marno-boshoff

Induction Process

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:19:11 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

When ‘newbies’ join our royal family they honestly think we’re the coolest company on the planet because playing with Lego is an important part of our induction process. What they don’t realise at first is that by asking them to physically build our 4 family values – customer is king; suit up superhero; stronger together; and fun with a little madness – we’re encouraging them to discuss and agree on an understanding of our values. In the process, they unpack their individual belief systems around the values and it’s these beliefs that end up driving their behaviour. So, the sooner we can align their beliefs, the sooner we can create unified behaviour that brings our values to life.

(Sneaky né!)

You might be asking where culture fits into the process. Well, put 1 way, behaviour IS culture. Put another way, culture is how we do everything… From the way we greet each other in the morning, to the way we make decisions, to the way we treat our clients and business partners.

Let’s take everyone’s favourite King Price value as an example: Fun with a little madness. Some employees believe this means that work should be fun. (And it should!) Others believe that they come to work solely to have fun, and don’t understand why they would get disciplined for playing video games all day. In both cases, the employees understand the value in theory but their different belief systems drive different behaviour.

It’s even possible that an organisation’s prevalent belief systems will ‘allow’ behaviour that isn’t aligned with its values. The reality is that under pressure (and who isn’t under pressure these days!) people tend to revert to their belief system rather than their understanding of a value.

It’s incredibly important for the culture ambassadors in organisations to be aware of beliefs that are driving behaviour that goes against their values, and to intervene timeously. If, as an example, a call centre agent is focused on making a sale at the expense of listening to a client’s needs, then it may be necessary to upskill that agent to listen better, and training may become the next step in aligning the agent’s belief about what ‘customer is king’ means as a value.

Essentially, a company’s vision determines its values. Employees’ belief systems about these values determine their behaviour. How employees – from the CEO to the clerks – behave is a company’s culture in action. If this manifestation of the culture isn’t what’s outlined in your culture blueprint, then you need to address the belief systems to change the behaviour. And if that sounds a little complex (because it is) I’m making a short video about it soon. Stay posted.

The 3 A's

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 12:25:16 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

Many people like to talk about things in terms of A, B, and C. But here at King Price, when we talk about culture… Which we do rather a lot… We talk about the 3 As. Accuracy. Articulation. Authenticity.

It’s a process of accurately articulating your authenticity. Are you able to accurately articulate your authentic culture?

It’s a mouthful… So here’s a breakdown.

Defining your current company culture could be a challenging conversation. Your culture may not be what or where you’d like it to be. But the point of departure is when your teams can accurately articulate who you truly are… The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Accuracy is important because there’s no point in sugar-coating the truth. It’s also important to be honest about your culture in action right now, not where you’d like it to be. This is not an exercise in aspiration. (Defining your ideal culture is another conversation altogether.)

Articulation is kind of a fancy word for having the vocabulary – the actual words – to describe your culture. I always say that if I can’t articulate something so that other people understand it, then I don’t properly understand it myself. So feel free to use small words, just so long as they describe your culture as it is.

As an example, I recently consulted a hugely successful 100-year-old business entity and, when I asked them what they attribute their success to, they replied, ‘our culture and our traditions’. This is a great answer in theory but when I asked what defined their culture, their answer was ‘our traditions’. When asked what defined their traditions, they replied ‘our

culture’. So although they have both a strong and presumably positive culture and traditions, they cannot articulate what makes these attributes work for them. And this makes the third A, authenticity, difficult to pinpoint.

I’ve talked about authenticity a lot. You can check out a previous post here: https://lnkd.in/dRybcawd

In the context of the 3 As authenticity could be aligned with ‘reality’. Before you can embark on the process of improving or even completely changing the culture at your company, you need to be 100% real about where you’re at and who you are. If you don’t start from a point of authenticity, then your outcome is going to be detached from reality.

Make no mistake, these 3 As are going to provoke some interesting conversations and push you right out of your comfort zone. But they are, I believe, the stepping stone for getting your culture journey started. If you read my previous post and checked out the video on having intentional conversations, these 3 As can get those conversations started.

