Understanding the role culture plays in an organization can be the difference between success and failure.
Every leader is under a microscope.
Employees will take their cue from the actions of the leader, and the higher up the corporate ladder, the more intense the observations of others. A powerful reminder of the role of culture came at a recent luncheon in Chicago. When he was promoted to CEO of Comdisco, Nick Pontikes pointed out that the most noticeable change he experienced was the fact that every word he uttered was immediately parsed and dissected. As an example, he mentioned making a slightly off-color joke on the elevator to one of his top lieutenants, thinking they were alone. However, someone overheard the joke, and within minutes the entire company was aware of his comments.