Category Archives: Connection Culture

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Can Phil Jackson Build “the Yankees of Basketball”?

philjackson

As seen on Fox Business.

Phil Jackson, the New York Knicks’ new president of basketball operations, is nothing if not audacious.  After building two basketball dynasties as a coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, he accepted the challenge to achieve a three-peat, but this time in the toughest town of all, New York City.  Furthermore, he will try to build more than a great team.  In his new role, he is responsible for building a broader organization.

Will Jackson end his career in a blaze of glory or will the Knicks and New York City reduce him to smoldering ashes?  Despite the obstacles, I’m betting on the former.  And there will be a lesson for CEOs in watching Jackson in action. 

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3 Ways Pixar Gains Competitive Advantage from Its Culture

As seen on Fox Business.

To infinity and beyond: That’s where Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Animation Studios are headed, provided they maintain the type of leaders that have gotten them this far. Ed Catmull, President of Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Animation Studios, describes what he’s learned about leadership and corporate culture in his excellent new book, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration.

Pixar has been phenomenally successful with the likes of Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Up, to name but a few of its films. In 2006, Disney bought Pixar to boost its struggling Walt Disney Animation Studios unit. Catmull and John Lasseter, Pixar’s CEO, were appointed to lead the unit as president and CEO, respectively.  With the leadership change, Disney began to produce hits such as Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph.  If any doubt existed that Disney’s magic was back, it was put to rest with the 2013 release of the blockbuster movie Frozen.  Having earned well over a billion dollars in revenue at the box office in its first six months, Frozen became the highest-grossing animated feature ever and moved into the top-10 worldwide highest grossing movies of all time.

The success of Pixar and Disney Animation begs the question: what’s the secret sauce? In a word, it’s “culture,” i.e. the shared attitudes, language and behavior that consistently produce excellence in a given endeavor.  With 70 percent of American workers disengaged today, Pixar and Disney Animation provide a model for engaging and energizing employees by making culture a competitive advantage.

Here are three ways Catmull and his leadership team create a culture that consistently makes great films.

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3 Ways to Tap Into the Power of Community

Soccer Team

As seen on SmartBlog on Leadership.

Smart leaders are developing a competitive advantage by creating a sense of connection and community among employees and customers. In the fitness world, SoulCycle and Tough Mudder are two organizations that have successfully tapped into the power of community. Each has developed a vocal and rapidly expanding following. 

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Consider Both Competence and Character in Hiring and Promotion Decisions

Business Handshake

#32 Hire, Develop and Promote for Both Competence and Character That Connects

Most managers hire for competence but are not anywhere near as intentional about probing to understand a job applicant’s character.  Take time to identify your core values as a leader then ask questions that explore those values as you interview applicants.

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Boston Strong and the Power of Connection

Jeremy KingsleyJeremy Kingsley, author of the book Inspired People Produce Results:  How Great Leaders Use Passion, Purpose and Principles to Unlock Incredible Growth, has some important insights into the power of connection.  

I really appreciated how the country (and others around the world) paused on Tuesday, April 15, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Many gathered in Boston. Elsewhere, people witnessed the ceremony the same way they’d witnessed the attacks, on screens and through speakers.

Wherever we were, we remembered the lives lost and harmed as we listened to the church bells and bagpipes, the speeches and children’s choir. We reflected on the admirable courage of the first responders and others who put aside their own safety and rushed in to help others.

The most memorable voices at the commemoration were those of the survivors. Many had been through an agonizing year of physical and emotional recovery.

Almost with one voice, they cited the same source of strength and healing. What we heard from them again and again was the importance of community. 

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Consider the Effect of Physical Space on Connection

Pixar Headquarters

Pixar Headquarters, Photo Credit Pixar Animation Studios

#24 Consider the Effect of Physical Space on Connection

When Ed Catmull, CEO of Pixar Animation, and Steve Jobs, Pixar’s primary owner at the time, designed Pixar’s new headquarters, they created a large centralized space that included the company’s entrance and visitor reception area, meeting rooms, company cafeteria, employee mail slots and restrooms.  Their rationale was that a centralized space would facilitate connection.

Research supports that physical location and office space design does affect connection.  In general, people who work in physical space near one another feel more connected and physical spaces that are more open encourage connection. Consider how your organization’s physical space and office design encourages or discourages connection and how you can make changes to boost connection.

This is the twenty-fourth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Connect by Staying in Touch

Writing a Letter

#22 Hold In-Person Meetings and Regularly Check-In

Good relationships are maintained by staying in touch. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill understood this. Historians have found more than 1,700 letters, notes and telegrams Churchill wrote to his wife so that they would remain connected.

Take a page from Churchill’s playbook. With your direct reports, stay connected by meeting weekly with them in person, if at all possible. If you cannot meet weekly, use “check ins” – phone calls, emails, text messages – to help keep you connected. To stay connected with people who work remotely, regularly call or Skype them. Remote work can be lonely and people should feel you are on their team and want to help them achieve their potential. Besides work issues, inquire about how they are doing personally, too. There is much truth to the old saying that “people don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

This is the twenty-second post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Stay Aligned With Core Values

Ritz Carlton Values on Card#20 Stay Aligned with Core Values

Take your direct reports through the final core values you decided upon. Discuss which values are most important to your team’s success, which values your team is strong in, which values it needs to develop and what can be done to live them out. Follow up with a written summary of action items, responsibilities and due dates that come out of the meeting. Meet periodically to review and revise the action plan. Ask your direct reports to do the same with their direct reports.

Consider having your core values printed on a small card that can fit in a wallet. Each Ritz-Carlton employee receives a card with the organization’s core values (called “Ritz Basics”) printed on the front and back sides of the card. Teams meet briefly every day to review one of the 20 Ritz-Carlton values and each week one example of a Ritz-Carlton employee who lived out a value is shared with all Ritz-Carlton employees worldwide.

This is the twentieth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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To Connect, Communicate Meaningful Core Values

Woman looking into distance whilst thinking#19 Reflect Upon, Write Out and Communicate Your Core Values

Take time alone to reflect on the values you believe in and want to live out in your life. For inspiration, read Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz’s excellent book Pour Your Heart Into It and read the Montpelier Command Philosophy in Fired Up or Burned Out. Write out your core values in a manner that is similar to the Montpelier Command Philosophy, i.e name the value, explain what it means and why you believe it’s important. Ask trusted friends whom you respect to read your values and provide feedback about “what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing” from them. When you believe your draft is in good shape, share it with your direct reports and ask them to provide feedback about “what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing.” Consider the feedback, make the changes that you believe improve it and then circulate the final to your direct reports.

This is the nineteenth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.