Creating a Winning Culture

Hi 👋

Another podcast episode has landed! In this episode I met with Ian Herbert, a highly experienced project and program leader with 25+ years experience in start up and large financial institutions. We talk about many topics including the importance of organisational culture to help project teams work effectively, how leaders can set the right culture, effective stakeholder management skills and how to strike a good balance taking the best parts of startup and large corporate cultures.

How it Began

Accidental Beginnings

• Ian began his change leadership career entirely by accident while working in a subsidiary of Midland Bank before it was taken over by HSBC.

• He was thrust into the role due to a massive systems implementation project going awry, leveraging his broad organisational knowledge and network.

• Despite the initial challenges, Ian quickly grew fond of the dynamic and demanding nature of project management.

Leadership and Org Culture

Defining Culture:

• Ian emphasises that culture is critical for the success of project teams and overall organisational performance.

• He shares two poignant definitions of culture: how you feel about your job on a Sunday night and how people behave when they think nobody is watching.

Positive vs. Negative Culture:

• Ian reflects on his experiences with both positive and negative workplace cultures.

• A negative culture leads to disengagement and dissatisfaction, while a positive culture promotes enthusiasm, high performance, and a strong sense of belonging.

Influential Leadership:

• Ian credits his understanding of good culture to working with a former head of Audit whose leadership style was characterised by his entrepreneurial approach, authentic support, and ability to galvanise his team.

Creating a Thriving Environment:

• Effective leaders articulate a clear vision and involve their teams in problem-solving.

• Ian highlights the importance for leaders to not only talk about their vision, but to actively support and empower their teams to achieve it.

Set a Clear Vision, Create Ownership

Clear Vision and Consistent Messaging

• Leadership should articulate a clear vision and consistently communicate it across the organisation.

• Stories of exceptional customer service can illustrate the company's values and inspire employees.

Empowerment and Customer-Centricity

• Employees should feel empowered to make decisions that prioritise customer needs. Ian gave some meaningful examples in the podcast to bring this to life.

• Celebrating actions that align with the company's values reinforces the desired behaviour.

• Leaders should support employees' initiative, even if it involves unconventional actions.

Authentic Leadership and Team Building:

• Leaders should authentically communicate their vision and values.

• Regular off-site meetings can help the management team build stronger relationships and understand each other's perspectives. This can be in any location as long as it’s neutral and away from the typical work setting.

• Encouraging respectful but challenging conversations can drive better performance and innovation.

Culture Clash - Startups vs Large Corps

Flexibility vs. Structure:

• Startups: Tend to have more flexibility and encourage entrepreneurial thinking. Decision-making is faster, and there is a higher degree of creative freedom.

• Large Organisations: Often have structured processes and procedures to manage risk and ensure consistency. This can slow down decision-making but provides stability.

Resource Allocation:

• Startups: Limited resources require creative solutions and multitasking. Decision-making is often more collaborative and immediate.

• Large Organisations: Have more resources but also more bureaucratic layers. Specialisation can lead to silos, but also allows for deeper expertise in specific areas.

Change Management:

• Startups: Adapt quickly to changes with less formal change management processes.

• Large Organisations: Have formal change management procedures that can be slow but aim to minimise disruption and ensure compliance.

What about the Stakeholders?

Building Rapport and Understanding:

• Engage stakeholders by understanding their perspectives and challenges.

• Show empathy and willingness to learn about their operational realities.

• Building trust through regular communication and involvement in the process.

Open and Honest Communication:

• Be transparent about issues and challenges as early as possible.

• Communicate openly about problems and potential solutions.

• Maintain honesty and integrity to build long-term trust.

Bringing Stakeholders Together:

• Facilitate conversations between different teams to promote collaboration.

• Act as a bridge to ensure that different departments understand each other's goals and constraints.

• Use a collaborative approach to problem-solving, ensuring all voices are heard and considered.

Handling Bad News:

• Deliver bad news promptly and clearly.

• Explain the situation, what is being done to address it, and when stakeholders can expect updates.

• Maintain a solution-oriented approach, focusing on next steps and remediation plans.

Final Thoughts…

Feedback and Self-Improvement

• Seeking and acting on feedback can significantly improve one’s effectiveness.

• Acknowledging and addressing areas of improvement is essential for personal and professional growth.

Adopting a Startup Mindset

• In a startup, financial considerations are paramount, and quick, pragmatic decisions are often necessary.

• Larger organisations need to adopt entrepreneurial thinking more often to drive innovation, even if it’s just in pockets of the organisation, to set an example that could be expanded in future.

Balancing Hard and Soft Skills

• Technical knowledge and accreditations are important, but so are soft skills like relationship-building and effective communication.

• Balancing these aspects can lead to better project outcomes and personal satisfaction.

Advice for Anyone Starting out in Delivery and Leadership:

• Focus on building relationships and networks early in your career.

• Seek to understand what motivates your team and support their goals.

• Embrace feedback and use it constructively.

• Be authentic and bring your true self to work.

• Develop resilience and persistence, especially in large organisations.

• Enjoy your work and don’t lose sleep over problems that can be solved with a clear mind and collaborative effort.

Tips for Incorporating Startup Culture:

• Keep financial goals and realities front and centre.

• Be open to all ideas that can move the project forward.

• Build resilience to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles of larger organisations.

• Create and promote a team culture that encourages innovation and pragmatic decision-making.

That’s it for this edition. If you want more real-world project, program and leadership insights, you can find the latest audio podcast episodes of the Change Leaders Playbook on Spotify, Apple, Audible and video on Youtube.

Cliff 🫡

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