Culture Matters

Spring 2007

It has been a beautiful spring here in MN! Summer is right around the corner and like every year, it will fly by way too fast. We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful spring, and we wish you a wonderful summer of '07!

Best regards,

[June, 2007]

BEST FROM AROUND THE WEB
As usual the world wide web offered up multiple articles of interest as it relates to culture, leadership and related topics. Here are a few we felt most compelling over the last few months.

Don't Let Someone - Anyone - Hijack your Corporate Culture
by Leigh Buchanan
From Inc.com, February 2007
This article is aimed at entrepreneurs, but it really carries a great message for leaders in any size organization. The basic premise being if you are not shaping your culture, someone else will. And as the new cigarette ads say "Are you OK with that?"
READ THE ARTICLE

Is Your Ethics Program Working?
by Cynthia Waller Vallario
From FEI Online, May 2007
Of course, business ethics has become a very popular topic in this country in the last few years. This article describes how ethics programs must really become part and parcel of an overall company culture to truly be effective. It also discusses the problems with how "compliance" oriented some organizations have become and how being overly focused on compliance can defeat the original purpose of well intentioned ethics program.
READ THE ARTICLE

Culture of Trust
by Cynthia Barnett
Florida Trend, March, 2007
A very interesting profile of a Florida Engineering Services company that was rocked by a corporate scandal. The story describes how the culture of the organization may have inadvertantly caused the problem, but also served to save it in the end.
READ THE ARTICLE

Executives are Taking a Hard Look at Soft Issues...
by Bain and Company
Bain.com, March 2007
This is actually a press release put out by Bain and Company regarding their annual Management Tools and Trends study. Bain interviewed over 1200 CEOs to compile the data, the findings are showing more understanding and appreciation for corporate culture, environmental issues and knowledge management.
READ THE ARTICLE

JUST FOR FUN

No description necessary!

A Few Pithy Quotes to ponder:
"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."
- W. Edwards Deming

"The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he/she fills out a job application"
- Stanley Randall, Author

"The next time you quit, will you please resign on the same day?"
- Sign in the Nordstrom employee lounge

"We abuse our employees and pass the savings along to you"
- Dilbert

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