For those of you who are not familiar with the term , it means Employee Stock Ownership Plan. It is a way for employees to actually own stock in the company. I am not going to get technical here or engage in a conversation about the benefits or lack thereof ESOPs. Suffice it to say that this company did market itself as employee owned both in its marketing material and in how they answered the phone.

What disturbed the leadership of this company is that none of the employees could relate to or see how being employee owned benefited them. As I explored this with the leadership group, it became abundantly clear that no one in the leadership group could relate to or saw any benefit to the ESOP. Whenever the CFO went into the nuances and benefits of the ESOP, everyone promptly went to sleep or rolled their eyes or rolled their eyes as they went to sleep.

I have coached and conducted strategic planning in some very successful ESOPs. I have seen the value of ESOPs as a tool to motivate and focus employees. With ESOPs, when they are working well, the value is that the employees truly see themselves as owners and work as business people to build the value of the company. These employees relate to customers as owners would and take great interest in ensuring that the customers are raving fans and repeat buyers.

After assessing the situation and mulling things through in my genius, I invited this leadership group to read the book Open Book Management by John Case. Honestly, I did not invite them I made them – well it was assigned and heck they just had to do it. This book is about the various ways that companies have utilized to have everyone in the company embrace being business people and, own the financials of the company.

After reading the book, members of the leadership got excited because they saw a pathway to engaging employees in owning and being more effective in growing their business. These executive saw how they could make the ESOP relevant. They saw the light and were eager to drink the Kool-Aid.

The most revered and known proponent of Open Book Management is a business leader named Jack Stack. He wrote his own book called The Great Game of Business. This book is about how he and his employees turned around their company, Springfield Manufacturing which by the way is also an ESOP. A couple of the leadership groups attended conferences given by Jack Stack and his consulting company. These are called the gathering of the games and feature many successful ESOPs.

Open Book Management in this company has now become a movement and a cause célèbre. The CFO began to do research on what the value of the ESOP would be to the leadership group. A division of the company began to organize games with incentives with their frontline group. They are off and running in exploring how the ESOP can be a powerful organizing focus for the company. All this came from reading a stupid book that costs $20.00 or so. A book. Not bad return for that investment.

Books with large print and preferably pictures are the most appealing to business people. Stories and parables are appreciated. Synopsis at the end of the chapter with cliff notes also appreciated. If the book is good and at the same time scholarly, you can make the case to read it. At times, this can be a tough sell. The ultimate test for the consuming executive is whether or not the material presented is applicable and useful. The more user friendly the material is the better.

Books as compost allow businesses to do without bloodsucking consultants. In and of themselves, I have seen books transform companies and business culture. I have seen many examples of this. The leadership group reads the book, talks about it and applies it. Simple and who needs the bloodsucker any way.

Some of our clients started book clubs. No way, you say and way, I say and this is all before Oprah --- astounding. What I have seen is the CEO picks the book and over lunch convenes a session. Typically, this happens monthly. The group will cover a chapter or two. Some CEOs prepared for the session and others just winged it. They always seem to work. I saw this bring knowledge into the company. It also gave the CEO an avenue to get to know and become related to employees.

Books are also a great way for new employees to get indoctrinated into the company. Over the years, I have seen more than once the new employee has a stack of books that they needed to digest in 30-40 days. This was part of their orientation. In one client they had to take tests on the book and in another they had to sit and talk with the CEO about the book.

I have also witnessed scenarios where certain books were central to a culture and there was no requirement to read them. It is like there is a language being spoken and while you may think you speak and understand it you really are missing some of the major nuances. There have been situations in which new executives did not have to read the book and were subsequently lost. When they did read the book much of the culture then made a lot more sense and their ability to communicate improved.

As an active consultant in business, I have developed a deep appreciation of books as organizational compost. It has surprised me the powerful impact that reading certain books can have on a business culture. As you approach this topic of reading, some business people will howl just like your dog does when you step on their toes. They will claim that they do not have the time to read, let alone make any changes. Do not buy it. Like organic vegetables they are good for you. Just make them read.

So what is the message here? Get your organizations to read and dialogue about the books. Even if they whine, groan, complain, kvetch and drool, have them read and be stimulated. They will be better for it.