Bring the Flame Thrower…Every Day!

Culture.

Culture can make or break a company. As the “keeper of the culture” where I work, I find it imperative to sustain, maintain and enhance our culture – our culture is one of the things that makes us the apple of our patient’s eye and the regional employer of choice. Like many HR pros, I am always looking for new and inventive ways to enhance corporate culture. I am open to ideas.

In January, I had the pleasure of seeing Jim Knight (KnightSpeaker.com, @KnightSpeaker) speak at the January GMSHRM meeting. Jim has many years in training and development including a long stint at Hard Rock (which explains the “rock and roll” style and language he uses). He is dynamic and has good ideas. He uses energetic style to convey how he sees culture – and he sees culture the way companies should. I had a few takeaways that I want to share. These are some thought provoking quotes from his presentation. The title is another one Jim shared.

• Hire rock stars, not lipsynchers
• Great sustainable brands create memorable experiences
• Brands must differentiate themselves from the rest in order to survive and thrive
• Don’t terminate employees, promote them to customer
• Brand ambassadors are cultural amplifiers
• Every life has a story, if we stop to read it
• Position your brand to be tattoo-worthy

And one of my favorites…

• Plant seeds today to create an army of giants tomorrow

I left with so many ideas, I thought I would bust! Jim kept the conversation going and was gracious enough to hang out afterwards to answer questions and interact with the audience. If you get the chance, see Jim Knight. He was great!

What culture enhancing ideas do you have to share? I am interested in hearing from you.

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!