Check out that post here: https://lnkd.in/drcX2tEg

The layer of clay caption

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 12:11:08 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

I posted recently about what I call ‘the layer of clay’ that exists at middle management level in some businesses and about how to fertilise this layer so that culture can thrive there. Much like you’d treat a layer of clay in your garden.

It’s a quick read – you can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/d9w2DjgN

Culture and values equals authenticity final

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:08:20 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

Some time ago, I was asked what another word for ‘culture’ would be, and I couldn’t answer immediately.

I found it a very powerful and striking question, and worthy of some deep thought. My search for a word led me to examine the culture processes we have in place here at King Price. I especially looked at how we support our teams as they examine their beliefs. And here’s my answer: Essentially, the closest synonym for ‘culture’ is ‘authenticity’.

Let me explain: Culture is a belief system. Our teams’ shared beliefs are what bring our culture to life. When we capture the essence of a team’s culture, we capture the authenticity of the team’s beliefs.

This doesn’t happen organically though. It’s a process of facilitating discussions. Defining and building a company’s culture is a process that can only happen after you’ve unearthed and articulated the beliefs that teams have about a company’s values.

At King Price, we encourage debate and discussions. We have what I call ‘belief conversations’ which enable our people to get to the core of our beliefs. What they really mean, and what they look like in action. It’s a process of shaping and discovering.

Personal opinions are always welcome. Learning to see things through different lenses is a critical part of personal growth. But the sweet spot is when our teams arrive at a shared mindset, which is authentic because of the deep exploration that’s happened.

Your belief systems can shift when you’re exposed through

conversations to other peoples’ belief systems, and this can broaden your horizons and contribute to the maturity of how you see or interpret something. So, when you’re exposed to other belief systems that are maybe deeper or better explained than yours, it can change your belief systems, and this can change your behaviour. Values themselves don’t drive behaviour. Beliefs about values determine behaviour.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Culture is founded on values – a shared belief system that’s so entrenched that it drives every decision made in a business. Do I answer this call with a smile in my voice and a can-do attitude? Do I greet our security and cleaning staff by name? Do I pick up the slack from a co-worker who’s dealing with some personal issues? Do I contract with a partner whose values differ radically from ours? Your belief system is the default setting from which you will answer all these questions.

With all this said, it’s clear that shared beliefs equal aligned behaviour. Aligned behaviour equals culture in action. And culture equals authenticity. Or does authenticity equal culture? Great question! I’ll give it some deep thought and get back to you.

Connected vs disconnected leadership caption

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:05:51 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

There are numerous styles of leadership. But when it comes to building a healthy culture in your business, there’s only 1 style that really matters: Connected leadership.

When you’re well connected with your team, culture grows and thrives, and your people and your company with it. But when you’re disconnected, nothing positive can happen.

We see 4 key elements of connected leadership: Connection to self; connection to others; connection to the team; and connection to the organisation. How’s your culture within your team and your business? Do you have healthy connections at every level? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Grootswem: Swimming to prevent stuntin

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:04:12 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

Make a difference in an undernourished child’s life right now, by donating to the Ruby Sunrise Foundation. Just R70 feeds a child for a month, with nutrient-rich porridge that fills their tummies and feeds their futures. Bank deets at the end of this post.

Most of a child’s physical, mental, and psychological development - including 90% of brain development - takes place before the age of 5. But when a growing child doesn’t get enough proper nutrients in the first 2000 days of their lives, they are left with physical and mental deficits that they will never recover from.

The medical term for this is ‘child stunting’. The World Health Organization defines stunting as ‘impaired growth and development from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation’. And here’s the horrible reality: Almost 1 in every 4 South African children is considered stunted.

Stunting is irreversible. Once a child is stunted, they’ll be behind their peers on every level for the rest of their lives.

But, it’s 100% preventable.

That’s why for the past couple of years, I’ve joined a group of slightly crazy people on a 7.5 km swim from Robben Island to the coast of Blouberg. It’s called the GrootSwem, and its sole purpose is to raise funds and awareness for the issue of childhood stunting.

The waters are icy. And the currents are tough. But we can warm up and rest after the swim. For children who suffer from stunting, there’s no recovery.

I’m not asking you to go and swim 7.5 km in freezing waters. What I am asking is for you to work together with us to address childhood stunting.

