Siobhan McHale - The Insiders Guide to Culture Change: Creating a Workplace That Delivers, Grows, and Adapts

Praise for The Insiders Guide to Culture Change

If you are a leader who wants to build an enduring company where people go to work, are happy, and deliver exceptional results, read this book. It is filled with Siobhan McHales insider case studies and her groundbreaking four-step approach to culture change.

Garry Ridge, Chief Executive Officer, WD-40 Company

This book contains the most groundbreaking thinking on how to change workplace culture that I have seen in many years. Siobhans methods will be transformational to unlocking culture change efforts across the world. This is a highly practical methodology from someone who has actually been through the process from the inside.

Carolyn Taylor, Global Culture Change Pioneer and Author of bestselling Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success

Culture is often regarded as a mystery. Yet this Pandoras box of myths and fallacies is critical to business performance. Through the expert eyes of Siobhan McHale, we clearly see how culture uniquely contributes to performance on every level. Whether you are a startup or an established international enterprise, you cannot afford to ignore this better, faster, easier way to enduring success.

Richard Hames, Writer, Futurist, and Executive Director of the Centre for the Future

Much wise advice and vital information from a master of organizational culture change.

Richard Barrett, Founder of the Barrett Values Centre and the Academy for the Advancement of Human Values

Siobhan brings a fresh voice based on deep experience; a luminary in the corporate culture conversation. The Insiders Guide to Culture Change is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to create a high performing and agile culture.

David Hennessy, Host of The Hennessy Report podcast from Keystone Partners

Culture is the operating system our companies run on. Those who ignore its tremendous power to drive business results do so at their peril. Siobhan McHales book is an indispensable guide to making culture work for you rather than against you, and her four-step model to culture change is a vital tool for anyone seeking to make change happen at work.

Aga Bajer, Culture Strategist, Author, and CultureLab Podcast Creator

If youre intrigued to find the big patterns that drive your culture and up for the hard work needed to shape them, this book is for you. Siobhan McHale will help you find the blend of know-how, true grit, and resilience youll need for the task.

Diane Smith-Gander, Nonexecutive Director, Advocate for Gender Equity

In todays ever-changing business environment, bad companies fold, good companies survive, and only great companies thrive and succeed. One of the secrets of greatness is undoubtedly the right culture. In this important book, Siobhan McHale provides readers with a no-nonsense formula for defining, creating, and maintaining the right culture, where people embrace change and agility that enables the organization to win. After all, organizations are neither agile nor innovativeonly people are.

Mihly Nagy, Founder of The HR Congress

As CEO and chairman of major companies, I learned that how a company works is as important as what it does. Ensuring success is a function, not only in financial or market outcomes, but also through the creation of a high-energy performing organization with a vibrant culture, achieved through effective leadership and process. Siobhans book offers pragmatic insight as to how to go about this.

John McFarlane, CEO and Chairman of major companies

2020 Siobhan McHale

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.

Book design by Aubrey Khan, Neuwirth & Associates.

ISBN 978-1-4002-1466-2 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-1465-5 (HC)

Epub Edition December 2019 9781400214662

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019945645

Printed in the United States of America

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To the leaders who embrace the challenges
of culture change to create better workplaces.

CONTENTS

1. CHAPTER 1
   LEARN THE INSIDERS SECRET
2. CHAPTER 2
   UNDERSTAND WORKPLACE CULTURE
3. CHAPTER 3
   PREPARE FOR CHANGE
4. CHAPTER 4
   DIAGNOSE THE CURRENT CULTURE
5. CHAPTER 5
   REFRAME THE ROLES
6. CHAPTER 6
   TAKE CHARGE OF THE JOURNEY
7. CHAPTER 7
   ENGAGE THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION
8. CHAPTER 8
   ALIGN PROCESSES, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES
9. CHAPTER 9
   GATHER CHANGE MOMENTUM
10. CHAPTER 10
    CONSOLIDATE GAINS

Over my thirty-year career, many people assisted or mentored me as I gained the experience and expertise to write this book. A very special thanks to Michael Snell, a wonderful agent. He was willing to take a risk on a writer from Down Under, and he effortlessly bridged the sixteen-hour time difference between Truro, Massachusetts, and Melbourne, Australia. Michael walked with me every step of the way, provided invaluable input to the book, and he contributed greatly to the quality of the final manuscript. I appreciate his faith in me, and I feel very fortunate to have had the benefit of his talent, experience, and dedication in helping create this book.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone at HarperCollins Leadership for the opportunity to publish this book and their ongoing support. In particular, Id like to thank Jeff James (Vice President and Publisher), Tim Burgard (Senior Acquisitions Editor), Hiram Centeno (Senior Marketing Manager), and Sicily Axton (Senior Publicity Manager). Thanks also go to Jeff Farr (Managing Editor) and Beth Metrick (Production Director) at Neuwirth & Associates, who expertly handled the editorial production of the book.

I have woven stories of inspirational culture leaders throughout this book. One of these leaders was John McFarlane, who was a privilege to work with over seven years at ANZ bank. He encouraged his employees to tap their true, authentic selves and create a bank with a human face. Standing alongside John McFarlane were his team of capable and courageous executives who co-led the transformation to a more human bankincluding (in no particular order) Sonia Stojanovic, Brian Hartzer, Peter Marriott, Graham Hodges, Alison Watkins, Louis Hawke, Elizabeth Proust, Bob Edgar, Elmer Funke Kupper, Peter Hodgson, Grahame Miller, Rick Sawers, Peter Hawkins, Greg Camm, Shane Freemen, David Boyles, Craig Coleman, Satyendra Chelvendra, Roger Davis, Chris Cooper, Gordon Branston, Carole Anderson, David Hornery, Ian Richard, John Winders, Bob Lyon, Peter McMahon, Bruce Bonyhady, Murray Horn, Mark Lawrence, Mike Grime, Steve Targett, Sir John Anderson, Rob Gousdswaard, Mike Guerin, and Brad Jordan.

I also thank my (Breakout) team at ANZ and the group of external facilitators who worked tirelessly to transform the culture at the bank. Special mention goes to my leadership groupJoanne Martin, Phillip Ralph, Chris Power, Mark Priede, and Rocco Cirillofor their dedication. My gratitude also goes to Gita Bellin, a pioneer in the field of human transformation, who guided me on my higher journey toward becoming a culture change educator.

I wish to acknowledge the many leaders I have worked with over the years who have provided me with opportunities to deepen my culture expertise, including Robyn Brown, Reg Smith, Peter Goode, Graeme Hunt, Elizabeth Hunter, Stephen Phillips, and Diane Smith-Gander.