(Tribal Leadership on March 3, 2011 – by Gerard Hranek)
Case Study: Laufer Group International Ltd.
Communication is the Problem
Mark Laufer is sitting atop the Tower of Babel. He says, “My biggest problem is getting communication among the disparate silos within my organization.” He knows he has smart, capable people, but their behavior leads to stress and ineffective execution of the company’s strategy. He is concerned by the behaviors he sees: mistrust, political struggles, passive-aggressiveness, forming silos, withholding information, and more. He is doing everything he can to get collaboration, but despite his attention to organizational structure, strategic focus, heart-felt meetings, and a variety of daily perks, everyone continues to speak a different language. He realizes that good management is not enough, but he’s not quite sure what to do next.
Culture is the Solution
“The number-one pain point for execution of strategy is the fact that it breaks down when it hits the people… I need a mechanism for getting these people to communicate effectively, and then collaborate with each other.” To move his organization to a higher level of performance, Mark now sees that his charisma and skill as a manager will not solve the problem: Behaviors and habits of the people in his organization must change, and a cohesive culture is the solution. He knows he will need help. Mark needs hard tools to solve this soft problem.
Diagnosing Business Culture
Through his association with Vistage International, Mark connects with Mark Taylor, who gives Mark a copy of the book, “Tribal Leadership.” In reading it, and subsequently attending the Tribal Leadership Intensive coursework, Mark discovers tools that help him understand the nature of his company culture, “I’m great,” and how to take it to the next level, “We’re great.” Mark continues to fill out his “next level” team by hiring expert sales coach Charles Bernard, who is also trained in Tribal Leadership. With Charles and Mark Taylor as advisors and confidants, Mark feels prepared to embrace the cultural change needed in his company.
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Giannicola