May 4, 2015
Over the next four months, I’ll be blogging about organizational change. Through a series of events, I feel as though the company I founded in 1989 has become less than it is capable of. Innovation has been slower than normal and we’ve lost our focus. We need to get back to “why” – “Why we are here.”
We’re negotiating on a new lease now and I have high hopes for The Creative Company in 2015 and beyond. I want to make sure we’re on track to hit our goals and to help our clients achieve more than they ever thought possible not just by being good or even great but by doing good too.
Last Monday, our exec team met for two hours in a conference room and had one of the best brainstorming sessions we’ve ever had. We talked about what we believe, who we are and what’s holding us back. We talked about changing.
We haven’t exactly been slacking off over the last five years. We’ve been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Dane County and been honored with the Gold Award for Best Ad Agency in Wisconsin. We’ve won plenty of awards, in fact, and sales were up year over year and are up for first quarter of fiscal 2015. But its a feeling in the air that needs to change. It’s time to reboot.
One of the services we offer is a management consulting tool called The Imagine Plan. It starts with a written plan that incorporates the company’s vision and purpose into a manifesto and ends with action. The Imagine Plan is not something that sits on the shelf but rather lives in the hearts and minds of the people who live it every day – your employees, customers and the community you live and work in. We’ve seen clients create healthier cultures and a more focused organization with better results which netted them higher profits and increased sales.
It is our turn.
I’m never one to go alone for the ride if I can bring a small posse of extraordinary people along with me so I’m inviting you to join us on this journey.
For the next four months, I’ll be blogging about the work we’re doing to reshape this organization. I’ll share it all – even the work that hurts. I was on a panel a few weeks ago and was asked, “What’s your biggest barrier to success?” And I answered honestly, “I am.” And I am. But I care more deeply about what we’re trying to accomplish then the preservation of my ego so I’m asking for help. If you have gone through this process and have insights to share, I want to hear from you.
For clients, we follow John P. Kotter’s process for creating major change. Step 1 is establishing a sense of urgency which we did at least week’s meeting. Step 2 is creating the guiding coalition to lead the change and getting that group to work together as a team. Well, they’ve been chosen and I’ll let you know how well it goes.
Step 3 is developing a vision and a strategy which we’re going off site for. We’ll be at the Madison Club for a few hours tomorrow where we’ll work on the “Why?” We already know “What?” And “Who” but as Simon Sinek says, “Great leaders ask Why?” and its our mission to discover and know it.
Step 4 will be communicating the change vision and I would expect we’ll have the manifesto drafted within the next two weeks.
My mission, with the help of my incredible team, is to create a company that is worthy of your attention. My goal is to create something worth talking about because it stands apart in the marketplace. My desire is to connect our values with our work. My hope is that those who have the same values will retain us to help them achieve their goals in the marketplace. I’ve always said, the best brands are built from the inside out. This time, I thought I’d start with my own.
Thanks for coming along for journey and for being part of my peer network that has helped Creative Company become what we are. The best, however, is yet to come.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8GiNGcXuM&w=420&h=315]Resources:
The Heart of Change, John P. Kotter
Leading Change, John P. Kotter
Building the Bridge as You Walk on It, Robert E. Quinn