Chris Dyer - The Power of Company Culture

The Power of Company Culture

How any business can build a culture that improves productivity, performance and profits

Chris Dyer

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2018 by Kogan Page Limited

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street

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c/o Martin P Hill Consulting

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4737/23 Ansari Road

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India

Chris Dyer 2018

The right of Chris Dyer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 0 7494 8195 7

E-ISBN 978 0 7494 8196 4

Typeset by Integra Software Services, Pondicherry

Print production managed by Jellyfish

Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

To all of those that I have been lucky enough to love

Chris Dyer is the founder and chief executive officer of PeopleG2. One of the fastest-growing companies in the US, it has appeared twice on the Inc 5000 list. Through his continued work both within his company and outside it, he has won many awards for excellence, innovation and even for rule breaking, and his company is often named as a top place to work.

Chriss passion for engagement and the success that comes about by having engaged employees is something that not only drives him but overflows to those around him. He provides real examples that help all organizations exude award-winning cultures. He does this through speeches, learning events and his globally popular live radio show and podcast, TalentTalk. Millions of people a year listen to episodes where he and his guests discuss talent, leadership, organization change and, of course, company culture. This book is heavily influenced by the conversations he has had with some of the worlds top leaders and practitioners of employee engagement.

Through his work at PeopleG2, he is a recognized authority on the human capital intelligence process, and best practices for background checks. He understands the complex challenges inherent to talent management decisions, and shares these in his keynote speeches on culture, employee engagement and virtual workforces. Chris also consults for companies in order to improve their cultures, so that he can learn and grow every day. When he is not working on company culture, you can find him recording and releasing records with his band, going on adventures with friends, climbing tall mountains with his youngest son, Vladimir, or travelling with his wife, Jody. He also has two older children, Luba and Dmitri.

Finally, you can always count on Chris having a few side projects in order to stay sharp and fresh. He is a certified Scrum Master, runs two book clubs for Senior Level and HR professionals in Southern California, and often is asked to judge entrepreneurial showcases and contests.

When I eagerly agreed to write this book, no one told me how hard it would be, especially on those around me. The countless hours of writing meant time away from my family and friends, as well as leaning on my employees, mentors, friends and associates. Without all of you, not only would my book have never been finished, but my life would be empty and unfilled. To all of you, thank you.

Somewhere deep in the manual for how to be a husband must be the advice of naming your wife first and foremost in any book, speech or other public offering. My wife Jody Dyer has certainly earned that distinction, with all her love, support and the swift kicks to the pants when I wanted to be lazy and skip writing. Her edits, critiques and encouraging words can be found in every chapter. Thank you, Jody! To my son Vladimir, thank you for accepting less time with me during this process, and for being my generational sounding board. To my work staff, you all deserve the biggest green flag of all time. There are too many of you to name and account for your help properly, but please know how much I appreciate you. A few people at work do need to be named: a big thank you goes to Mike Bankhead for helping me with the book logistics, marketing and permissions. Also to my brother Bryan Dyer for picking up the slack, thank you, especially in the last month of this process as my focus waned. My dear friends Mark Gabbe, Holly Frye, Tina Kalogeropoulos, Ken Eiden and mother-in-law Anita Caruso deserve thanks for checking in on me, and providing encouragement when I was stressed out.

There were also people who helped me immensely with the book. Nancy Oso deserves a giant thank you for all her help in editing the book. The publisher of this book, Kogan Page, has been a tremendous help in getting me here, and I appreciate the confidence they have always shown in me. Sophia Levine is a saint with her enthusiasm, fantastic notes and help. Additionally, Lucy Carter and the rest of the Kogan Page team did a tremendous job behind the scenes, making it look easy. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my friends and colleagues who helped me read over the book in the final hours to ensure no errors were left. Thank you to Tenny Poole, Mike DeSon, Tania Gasca, Tami Eiden, Denise Griffiths and Brian Arandez.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who has ever believed in me. Life is often about jumping on a moving a train and being excited about where it might take you. Some of the best mentors have driven those trains for me, and it has made all the difference. Thank you so much to Kim Shepherd, Dave Berkus, Mark Goulston, Danny Kalman, Bob Kelley, Mimi Grant and everyone at ABL. To anyone I have missed or overlooked, please forgive me. It was not intentional.

by Mark Goulston

Author of Just Listen: Discover the secret to getting through to absolutely anyone

Culture is the bedrock of business success. As Chris Dyer says, it is the combination of the easily seen ideals like vision statements and values, combined with the harder-to-see norms, behaviours, languages, beliefs and systems. In The Power of Company Culture, Chris shows business leaders and HR professionals how to spot the symptoms of a culture in crisis and address issues before they impact both the business and employees. However, more than that, in this book Chris Dyer does a deep dive into the Seven Pillars of Cultural Success. These are: