Bill Gallagher argues that CEOs must lead culture from the top while actually listening to staff. Without mechanisms for employee input and leaders willing to check their ego, you get a disconnect between what leadership wants and what workers experience.
Sometimes I cringe when people talk about, you know, doing kind of the brainstorming sessions of what kind of culture do we want? If you ask the staff that, you're going to get a very different answer than what the CEO or owner wants. So I'm a big believer in bringing them along with you. When the culture changes, bring them along with the vision of the culture. But it's got to be led from the top. The CEO, the owner, has got to put in mechanisms that allow for that input, check their ego, bite their tongue at times, and allow for the free flow of ideas. I mean, that is, to me, that's the best way to kind of create these environments and really help your organization innovate and grow.
