Mike Ganino, Company Culture for Dummies – InnovaBuzz 114
Mike Ganino, Company Culture for Dummies
In this episode, I’m really excited to welcome to the InnovaBuzz Podcast today, Mike Ganino, author of “Company Culture for Dummies”, a new book which is due for release in May.
Mike is a keynote speaker, coach, and employee engagement consultant who helps companies create cultures that engage teams, thrill customers and drive bottom-lines. In addition to his keynote speaking work, Mike leads workshops on collaboration, leadership, vision and values creation, human resources, and customer service.
Neen James on episode 111 suggested we interview Mike.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
The culture of a business is the daily operational reality. It is the operating system of your brand. @MikeGanino on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To TweetKey points and take-aways from this episode include:
- The culture of a business is the daily operational reality. Culture is really so much about communication. It’s about how we communicate what matters to each other. It ultimately comes down to the organisational story that we live out everyday. Culture is the operating system of your brand.
- The first step in defining a change process is getting clear on what’s actually going on with the cultural reality. Systems can sometimes have an effect on culture. They are not culture on their own but they can impact culture.
- It is our job as leaders to engage our employees. It is not their job to have engagement. Engagement comes from relationships and from communications.
- It is the job of leaders to fuel the culture but they can’t control it. The job of a leader is not to control the culture or try to control the engagement. It is impossible to do in the same way as controlling someone else’s story is nearly impossible, but you can fuel it. You can add the kindling to the fire that allows them to tell that story.
- What we believe has the power to impact the way we lead and the way we show up for our teams. The beliefs that managers and leaders have, impact the way they make decisions.
- Default thinking can make you ignore new information. It makes you make really bad decisions because you just keep doing what you’ve always done.
- Approach your job posting as if it is a sales piece. You’re trying to market to someone, that this is a place to come and work.
- Culture is the operating system, and the operating system is basically a series of stories weaved together to create one big narrative. Our beliefs are the bedrock and the foundation of these stories we go and live.
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Mike’s answers to the questions of our Innovation round. Listen to the interview to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Saying “yes and”. Accept whatever idea is on the table, which is the “yes” and then the “and” part is contributing to it, in making it better.
- Best thing for new ideas – Reading about things outside of my own circle. Innovation and new ideas come from looking at other worlds.
- Favourite tool for innnovation – IPad with pencil. Friends outside of my circle.
- Keep project / client on track – Be clear on the end result. Get a really clear story. Have a clear idea of what does this look like when it’s all going well so that everybody can see that in their mind. Once we know what it looks like it’s much easier for us to achieve it.
- Differentiate – Listen better. Be a really good listener because when you do listen to people and you really listen to understand their story that’s how you can differentiate yourself.
To Be a Leader
Buying “Company Culture for Dummies”! Really think about what you believe, the little stories you’re telling yourself. If they’re not working for you, be willing to throw those stories away and create new ones for yourself.
Reach Out
Mike is giving away a three-part video course that talks about ways to create and fuel better stories in your business. Check out https://mikeganino.com/innovabuzz.
You can reach out and thank Mike through his website and on Twitter – @MikeGanino.
Suggested Guest
Mike suggested I interview Anese Cavanaugh, founder of the IEP Method (Intentional Energetic Presence) and author of the book “Contagious Culture.
So Anese, keep an eye on your inbox, for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz podcast, courtesy of Mike Ganino.
Links
Books
- Company Culture For Dummies, by Mike Ganino
- The Better Business Book: 100 People, 100 Stories, 100 Business Lessons To Live By (Volume 1)
Cool things about Mike:
- He’s trained and performed improvisation theatre at the world famous Second City, Citizen’s Brigade, and Improv Olympics.
- He is a wine collector and a former wine trainer.
- He has a mild obsession with craft coffee.