Data Driven Culture

“Culture eats Strategy for Lunch” — Peter Drucker

Business seems to be obsessed with systems, tools and frameworks. Right now the buzz is all about AI (artificial intelligence), ML (machine learning), Blockchain and before that it was Big Data.

Companies invest heavily into the latest technologies that promise groundbreaking transformations but companies move on to the next big thing before they see a return on their investment which ultimately never arrives or far from the promise.

I have a feeling companies assume they just buy the latest solution and the benefits will come. As if the magic was in the tools. But the power lies in the way we use the tools and sadly that’s an area that many companies overlook and skip over. And it’s true for both buyers as well as vendors.

It’s slowly getting better, particularly thanks to the SaaS (software as a service) businesses who are directly financially reliant on the success of their clients — so they do a lot to keep their clients happy, so they keep subscribed and grow their licences. However it’s still not a standard and the clients themselves who should care the most often don’t.

I am fully aware the situation is exactly the same with my programme of making your sales organisation data driven. You may have the best tools, best analysts, best reports but it’s all wasted if you don’t bring your organisation around to embrace it. That’s where the value is created.

Purchasing solutions without embedding them fully into the culture is like running your engine on a neutral gear. You still use your fuel but you are not moving anywhere unless you push really hard.

Culture is the hard thing. But it is the thing that matters the most and that’s why we should focus on it more above anything else. It’s the reason I made Culture a distinct step in the DISC method and why it takes three times longer than the other steps.

I want my clients to see the benefits from my work. And that can only happen if they internalise the mindset and follow through even when I’m not around.

In the upcoming articles I’ll share my lessons learned about changing a culture. I’m sure there is a lot I don’t know and if you’ve got some of your own top tips, please let me know.