Does Your CEO Have the Stomach for Change?

Many CEOs and senior executives talk a good game when it comes to culture change and transformation… it’s almost expected. But, even though they might make the right noises, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have the commitment to culture change to set a higher standard, or generate the level of momentum it would take to lead the change successfully.

Pretty much every senior leader says they want a constructive, high performance culture. But very few can clearly articulate what this means… and even fewer are prepared to do what it takes to affect any lasting change.

It doesn’t mean they’re bad people, or even that they’re ineffective leaders… What it does mean is that many senior leaders are only prepared to go so far in the quest for culture change. It’s the elephant in the room that no one really talks about. 

So they create elaborate change programs, and spend a bunch of investors’ money to give the appearance of making major changes to culture… while, in reality, not being prepared to do many of the most fundamental things that would actually make a difference…

They might be happy to spend the money on a change program, but baulk at making decisions to remove underperforming leaders who are standing in the way of progress, and who have neither the will or the skill to execute on the changes.

They might be happy to give accountability to a transformation team to lead the charge on a company-wide culture change program, but at the same time be completely unwilling to enforce new standards of behavior and performance with the line leaders, who ultimately manage the majority of the workforce.

They might be happy to invest in change specialists, who come and go, but not in hiring, developing, and lifting the bar for the senior leaders who have to make the culture change stick in the months and years after the change specialists have moved onto their next adventure.

Often, you won’t be in a position to influence the change program. You’re just along for the ride, as the targets and objectives are set way above you. But it’s important to know what type of change you’re dealing with.

Is the CEO serious, and will she support you when you do the hard work of leadership? Building capability, raising the performance bar, and replacing recalcitrant leaders with leaders who will fight for a high performance culture?

I’ve worked with a number of CEOs who weren’t prepared to do what it takes to improve the culture. To be fair, they’d really like to improve the culture… they know they should improve the culture… they’re prepared to do a bunch of stuff that they hope will improve the culture… 

But they have unspoken limits about what they’re actually prepared to do to enable culture change. And, unfortunately, more often than not, these are the things that make the difference between success and failure.