Guest Blogger: Roger Gullickson

Roger Gullickson is our guest blogger this week.  Roger is the President and CEO of MVP Collaborative since 1996.  He moved to Michigan in 1989 to head FTD’s Marketing Group after an international career with Tenneco and Case Corporation.

Check back here each weekday to read Roger’s thoughts on Michigan’s need for renewal and how it can achieve it. 

Want to join the conversation? Please send your comments to: feedback@metromodemedia.com

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04.19.07
Post No. 1

Can Michigan become the State of Renewal?

Why do we feel so stuck, so victimized? I hear all too often about how great things were here in the “good old days.” (I wasn’t here.) The fact is that in every part of life, business, and even ecosystems we continue to cycle through an endless series of challenges. Jack Stack said in his recent book A Stake in the Outcome that “business is all about problems.” The real issue is how we can continually create states of renewal to deal with what comes our way.

I believe that renewal leading to sustainability of an organization depends upon four essential elements: culture, creativity, collaboration and leadership. (I would argue that this applies with some modifications to individuals and also aggregates to economies.)

Let’s take a look.

Culture is oft misunderstood as the “soft” side of business. In working with Denison Consulting of Ann Arbor over the last decade it is clearly NOT soft but rather the tangible, measurable bedrock of an organization. Without a strong, high performance culture sustainability is difficult at best.

What Denison has discovered in over 20 years of research is that organization culture can be dissected and measured. Today a simple online instrument measures twelve key aspects of culture with only 60 questions. The result is a look at the culture of an organization as a whole and how it ties to bottom-line performance measures. High performance cultures return on equity is more than triple low performance cultures (21% versus 6%)!

What keeps so many of us stuck with low performance cultures? It is hard work to change, and it takes years of consistent focus. Actions by leaders must be consistent and focused since we are watched for what we DO far more than for what we SAY. And a misstep or inconsistency reinforces the naysayer. This “soft” side of business is not for the fainthearted. It may seem easier to revert to command and control. Over time the high-performance cultures liberate leaders from having to know it all.

So what does this have to do with creating “states of renewal?” I believe that each of us has a responsibility to drive culture, both from a human standpoint and from a hard nosed responsibility to stakeholders. We need to place culture it at the top of or priority list every day.

Photograph © Dave Krieger