6 Hoosier Banker September 2014 Recently, I came across a quote from Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. The quote is: “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.” I think that is a powerful statement and right on target. Every organization has a culture, whether it is good or bad, whether it makes people want to do business with you or not. Zappos, for those of you who do not know, was founded in 1999 and is now a subsidiary of Amazon. It is an online shoe and clothing store, although it does have an outlet store in Shephardsville, Kentucky, just outside of Louisville. I will admit that I have never purchased anything from Zappos. However, I have heard people describe shopping there with nearly the same zeal as going to see a grandchild or going to their favorite social event. It is just amazing to me. Zappos shoppers become loyal customers and, often, a free means of advertising for Zappos. We all know that there is a direct correlation between employee satisfaction, strong customer service and customer loyalty, and it all starts with a positive culture. In light of the above quote – “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself” – what is the culture at your bank? Is it the right culture? These are important questions to consider. In the prioritization of responsibilities, successful businesses are evaluating culture as part of their “to do” lists. What is a good culture? The simplest definition of culture, for our purposes, is civilization characteristics. Let’s assume that means how people work together to get things done to serve our customers. Now Tony Hsieh’s quote is becoming a little clearer. It is the collective attitude of the entire organization, not just each individual employee’s attitude, but the sum of all employees. This collective attitude of the companies’ employees becomes the culture of the organization. We have all seen both good and bad cultures. If it is true that the collective attitude of the employees becomes the culture of the organization, does it not follow that the hiring process is a very important part of our success? This may be akin to the old data processing mantra of “garbage in, garbage out.” If we hire people with great attitudes who want to provide customers with the very best experience, every time, won’t our culture become equally positive? Would we not gain a similar respect and appreciation that Zappos has earned from its customers? Like you, I have visited hundreds, perhaps thousands, of businesses, and have witnessed both good and bad ASSOCIATION UPDATE President’s Ponderings S. Joe DeHaven, President & Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Bankers Association C M Y CM MY CY CMY K cultures. Most of us form an impression within minutes regarding the culture of an organization, generally based on customer service. Some businesses have employees who practically trip over each other to welcome anyone who walks through the door while, in others, staff seems more intent on letting someone else take care of customers or prospects. Oh, I am sure that when regular customers come through the door, they generally will be well-served in either culture, but remember most businesses need to grow in order to survive. Therefore, I believe that it follows that the organizations with the positive cultures will win in the end, because customers want to do business with them. Culture is a difficult thing to change, just as the attitude of an individual is a difficult thing to change. It can and must be done in the competitive world in which we live today, if our organization is to survive. We may not attain the lofty standards of Zappos, but we must continue to strive to get to the positive culture point that permits us to grow and survive. No wonder I am enamored by Mr. Hsieh’s quote: “If we get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.” Bridging Bankers, Building Leaders Oct. 29-30 l Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel For more information or to register, go to: indianabankers.org Train tomorrow’s leaders at the “Bridging Bankers, Building Leaders” second annual leadership conference, hosted by IBA’s Future Leadership Division. This quality event is designed to help grow the next generation of bank leadership.
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