Culture is quite different from strategy. It’s what a company is and stands for. Peter Drucker, the legendary management guru, once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s not that strategy isn’t important. It absolutely is. However, culture must come first. Then strategy must align with the culture.
One of the many definitions of culture given through Merriam-Webster is as follows: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an establishment or organization. That’s precisely what culture is. However, disorders can arise.
Some corporations define their culture in mission, vision, and/or pricing statements. However, those are just words: they have no meaning if they are not lived. And they cannot be ambitious. They will have to be true at the time. A culture that is not actively practiced through leaders and workers is just a dream: just words on paper that make sense, no matter how well written and ambitious they are.
For a culture to succeed, leadership will have to live it and be a style to fulfill others. And while the maximum of other people think that leadership is that of executives who sit in the address, it is a consultation of any authority user. Possibly it would be anyone who occupies a control position, a supervision position or anyone with direct subordinates. And if leaders have to be styles, everyone will have to know and perceive culture. In the “perfect” organization, all are aligned.
That is why Target is a great case study for how the right culture works. The title of this article is a quote from Christina Hennington, chief growth officer of Target, who sat on a panel at the recent 2023 National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show. Hennington says, “We use culture as a guidepost, as a set of filters for the decisions we make in the business, both big and small. That’s all in the pursuit of our purpose, which is to help all families discover the joy of everyday life.”
Last year, Target ranked second among Fortune’s Best Places to Work in Retail. It was also number one among popular corporations and number 12 among Fortune’s top hundred companies to work for. These are wonderful distinctions, and for clever reason. An article from RetailWire noted that in 2021, when most corporations were struggling to rent and retain workers, Target had its lowest turnover rate in five years. A smart salary is a start. Good benefits are also important and go beyond medical benefits. For example, Target offers a debt-free college program that all full-time and part-time workers can participate in. Another merit is that Target likes to advertise from within. Employees who start on an hourly wage can be leaders. They take care of their workers and, in turn, take care of their customers.
Mark Ryski, founder and CEO of HeadCount Corporation, says, “Target continues to set the standard for driving up worker pay. I can only believe there is one key reason why—because a well-compensated, appreciated, happy workforce delivers better results. Imagine how it must feel to work for a company like Target that continues to look for ways to enrich employees.”
Melissa Kremer, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Target, said: “Our team is at the center of our strategy and our success, and their power and resilience keep us at the forefront of meeting the desires to convert our consumers year after year.
Thus, Target achieved a large component of the culture by bringing the words written on paper to the other people who work there. Target’s leadership message is clear. Build a culture that begins with an emphasis on others. Take care of them and they will take care of the company, which includes your customers.
Does this sound familiar? If you’ve been following my paintings for a while, this probably reminds you of my golden rule of painting: do it to the painters what should be done to their clients. And it looks like he’s painting.
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