The Challenge: Lots of people can write about it, but few I know have the experience of architecting, executing, and building an extraordinary culture. I’ve been invited to be the Chief Culture and Transformation Officer at a postsecondary institution, and I’d like to take you along for the ride. This opportunity is unique for me. I’ve led culture transformation in technology, sports, telecommunications, banking and now postsecondary. This is a new sector for me, AND it gives me the ability to do something important by linking education to the rapidly changing world of work. Postsecondary education is going to be disrupted, and I would like to be part of that story in the best possible way.
I’m going to be very transparent and authentic during the ride, while avoiding information that is private and confidential to the college. And of course, this is totally my story and I will not refer to others without their permission. The objective is to share my learnings so that you might consider how to personally make it relevant to your situation.
The First Steps of Our Journey:
It is really important to get people at all levels involved in building the culture transformation plan. This involves establishing a definition, framework, and outline for what an extraordinary culture looks and feels like. It also includes conducting a culture assessment. So, we’re inviting all of the college to “audition” to become culture champions. We will select about 20, take them through a “culture boot camp,” and equip them with an assessment tool. They will then spread out through the college and listen to as many people as possible in a structured way. From there, we will build our execution plan. This first stage is to ignite and listen. We’ll see how this process works and keep you posted.
In parallel, we are facilitating a “purpose and values sprint” with the executive team, along with some other key folks. There is much solid work that’s already been done in this area to date and we’re building off of that progress. This outcome will be instrumental in guiding our culture execution and will connect with the recommendations of our culture champion team. Stay tuned and tag along.
Think Big, Start Small, Act Now.
Lorne
One Millennial View: I’m certainly interested to see how this pans out. I’d like to know what constitutes a “culture bootcamp,” and how the student body and faculty respond/perform. I look forward to hearing more as the journey continues.
– Garrett
Blog 985
Edited and published by Garrett Rubis