A631.6.4.RB_DiazBrian

Listening to the dissimilar stories delivered by Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and Stanley McChrystal to me were very inspiring narratives of what it means to be a leader and how important it is to be adaptable.   McIngvale was faced with adversity due to the effects of a massively declined housing market and a catastrophic fire that could have meant certain bankruptcy.  In an effort to literally bring his company back from the ashes, McIngvale knew he needed to do something.  He knew that the way his company had been used to doing business had become obsolete and it would be necessary to completely transform his organization as well as his company's culture.  He picked up the book the Influencer and implemented a wide array of strategical changes with his sales force.  There were six lessons he taught.

1. He taught his staff to love what they hated (some did not like the idea of following up with customers once they had visited the store, they felt it was extra work).

2. He began coaching the staff, sharing ideas, and involving all of the associates.

3. Introduced technology, and made his staff literate in the use of iPads and email.

4. Utilized incentive pay.

5. Posted data for employees to visualize the company's performance.

6. Recognized employees for their outstanding work.

Sales began to take off, employees felt empowered, and McIngvale successfully navigated his organization back from the brink of failure.

Stanley McChrystal is a Four Star General that was involved in a number of conflicts that stemmed from the events of 9-11.  His distinctive service spanned 34 years and earned him several accolades.  His experience in leadership was challenged by the emergence of technology, generational differences, and leading service members stationed around the world.  To overcome these challenges McChrystal had to adapt.  Much in the world had changed since he enlisted back in 1976.  He learned to embrace technology and to be alright with learning from his younger counter parts.  He believes he could attribute his success as a leader to his ability to build trust in his man and women.  He built faith, confidence.  He even embraced reverse mentoring.  Imagine being a 20 something having to teach a 4 Star General how to use technology.  I could only dream of being in a position to be able to soak up as much information as possible from one of the greatest modern military men in recent history!  McChrystal believed in the culture of the Army as an Infantry man.  He also believed in the soldier's creed.  Brown stated "evidence suggests that strong cultures have more of an impact on employee behavior and are more directly related to lower turnover.  Research also suggests that a strong culture helps workers march to the same drummer, creates high levels of employee loyalty and motivation, and provides the company with structure and controls without the need for an innovation-stifling bureaucracy." (p. 405).

 Early in my life I worked primarily in the service industry.  I started off working in a Ponderosa as a dishwasher (I was all of 15).  From there I worked my way up to cook and then I wound up waiting tables for what seemed like a lifetime.  I worked for a place in downtown Orlando and the made me an assistant manager.  It was a new restaurant that was trying to make a name for itself.  It lacked a defined culture, a vision, and or strategies to help it.  I worked my *** off for this place because I  thought that it could be the springboard for a new career in management.  I was loyal to a fault.  After a few months sales kept declining, turnover was high as the sky, and the owner was (how do I put this gently) absent in terms of decision making.  It was a complete mess and the writing was on the wall well before the doors closed.  The owner had never owned a restaurant before and treated the place like his personal candy store giving all the pretty women free drinks, drinking (pretty heavily) while he was there, and not "throwing his weight" around when he wasn't happy with things.  He could have benefited from picking up our text and learning how organizations transform, build and revise cultures, share their vision and strategies and change the culture from one that doesn't work to one that cares.  In an effort to turn things around the owner brought in a "CFO".  We failed to see eye to eye almost from day one which for me is nor the norm.  I was more than happy to sit in a meeting with him one day and after being berated (I can't remember exactly for what) I took my keys out of my pocket and said "These are for you.  Looks like you have a restaurant to run."  And I turned around and walked out never looking back.  It felt good.

Compared to the diagrams in the book both men made cases for why strong cultures were important and how they positively influence organizations.  Both were able to accept the need for change and were able to adapt accordingly.  In McIngvale's case he had a great need for strategic change and he managed that change almost flawlessly.  He wasn't afraid of the change and and made certain he shared his vision, reinforced a new value system, and had key people in position.

McChrystal on the other hand as a member of the Army was in a culture steeped in history and held very dearly by him the others that served under him in the military.  However, he too recognized the need for change and embraced it.  Was he always successful?  Admittedly so, no.  But he used failure as an opportunity to learn and grew from the experiences of his service men and women.

Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.