A Day In The Life of the CCO: A Chief Culture Officer To-Do List

We can’t assume the culture is on auto-pilot. We need to do regular pulse-checks with our people. In an era of technology, processes, and systems… in a lifetime that has become app-driven, we have to protect the humanity of our companies. Our employees need to know we are checking the heartbeat of the organization on a regular basis, and that means gauging the happiness, engagement, and emotional health of those that support us.

Do Employees Make Your System Smarter? Or Is It The Other Way Around?

What’s the smartest and strongest aspect of your organization? Is it your employees, or is it your organization?

If you follow the thinking of the spectacularly failed Enron Corporation, who religiously subscribed to the belief that having better talent at all levels is how you outperform, then you put most of your stock in the strength of your people. At the height of its hiring frenzy, Enron was bringing on 250 newly minted Ivy League MBA’s a year, grossly overpaying them, giving them Carte Blanche to pursue strategic ideas, and catering to their every professional demand.

Culture of Greatness Begins Within You

To perform at a level of greatness, we need to commit to a higher level of energy, time, and effort than most. To quote Gandhi, “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world, as in being able to remake ourselves.”

We all have the power to lead our business, our family, and ourselves in greatness. To accomplish this, we have to plan.

Five Non-Negotiable Elements of a Culture

These five non-negotiable elements are all required tools for any company that wants to maximize the potential of its most valued asset, which is its people. How well does your company do with each one? What are some of the non-negotiable elements of your organization?