2. Copyright Mark Leslie
Values and Culture
Values
A statement of what is supposed to be important around here
Sometimes an ideal or optimistic statement
And, by implication, what is not important
If it works, a guide to inform both tactical and strategic business
decisions
Culture
The character of the organization
What everyone knows about how things get done and what is
important
Pervasive in every nook and cranny of the work life
“Values” is talking the talk
“Culture” is walking the walk!!
3. Copyright Mark Leslie
The Buck Stops Here
Culture flows from the top (CEO) down
Decisions
An expression of values
Process
How the organization works
Character
Personality
A new CEO = a new Culture
4. Copyright Mark Leslie
Proprietorship vs. Stewardship
Fundamental issue of leadership style
Proprietorship is about “ME”
…and what you can do for me today
Stewardship is about “US”
…and what we can build together for the
future
5. Copyright Mark Leslie
When I want to know what
France thinks, I question
myself.
-- Charles DeGaulle, 1966
6. Copyright Mark Leslie
“A leader is best when people barely
know that he exists. When his work
is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all
say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”
--Lao-tzu
(sixth-century B.C. philosopher and founder of
Taoism)
7. Copyright Mark Leslie
Be Visible, Be Invisible
Be Visible
There is a large part of leadership which is public (and mostly obvious)
MBWA
Many and varied public meetings
Be exceptionally accessible
Be Invisible
The real work of leadership is behind the scenes, OFTEN ALONE
Leadership is creating an environment where:
people can independently apply their intellect judgment and energy
…to advance the vision and goals of the organization
…and achieve a personal sense of accomplishment in their work
It is NOT “management”, which is accomplishing complex tasks through
others.
8. Copyright Mark Leslie
“Glamorous” is the Opposite of
Leadership
Don’t get confused -- It is not about “ME”
A Leader must always think of others and put them
first
You can be a comrade to your followers, but you can
never be one of them
When you are doing the “glamorous things”, you are
just doing your job on this team
Warning of Danger:
GLAMOR IS SEDUCTIVE…
9. Copyright Mark Leslie
If You Are Loyal to One, You
Are Loyal to None
A leader must be loyal to the mission
above all else
A leader is responsible for the well being
of ALL of his people
A leader is the keeper of fairness and
equity in the organization
10. Copyright Mark Leslie
The Further You Are from a Problem
the Less You Know About It
Trust those on the front lines – the really
do know more than those “back home”.
The first line manager knows less about
the specifics, and THE NEXT manager
knows even less.
When you get to the top you don’t really
know anything about anything anymore!
You trade situational knowledge for
judgment, experience and perspective
11. Copyright Mark Leslie
The Higher Up you Get, the Fewer
Decisions You Should Make
Everyone “offers” you the decision
What is the impact of the decision
Have they thought about it?
Are they, more or less, in the right quadrant?
What is the downside?
Allowing others to make decisions has real
meaning to them, and develops their
judgment and maturity
12. Copyright Mark Leslie
The More Power You Give Away, the
More You Have
You empower individuals by giving them
Knowledge;
Authority; and,
An acceptable margin of execution error
“What I know that you don’t know makes
me more powerful than you.”
A leader has the power to level this playing
field!!!
And diminish politicization of the organization
Empowered individuals will be loyal to the company and
loyal to the leadership
A loyal empowered workforce is a force multiplier for the
13. Copyright Mark Leslie
Know Thyself
We all want to know everything, and be best at
everything
It is a hallmark of great leaders that they know their own
Strengths (the easy part) and
Weaknesses (the hard part)
Likes
Dislikes
Augment your weaknesses with other peoples strengths
If possible find others to do the things you don’t like
Check to see if your self-assessment is shared by others
14. Copyright Mark Leslie
Trust and You Will Be Trusted
The first level of trust is based on the “fair
play” that is visibly exercised
Great leadership comes from a deep
sense of trust between the leader and the
led
As a leader, you MUST take the first step,
you must trust first!
You may occasionally get disappointed, but
the payoff is greater than the cost
15. Copyright Mark Leslie
Confront the Issues Directly,
But be Thoughtful, Gracious and Caring
There are many tough things that you need to do
Firing one of your executives who is a friend
Negotiate hard deal
Go after a competitor
Reduce your work force
But you can do all things with caring and grace
Treat each and every person (and company) you
meet with dignity and respect
And…, you never know when you will run into them
again…
16. Copyright Mark Leslie
The Truth, the Whole Truth, and
Nothing but the Truth…
A key job of leaders is to “Fix Broken Stuff”
If you do not know what is broken, you can’t fix it
Everyone wants to tell you what they think you want
to hear…
… in a way that will make them look good…
You must find a way to convince people that you
need to know the truth…
…and you must always “Honor the
Messenger”
17. Copyright Mark Leslie
Listen to Everyone, but Trust
your Own Judgment
Each business is complex and unique
There are no formulas, fads and gurus with quick and easy
answers
Be genuinely open, listen constructively and learn
Hold your opinions in abeyance while you collect information –
this is counter intuitive to all we have learned. It is very hard to
do!
At the end of the day, trust your own judgment
“If something does not seem to make sense…
…it most probably isn’t sensible”
18. Copyright Mark Leslie
There is Life after Death
In the course of events there WILL BE black days
…days so black that all you will see is despair
Everyone will be looking at you!
Communicate candidly and directly
Be calm and show them a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but
not false hope
Focus on the things that you can do to make a difference
Overcoming adversity together forges teamwork and trust
Dark days are “leadership opportunities”
When things are great, remind people that there will be dark days
again
19. Copyright Mark Leslie
Only Those Who Are Both Paranoid
and Courageous Will Survive
You never know where and how the world
might change
Great companies make transformational
changes
You may have to put your whole company at
risk in order to save it
You need the courage to stay the course
in spite of many who tell you otherwise
20. Copyright Mark Leslie
There is No Finish Line…
Building a great company is like building a
cathedral
those who start it hopefully will not see its
completion
Each accomplishment is a prelude to the
next challenge
The IPO is not a “harvest”, simply one
step on the long road
22. Copyright Mark Leslie
Values and Culture make it
worthwhile
We spend more time “at work” than any other single
activity in our life
Since the outcome of our efforts is not always
predictable, the quality of the daily experience is very
important
Values and culture define the character of the company
Values and culture permit us to do our work with
integrity, and to conduct business in a civilized and
honest environment
Values and culture help the organization to recruit the
best, the brightest, and the principled
Values and culture do NOT sap the competitive
capability