In a super exclusive conversation, we are privileged to have SHIV KHERA, an Author, Educator, Business Consultant and a much sought-after speaker. He inspires and encourages individuals to realize their true potential. He has taken his dynamic personal messages to opposite sides of the globe, from the U.S. to Singapore. His 40 years of research and understanding has put millions on the path of growth and fulfillment.
Over 8 million copies of his books have been sold globally including his international bestseller “You Can Win” in 21 languages.
His clients include Lufthansa, HP, DHL, HSBC, Canon, Nestle, Philips, Mercedes, Johnson & Johnson, Metlife and many more.
Tens of thousands have benefited from his dynamic workshops internationally in over 20 countries and millions have heard him as a Keynote Speaker. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows.
Mr. Khera is the brand ambassador of Round Table Foundation. He has been honored by The Lions International and Rotary International. His Trademark is –
“Winners don’t do different things,
They do things differently.”®
Accelerate Success- Grow by creating a Culture of TRUST and ACCOUNTABILITY. Bring new VITALITY into your Organization based on values & ethics
Q- What is Culture?
Any behavior that is practiced en-mass in an organization is called a culture.
Every company, family, country has a culture or lack of it. Even lack of it is a culture. You go to a shop, you find the salesperson polite, supervisor polite, manager polite, owner polite. There is a culture running. You go to another shop, you find the salesperson rude, supervisor rude, manager rude and the owner rude. There is a culture running also.
Culture always goes Top down and never Bottom up. How can a supervisor enforce a “No Smoking Policy”, when he himself is smoking in a no smoking area?
Q- What is Culture Change?
We find that most organizations don’t have business problems, they have people problems. And when we take care of our people problems, most of our business problems are automatically resolved.
We find that every company has something called a CRITICAL MASS. Critical Mass means that they are either decision makers or influencers in some form or the other. Generally that happens to be approximately the top 20% of the organization. Any behavior adopted by the top 20% sets the tone for the organization. Behavior patterns of the critical mass generally are accepted or adopted by the balance 80%.
If we want to bring about a positive culture in an organization, we need to conclusively have the top 20% adopt and internalize the desired positive behavior & values.
To see results through a Culture Change Program, the entire Leadership Team must be TOTALLY COMMITTED and INVOLVED.
In a good culture environment, people feel they are working with the organization not for the organization.
Getting people to work with you means that 1) they have a feeling of belonging, 2) they take ownership, and 3) they are engaged. These people take pride in their performance and they make every effort to get paid for results. By contrast, people who work for you are disengaged, task oriented, and they endeavour to collect a pay-check based on time versus results. For example, last year I bought something from a shop, but had a problem with it, so went back to the shop rather annoyed and spoke in a loud voice to the store keeper. The store keeper’s reply was, “why are you getting mad at me? I only work here.” What was the store keeper really saying in unsaid words? He was only saying ‘I have no feeling of belonging. I only come here for a paycheck.’ He was also shirking away from his responsibility and being accountable for his organization. So long as an employee treats an employer as a paycheck, they will never make a good employee. Similarly, so long as an employer treats every employee as a money-making machine, they will not be a good employer either.
How many times have we heard people say, ‘I go to work, I mind my own business, I do my job and get my pay-check. I see so many things wrong happening but I don’t want to get involved.’ An employee who sees something wrong happening yet remains silent is obviously disengaged, shows indifference and is literally sabotaging the company. What I have learnt in my 30 years of experience is that more companies have been destroyed by sabotage from inside than competition from outside.
There must be an intangible connect between the employer and the employee to bring the feeling of belonging and ownership where people should say ‘I belong here and the company belongs to me.’ So how do we inculcate that intangible connect where people say ‘I work with the company instead of for the company’.
Q- How do we build this connect?
It starts from the top. Are you a good leader? Do you inspire people with your words and deeds? Do you have integrity? Do you walk your talk?
In the answers to the above questions, lie the secret to get people working with you and not for you. People who work with you are collaborative, respectful of themselves and others, share common values and goals.
What attributes are required to develop this model? Start with the self…
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Practice Integrity-
Be authentic. Walk your talk. Nobody likes a fake, a person they can not trust. Be truthful. Be genuine. Be sincere. People don’t like being lied to. Be tactful. That’s important so as to not hurt feelings without compromising your integrity.
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Create a Culture of Mutual Respect-
Mutual respect comes out of common values such as integrity and responsibility. There must be a level of transparency and openness in relationships. Commitment and trustworthiness become the foundation of mutual respect. Dependability becomes crucial to any relationship. Ability without dependability is a liability.
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Develop People-
- Create a culture of trust and accountability through a strong induction orientation program. Induction means to introduce. Orientation means to mould them into your Strong induction and orientation program clarifies expectations of both parties. It clarifies values, roles and goals.
- Make your organization a continuous learning organization. People Development is a process not an event. Good organizations make it mandatory for all employees to go through 5 to 10 days of training per year. I am referring to people training in addition to product training.
For example, in Singapore before a person gets a license to operate a taxi, he has to go through a 2-month customer service training program. Thereafter, in order to renew his license, he has to go through a one-week refresher every year. It is no wonder that they perform.
Remember, people are not assets only good people are assets, rest are all liabilities. Goodness must be cultivated. Invest in your people to make them your greatest assets.