More info on stunting can be found at http://www.inaniswf.org/

Donation deets:

Ruby Sunrise Foundation NPC

Bank: FNB

Account no: 63036556835

Branch code: 210554

Swift code: FIRNZAJJ

Activate to view larger image,

Do your middle managers have feet of clay?

dennis@verdantech.co.za (Dennis Kriel) — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:51:54 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

‘How do we fix a dysfunctional company culture? We start out with a very clear idea of the culture we want in our business, but somewhere it all goes wrong, and then our people start leaving.’

This is one of the most common questions I get at King Price’s legendary culture days. And luckily, it’s fixable. It’s not easy (it never is when you’re dealing with people) but it’s fixable. And the problem often lies in what I call the ‘layer of clay’, or middle management.

You see, culture starts at the top and radiates downwards. But often, it hits this ‘layer of clay’ and stops. And there are a couple of reasons for this.

Let me say right away that this doesn’t mean your middle management are bad people or need to be replaced. On the contrary, they’re probably very good at what they do. It’s what got them there in the first place.

But they’ve probably never been taught how to manage people, or how to model culture. And as a result, they’re so focused on proving themselves that they try to show no fear or vulnerability at work, and they punish their people for making mistakes or trying to experiment.

When you find a layer of clay in your garden that nothing wants to grow in, you add compost and fertiliser, and create the f oundation for growth. It’s the same with your middle management.

When you spend some time coaching them and showing them how to live your company values and create a safe workplace for their people at the same time, you’re helping your culture permeate through to the rest of the organisation.

Suddenly, your people will start feeling safe. Having fun. Living your values. Delighting your clients. And your middle managers will have happier teams who deliver better results… And as a result, their own careers will thrive.

So, if you’re feeling there’s something off in your business, look at your middle managers. Maybe they need a bit of love and attention. Making the circle bigger could transform your business.

A big problem found in layer of clay (middle management) is the communication. It is important to communicate too and through them to make sure the message/water reaches the lower parts of your organisation.

Culture meets strategy

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 11:49:08 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

In my previous article, we talked about why the famous quote that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ isn’t actually how culture works.

In short, your culture should never be eating your strategy. Your strategy is as important as your culture, and there should never be a competition between the two. Your culture should enable your strategy.

And that led us to another conversation. Instead of ‘culture eats strategy’, what happens when ‘culture meets strategy’?

If you think about it, culture always meets strategy. It doesn’t matter whether your company has one person, or ten people, or ten thousand people, the two will meet. And when they do, one of two things will happen. Your culture will eat your strategy, or it will feed it.

What do I mean by this? Well, the culture of a business effectively determines how that business operates. It affects how decisions are made, how teams work together, how respect is shown, how values are lived every day. It makes it clear what is valued, and what is not.

So, if your business says it’s all about inclusion and people, but in real life the culture is based on ticking boxes and excluding certain groups, the culture will prevail. Every time. You can have the most visionary strategy ever, but if your culture’s not aligned, it’s going to eat your strategy.

And that often happens when businesses aren’t deliberate about driving and shaping a positive culture that supports their strategy. If you don’t pay attention to it, it might become something you don’t like. It’s up to you to decide what happens – eat or feed.

So, my question to you today is this. Is your culture busy feeding your strategy, or is it eating your strategy? The answer lies in your hands.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast caption

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:42:13 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

At some point, your company’s culture will meet your company’s strategy. And as it does, one of two things will happen: Your culture will ‘eat’ your strategy, or it will feed it.

What do I mean by this? You can have the biggest, most visionary strategy ever, but back at the ranch, if your culture is toxic, the culture will prevail. Every time.

That’s why it’s so important that you get deliberate about driving and shaping a positive culture that aligns to, and supports, your strategy. What’s happening in your business right now? Is your culture feeding your strategy, or is it eating it? And what would you change? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Connected leadership vs. disconnected leadership

dennis@verdantech.co.za (Dennis Kriel) — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:40:27 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

There are numerous styles of leadership. And every leader has their own. But when it comes to building a healthy culture in your business, there’s only one style that really matters, and that’s connected leadership.

