Dinosaurs move over – you’ll be out of business

I have just heard someone recount a story that the CEO of his organisation stated (only weeks ago): “Forget culture – we’ve got a project to build in a hurry”.

Could this be true that there are still leaders who believe that culture is a “nice to have”? This organisation does not have female representation in senior roles.

People do have a choice about where they work; they also have a choice about how they give their discretionary effort. A great culture ensures greater productivity, and that ultimately delivers a better bottom line result. Hence, the reality is if you need to call upon extra effort from your team, they are far more likely to give it if they enjoy the place they work and believe in its leader.

It makes sense to treat people well and they will return the favour. I know there are many male empathetic and culture driven leaders… but without a diverse leadership group, a male only point of view in any organisation may limit its opportunities.

The reality is that women will offer a different viewpoint… We need people with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences to be able to challenge, debate and argue alternative ideas.

We need more women leaders to be role models for younger women at the beginning of their careers. Apparently the time when most women exit the work force is after their second child – when parenting does become more complex and child care more expensive. (Can someone tell me why childcare is not a tax deduction? Which would benefit the whole community and encourage women to return to work).

This is so frustrating! Something really does have to happen, but is it going to take until the next generation to get something done?

May I suggest to that business dinosaur that wants to hurry up and get the project delivered… build a great culture and it will happen.

Naomi Simson is considered one of Australia’s ‘Best Bosses’. She is an employee engagement advocate and practices what she preaches in her own business. RedBalloon has been named as one of only six Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand for 2009 and awarded an engagement scorecard of over 90% two years in a row – the average in Australian businesses is 55%. RedBalloon has also been nominated by BRW as being in the top 10 Best Places to Work in Australia behind the likes of Google. One of Australia’s outstanding female entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a passionate speaker inspiring people on employer branding, engagement and reward and recognition. Naomi writes a blog and is a published author – and has received many accolades and awards for the business she founded – RedBalloon.com.au.