Avoiding Conflicts: Corporate Culture vs. Local Culture
Corporate and local cultures consist of several dimensions, and this is not limited to any of our global headquarters, which, like many global firms, can experience challenges aligning with foreign branches. Even our headquarters in the Netherlands, which have domestic offices, face challenges in maintaining consistency in their operations. Ernst Gleijm, Senior Partner at N2Growth, notes that…
Assessing Culture Fit vs Culture Add
“They seem like a great candidate, but will they fit in our culture?” This is a question often asked that can have unintended consequences when used as a primary weight in assessing a candidate’s fit. If you have ever been in a position to decide on a new hire or taken part in the hiring process, you most likely have asked, “what is our culture missing?” or “What type of individual will help us…
Leadership Interview: Stef du Plessis on Culture & Unwritten Ground Rules
While in Johannesburg, South Africa, I had the opportunity to sit down with a leading global authority on employee engagement and workplace culture, Mr. Stef du Plessis. Stef and I began to dive into the differences between employee engagement and corporate culture. I was interested to understand from his point of view if there was a difference (which we both agreed there was) and if he could…
10 Exceptional Strategies For Extraordinary Executives
Most extraordinary executives would agree that business practices evolve over time, and our experiences turn into knowledge. My such experience has inspired this article, 10 exceptional strategies for extraordinary executives. As a coach, my goal is always to see my client succeed. I want to high-five them when they hit a home run or score a touchdown. I want them to have experiences that will…
Thinking Ahead: Millennial Leadership Development
Leadership is a hot topic today and will continue to be for a while. I don’t want to tell you the things that you already know, but make you think about the things you don’t. Let’s stop discussing trends, predictions, and statistics, and let’s focus on people. The individuals that will shape the next generation of leaders are not a group of millennials, they are a group of leaders just as the…
A Chief What Officer? The Truth About Titles
I have been a Digital Marketer, a Genius, a Business Representative, and a Shift Manager. I have guided through the titles that life has graciously provided me, without a true understanding of what it meant. Now, I find myself in this position again as a Chief Innovation Officer. When people ask me, “what do you do?” I tell them my respective title. When they look at me with a puzzled 'yeah…
Diversity and Leadership – Right Topic Wrong Conversation
I have grown quite weary of the politics driving the “Diversity” discussion. Let’s begin with this and see if we can agree on a jumping-off point: Giving special preference to any individual, class, or group to the advantage or disadvantage of another is wrong. Sounds reasonable, yes? Regrettably, many companies are creating operating environments where the opposite is true and conscious bias has…
Culture Trumps Strategy – Not
Does culture trump strategy? I think not, and I'll explain why. Even though I have seen this phrase quoted by some very bright people whom I respect, it just doesn't resonate with me. I thought perhaps I was misunderstanding what was being said, so I decided to Google the phrase "Culture Trumps Strategy" and found that Stanford offered an Entrepreneurship Lecture by this title, I found several…
Are You Culturally Savvy?
What do I mean by culturally savvy? I am not addressing the topic of being politically correct, rather I want you to focus on the importance of simply being cognizant that there is a larger cultural impact on how business is conducted today than ever before. Cultural differences often exist within the same companies...they certainly exist between different companies. Without question, there are…
Becoming A Great CEO
So you're the CEO...You've worked long and hard to climb the corporate ladder, or you bet the family farm and took the entrepreneurial risk of starting your enterprise. Either way, you're intelligent, passionate, committed, experienced, and ready to lead your company onward and upward. Whether self-appointed or bestowed upon you, how do you measure up now that your business card reads CEO? In…
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