Leading your culture – all it takes is an artist’s palette
In helping people think about how to lead and engage people towards their desired culture, I often compare the levers of culture to an artist’s palette.
An artist’s palette has many colours that when masterfully blended together create a masterpiece. So, like the artist, the role as a leader is to have a clear goal (what does the end picture look like?) and think about which colours on the palette will create and lead the organisation’s culture in the right direction.
Culture looks different in each organisation – some are bright with bold brush strokes, while others are more detailed or refined.
The colours on your artists palette are the key drivers for culture change. The hues you apply to your canvas and way in which they are applied impact the final result.
Let’s break down each of the colours on your palette:
- Organisational Purpose (your ‘why’) is the starting point to frame the culture you need to nurture and it sets the tone for your strategy.
- Strategy (your ‘what’) can be described as a plan of action designed to achieve your long-term or overall aim.
- Values (your ‘how’) defines how you want people to work.
- Organisation architecture/organisation design is more than boxes on a page. The way work is organised, key interdependencies, roles and capabilities inform not only the work people do but also how you want them to do the work.
- Key people practices (systems, symbols and rituals), such as your Onboarding, Performance Management, Recognition and Reward, Leadership Development programs tell people what you value, and in turn drive their behaviour.
- Your Leadership cohort, from top to bottom influences all of the above. A leader’s key role is to ensure people are enabled to bring their best self to work. And in turn, everyone has a role in ensuring they bring their best self to work.
It’s important to understand each of the swatches on your culture colour palette before picking up your paint brush to plan and implement your culture change.
Keep an eye on upcoming articles as I dive deeper into each of the elements that influence company culture, or get in touch to learn more today.
Written by Rosemarie Dentesano.
Working at the intersection of strategy and culture, Rosemarie collaborates with organisations to create pragmatic people solutions that work. She sees her role to provide expert input while mentoring leaders as they drive culture change within their team. Rosemarie is passionate about building an organisation’s capabilities and promoting cultures that thrive.
If you would like to learn more, please contact Rosemarie on 0417 354 117 rosemarie@p2psolutions.com.au
