Recent Posts by Jason Richmond

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a time-honored method to expand a business entity—so much so that companies dish out more than $2 trillion a year acquiring other companies. The word marriage is thrown around a lot two companies come together. But the bitter truth is that there is often not much love involved, and the ugliness of divorce frequently enters the picture. While 40 percent to 50 percent of human marriages don’t survive, astonishingly, anywhere between 70 percent...

Let’s assume you’re a company executive who understands that culture matters, and that you fully appreciate that you and your leadership team have an essential role to play in transforming your organization. You have taken a great first step, but taken alone, this understanding is not enough to keep failure at bay. The efforts you make in defining your new or revitalized culture, identifying and communicating your values, diagnosing your gaps, and designing well-thought-out...

So, you think you know what’s required to introduce a winning culture into your organization? Not so fast. Numerous myths and misconceptions often get in the way of the effort to formulate a desirable culture. Let’s examine some of the most common. Myth #1: It’s HR’s Job It’s often assumed that because it’s a “people thing,” establishing or fixing corporate culture is the responsibility of the human resources department. Not so. While HR certainly plays a significant role in...

Culture is a shared, adopted belief system that allows employees to work together toward a common goal. It includes beliefs about mission and values, as well as beliefs about the work experience itself. The challenge is to articulate these ideas and beliefs in a way that is meaningful to employees. When organizations prioritize culture, engagement improves. This drives tangible business outcomes that include a 24 percent decrease in employee turnover, a 10 percent boost in...

The right culture makes or breaks an organization’s success. It’s as critical as business, operational, or financial strategy. So why do organization leaders and senior executives ignore the signs of culture erosion? We can assume that they do because (according to Dynamic Signal, an employee communication and engagement company), 51 percent of the US workforce is disengaged, causing massive losses in productivity—between $450 billion and $500 billion a year. Juggernauts like O...

The workplace of today is not your father’s (or mother’s) workplace.  Change is so rapid it may not even be your older sibling’s workplace. The rapid advance of technology and the millennial generation’s rise into management positions have opened up immense opportunities. But they are opportunities that also bring a whole new set of challenges. For employees, the benefits go beyond no longer being tethered to a desk and no longer forced to endure long commutes...

A century and a half ago, when a person wanted to be remembered (what marketers today call “being top of mind”), it was customary to leave a card whenever one went out “calling.” In those days, you couldn’t pick up a phone and call your friends or send them an email to check in. You personally visited the homes of friends, family, and social peers; you would leave a calling card if the person wasn’t home. A calling card was similar to a business card. It displayed the person’s...

Growth via mergers and acquisitions are on the mind of many small-to-medium business (SMB) executives these days, judging by their frequency. Since 2015, mergers and acquisitions have been happening at record-setting levels. The global value of M&A deals exceeded $3.6 trillion in 2017 - the fourth consecutive year to exceed $3 trillion. In fact, with nearly 50,000 deals announced worldwide, it was the strongest year for mergers and acquisitions since record-keeping began in...

What’s more important during recruiting—culture fit or skills? As unemployment dips below 4 percent, this question is a critical one for employers that want to attract and retain the best people. The truth is, both are important. However, if you had to choose, cultural fit should win out. That’s because while you can train for skills, you can’t train for fit. Cultural fit is innate; it’s more about a candidate’s outlook on life than anything you’ll find in a textbook,...