The Power of Organizational Culture

By Dan Nielsen

February 4, 2014


Image copyright © Dan Nielsen
Image copyright © Dan Nielsen

As I’ve said many times, I strongly believe that “Leadership Excellence is the Ultimate Strategy for Success.” I also believe that an organization’s culture is paramount to its overall impact and success. And as is true with so many things, an organization’s culture starts at the top.

Building and exemplifying a strong, positive company culture is a great example of Leadership Excellence at work.

One such example can be seen in the story of Ford Motor Company, led by CEO Alan Mulally. In a recent article, FOXBusiness writer Michael Stallard attributes Ford’s remarkable turnaround to the ‘extreme makeover’ Mulally conducted on Ford’s organizational culture. Stallard writes:

“The remarkable turnaround of Ford led by Alan Mulally—without U.S. government financial aid—provides an outstanding example of how to gain competitive advantage through organizational culture.”

Stallard then shares seven practices that helped the determined CEO transform Ford’s “dog-eat-dog” culture into a unified, positive corporate family:

  1. Communicate an Inspiring Vision
  2. Make Your Values Known
  3. Live It
  4. Think Win-Win
  5. Get Everyone on the Same Page
  6. Take a Positive “Can Do” Attitude
  7. Be Results Oriented

Mulally’s outstanding efforts to transform his company’s culture is a great example of Leadership Excellence at work! These principles and practices are applicable to any organization and in any industry – including healthcare!

How about you—how are you building and exemplifying a strong, positive company culture?

To read the full article by Michael Stallard, please click here >>

About the author

Dan Nielsen is the author of the books Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, and Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership excellence and achieving greater success, and is available to deliver keynotes, lead workshops, or facilitate discussions for your group. LEARN MORE

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