Corporate culture comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. It can be measured, it can be focused around the customer through training and focused efforts.
This is the premise behind our new article published in the IndUS Business Journal. I for one am very proud to be represented in international business journals, given the wide range of business cultures around the world and the significant impact culture has on business performance. Based on what the research tells us, it is one of the most important drivers of your firm’s success or failure.
Fostering a strong market culture in an organization makes sense, yet most CEOs don’t see this as an important competitive advantage and something to:
- Measure
- Manage
- Instill at all levels of the organization
It takes a well conceived and articulated strategy to build and maintain a strong market culture in any firm, large or small.
Yesterday afternoon we had an SVAMA-sponsored lunch presentation by Carmine Gallo. He presented topics from his new book, Fire Them Up via (Amazon), which discusses great communication techniques. However, more than simply summarizing his points, we were able to put the pieces into practice.
After explaining 7 components that fill in the acronym “INSPIRE” participants were asked to practice their elevator speeches, and the group and Carmine offered critiques. It was funny, one after the other the pitches improved: Bad pitch, critique, better pitch, critique, great pitch. I was reminded of the book Made to Stick which gives a similar set of techniques that anyone can use to improve the resonance of their message. I do appreciate these techniques that work no matter who uses them.
The INSPIRE acronym:
I – Ignite your own enthusiasm
N – Navigate the way with a consistent memorable vision
S – Sell the benefit by putting your listeners first
P – Paint a picture with powerful, memorable, actionable stories
I – Invite participation by asking for input and dealing with objections
R – Reinforce an optimistic outlook by becoming a beacon of hope
E – Encourage people to reach their potential by praising and investing in them