When you’re well connected with your team, culture grows and thrives – and your people and your company with it. But when you’re disconnected, nothing poitive can happen.

Why is connection so important? At a basic human level, we all want to belong. We thrive when we feel part of something bigger than us.

We see four key elements of connected leadership.

Connected to self. To connect with others, you must first connect with yourself. Ask yourself: how do I lead? Am I aware of my own strengths and weaknesses? Knowing why you feel certain things allows you to respond to situations, rather than blindly reacting.

Connected to others. We build trust with other people within second of meeting them. True connections with others are based on being authentic and real in your dealings with them. Ask questions. Listen. Show gratitude.

Connected to the team. The best leaders let their teams get to know the real you. You don’t have to become best friends with everyone. But they should know what drives you, what your values are, and the fact that you value connections. Teams with connected leaders are happier and more effective.

Connected to the organisation. Modern business is all about collaboration – and that’s impossible where leaders more focused on themselves and competing with others, than understanding the needs of the business and bringing together the people with the right skills to solve the organisation’s challenges.

As a leader, your ability to connect on these four levels is vital to establishing a healthy culture within your team and the business. Your journey to greater connection starts today. Your team, and your culture, will thank you for it.

Strategy promises breakfast. Culture serves it.

Wed, 31 May 2023 11:37:37 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’.

I am sure we have all heard this quote before! It’s attributed to the legendary management consultant Peter Drucker, and it’s supposed to make the point that even the best business strategy in the world only works when it’s supported by a great corporate culture.

There are only two problems with the quote.

One, Peter Drucker never said this.

And two, it’s not true.

Let’s start with what Drucker did say: ‘Culture - no matter how defined - is singularly persistent.’ In other words, it might be good, or it might be bad. But it’s always there – and it has a profound effect on how businesses operate.

As for culture eating strategy for breakfast, if your organisational culture is busy eating your strategy, it is dysfunctional. It probably needs urgent intervention.

Here’s the thing. A healthy culture never eats strategy. It enables strategy.

In any business, culture and strategy should never be opposing forces. They should be aligned forces. They should be so intertwined that you can’t tell the difference. Culture is the way we do things. Strategy is the way we plan to do things. If you’re looking for a source of competitive advantage, it’s not one or the other. It’s both.

Business leaders can’t simply set a strategy and assume the rest of the business will fall in behind them. As much as strategy is driven from the top, so is culture. Leaders have to live the culture visibly every day. More than that, they have to be attuned to the culture, understand it, and feel every imperceptible shift.

Strategy’s the menu. It talks a great breakfast. Culture delivers it and makes sure it’s served in a way that delights the customer. If you’ve got engaged, enthused people serving your customers, you’re going to be full every day.

Groot Swem Part 2

Wed, 17 May 2023 11:27:38 GMT

New Year Post

Posted

We all know about an induction process. In fact, most of us have probably been through several in our time!

Induction is a critical step in helping new people in a business understand more about the way an organisation works, its values and beliefs, and the all-important workplace culture.

It’s a moment where you literally induce someone into your culture, and a key milestone in the process of creating ‘insiders’ rather than ‘outsiders’.

But as King Price nears its 11th birthday, we realised that many of our early employees and leaders either hadn’t done induction, or simply needed a refresher of how we live our purpose, values and beliefs.

It’s only natural. In every business, people sometimes drift apart. Over the years, they develop their own interpretations of values and behaviours.

People processes and policies evolve and change. And Covid, with all of its lockdowns and remote working, changed the workplace for everyone.

And so, we launched a re-induction process within our business.

It’s been a great opportunity to get everyone refocused and realigned on the King Price way. To dust off the cobwebs of the past few years and get everyone back on the same page, as it were.

We started with our leaders, and I can tell you that after the first couple of sessions, we’re already seeing a new energy ripple through the business. People who have been here for years suddenly have a new sparkle in their eye and spring in their step.

If you’ve seen a change in your working environment post-Covid, or morale is a little low, perhaps you should consider a re-induction process.

Reminding your people of their purpose, and why they really come to work every day, could be the reset everyone needs to get back on track.

Reset your company culture with a re-induction process

dennis@verdantech.co.za (Dennis Kriel) — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 11:22:59 GMT