Key Concepts:

Decide What You Want to be Known For—Create a Compelling Vision

What brand are you building? If your culture was an extraordinary magnet for world-class talent what would that look like? Talented people, the kind it takes to build a legendary culture want to know what the organization stands for, where it’s going, and how they fit into the larger picture. That assumes there is a larger picture there to begin with. When the picture is clear, people develop a sense of direction and focus—and the culture thrives. They become more confident, more willing to take risks and more willing to take action because the boundaries established by the vision are clear. This point will encourage participants to build an organization of their own choosing and by envisioning a better future for.

Hire People Who Don’t SUCK! (the LIFE out of your business)

Gutsy leaders surround themselves with people who can make capital dance. The people you hire today will determine the culture of your organization tomorrow. Will it be a culture where action-oriented people do whatever it takes to provide world-class service? Will it be a culture where people are committed to serving each other and building team unity across functions? Will it be a culture where people make work fun? This part of the presentation emphasizes the importance of attitude (yours and theirs) in the recruiting and hiring process. Jackie builds a compelling business case for being absolutely rigorous about attracting and hiring people who are already predisposed to protecting and promoting the values driving your organization. Then she shows you how to hire for attitude.

Lead by Example—Live Your Values Out Loud

Personal change usually precedes organizational change. Make the values driving the business mean something. Live them out loud! Mission, vision, and values statements are a-dime-a-dozen in companies. Truth be known, there’s a lot of hypocrisy. This drives great talent away. What separates truly VIBRANT corporate values from those that become a joke? It’s people who lead with integrity. It’s leaders who are models of the changes they want to see in others.

Great leaders understand that it is their capacities to shape values and educate through vivid, living, personal example that ultimately directs the course of an organization. If you want to identify the true character and personality of an organization skip the values statement that hangs in the corporate foyer and observe the way people act in the mundane, ad hoc, isolated events of every day. THE WALK TALKS! The way people think about customers and co-workers, the way they behave, and their impressions of right and wrong are all influenced by watching the way their leaders live out the organization’s values. The question is whether the values driving the business of the firm have been haphazardly acquired or purposefully instilled, protected, and promoted.

Learn to Tell Your Story—with Passion, Conviction and Good Humor

Great companies drive and sustain culture through the power of their stories. Stories show us that it can be done and challenge us to do it better. Quite frankly, this is the magic behind Southwest Airlines. The people of Southwest are master storytellers. and the company understands the benefits of marketing to the public as well as it’s own people through the power of a compelling story. The stories come from everywhere, but they have been inspired and fueled by an extremely talented employee communications group that knows how to ask appreciative questions. They are skilled at getting people in every nook and cranny of the organization to focus on what works, what matters, what adds value and what makes a difference.

Every time another story is told about heroic customer service, altruistic employees supporting one another or creative entrepreneurs finding new ways to do more with less, it reinforces Southwest’s legendary culture. These stories empower people with ideas, expand their options, engage them with hope and show them what great execution looks like.

Relentlessly Pursue Simplicity—Free People to Get It Done

Legendary cultures have a bias for action. They breed shakers and movers who are not interested in the politics and formality of playing to TITLES—people who are not big on planning to plan. When things are simple people can move fast. This raises their level of satisfaction because speed is exhilarating. Yesterday’s accomplishment fuels the fires of motivation for today. When things are unnecessarily complex people get bogged down. Boredom and hopelessness set in. Enthusiasm goes out the door. Great people leave and the mediocre busy themselves with activities that don’t add value. Jackie will show your audience how to increase speed, lower costs, and improve service by relentlessly pursuing simplicity. This key point is really about freeing people to do what’s right for the company and its customers. It’s about motivating your people by expanding their capabilities to get things done.

Define Your Business as a Noble or Heroic Cause

What separates a culture that breeds contagious enthusiasm from one where people just go through the motions? Jackie reveals the secret that lies at the heart of true, substantive, and sustained motivation. What motivates people to do their best? What causes them to dedicate the totality of who they are—heart, mind, and soul—to the success of the business? This session goes beyond the extrinsic motivators (salary, benefits, bonuses, perks) to the things that move people internally. It shows the power of what can happen when people find the passion, heroism and nobility in their work.

Every job can be described as trivial or noble. What’s HEROIC about what you do? People who see how their individual contributions link to a larger, more heroic and noble cause, find more meaning and significance in their work. This sense of heroism draws out of them a drive to succeed, a will to win, and a deep-seated passion for the customer that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen! Creating a legendary culture is about being the kind of leader who can help people rediscover the ultimate value they bring to the world—it’s about helping them be THRILLED about their work! Competitors will find it almost impossible to replicate the unparalleled pride and esprit de corps that comes from employees who define their work in terms of a cause.