The impact of a real good culture

The overall experience of the past two years has brought out the best in us, as well as the worst. The business and economic pressures that leaders, politicians, managers and people in positions of authority have faced during the pandemic period really rocked our masks and brought out our true selves.

Growing cases of major abuse of authority, the use of abusive language, instinctive decision-making – all seem to have done immense damage, either because of the voices we hear on social media or the rapid increase in global counseling sessions. Social media has also allowed more people to speak out or express their opinions on various platforms. And, if we go by the indicators, the noise of negative opinions seems to be increasing. It seems pretty obvious that companies and organizations are reluctant to address these issues, primarily to ensure that successful leaders are not affected.

A significant part of this behavior seems to stem from the belief that authority flows from the power that is given to some of us by virtue of our position, our title, and that this power can be abused without anyone questioning. , as long as there is sustained performance. Some of us live with the belief that our attitude is extremely important to both “performance” and “people”.

There are many others who believe that the rewards come to those who focus on performance and continuously deliver it. At all costs. And that’s all that matters. Those of us who fall into this category argue that individuals as well as companies who have achieved excellent results despite their known toxicity towards colleagues and employees have won both financially and materially. This is also true and factually true, and there are enough examples to prove this theory as well.

So what belief system creates lasting brand value?

Malcolm Gladwell has written a book called “David and Goliath”. In this book, Malcolm says that people will obey and follow much, much better if they believe they are rightfully treated.

Malcolm has very correctly defined 3 key guidelines:

1. Those who are governed or governed need to feel that they have a voice that they can express in a constructive way.

2. Rules should be seen as predictable and consistent.

3. The rules must be applied consistently and fairly to everyone.

Countries, companies, organizations, brands or individuals who wish to be leaders in their respective fields, with a large and genuine audience, must ask themselves these three questions:

How to understand and prepare for the changes that are occurring

Social, cultural, economic, business and political opinions and philosophies are constantly changing. What are the internal and external listening posts that we have set up to give us the first warning signs. And, more importantly, how ethically and brutally honest these listening posts are.

What are the reasons why the change is happening

Understanding the reasons for the change is as important as identifying the fact that the change is occurring. Ultimately, it is knowledge that brings strong conviction to our response to any change.

Are we a leader, a follower or a passive observer in this process of change

Leading change for the better gives us the legitimacy to lead. Avoiding change or refusing to recognize that the environment has changed only makes the situation more and more complex.

Leadership is most definitely a question of performance, numbers and metrics. And yet, in today’s highly connected and socially influenced world, it’s certainly not just about wealth or profit. This, in part, can be seen by the large number of people around the world leaving their jobs for a relatively better quality of life. The new generation has very different aspirations.

In the final analysis, leadership is the act of leaving a lasting legacy that others will be honored to carry forward. The cultural impact of good and strong leadership is a culture based on the concept that attitude must be correct and honest towards “people” and “performance” at the same time. At the country level, the classic case study of the lasting success of this reflection process is that of the United Arab Emirates. The country which is home to nearly 200 nationalities. The country that played on all the “people” and “performance” parameters. This small nation that has created a massive cultural impact on the world stage. Immense merit goes to forward thinking and the building of good culture by its leaders. India has all the ingredients and the capabilities to create similar cultural success, state by state.

There is no set of hard and fast guidelines for success. And success is not guaranteed. Yet it is only such companies, governments, organizations, that are truly ‘people’ and ‘performance’ oriented, that will increase the likelihood of long term survival, flexibility and agility in business. a rapidly changing world.