Slacker Manager

Gorillas and Office Politics: An Interview with Linda Ford

by Phil Gerbyshak on January 7th, 2008

Recently Linda Ford shared Beware - Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch that created quite a flurry of comments. It was so interesting, I had to ask Linda a few questions to learn more about her philosophies and her wonderful book.

So now I share with you a few questions with Linda, in an interview I’m calling:

Gorillas and Office Politics: An Interview with Linda Ford

Phil Gerbyshak: Linda, what qualifies you to be an expert in office politics?

Linda Ford: You know, Phil, the key to office politics is understanding how the system works. I spent 15 years in large global corporations in a variety of roles. Then I earned my PhD in Human and Organization Systems so I could see into the system more deeply. Since then, I’ve spent 16 years helping companies and non-profits make their organizations more effective.

PG: Why do you believe office politics are so important?

LF: “Office politics” is just another way of talking about corporate culture. And culture is simply “how we do things around here.” That affects everything! If leaders want to make their strategies successful, they’ve got to learn to manage culture. Most leaders know that they’ve got to manage products, customers, and cash to be successful. They sometimes forget that they must also manage the fourth factor – corporate culture. Hence the name of my book – The Fourth Factor.

PG: Why an 800 pound gorilla to represent office politics?

LF: You know what the 800 pound Gorilla does at the party, don’t you? Anything it wants to. Culture is the 800 pound Gorilla in the organization – it does whatever it wants to. The Gorilla metaphor fits perfectly for culture because the gorilla is a very powerful creature, quite intelligent. And it’s capable of cooperation but also destruction.

PG: What’s the worst office politics story you can share?

LF: Here’s a classic, Phil. The CEO of a young company calls me in because he wants to build a culture based on trust. He’s quite committed to this goal and willing to hold his team accountable for the right behaviors. And he’s willing to have others hold him accountable. The problem is that he’s got a temper. He sometimes explodes at employees in the hallway or in meetings. After the fact, he’ll apologize but the damage is done. While the executive team made a lot of good progress in creating a culture of trust, at some point they just couldn’t progress any further because of the damage that the CEO’s temper continually caused. The CEO was willing to work on the organization, but not on himself.

The thing is this – you can’t fake the Gorilla out. He’ll smell it a mile away. That means that leaders have to be willing to tackle whatever personal leadership issues they have in order to create the culture they want.

PG: What’s the last book you read that you’d recommend others read to help them make it great?

LF: Phil, this isn’t the last book I read but it’s just sooo useful I have to recommend it. Coaching for Performance (John Whitmore) is THE book that a slacker manager can apply to amp up the team’s performance without driving everyone over the brink. And don’t skip over the introduction and first chapter. You’ll get a different perspective on coaching that will fundamentally change how you manage.

PG: What’s the best advice you ever received and what made it so great?

LF: It’s not personal advice, Phil, but rather a quote that’s fundamental to who I am and how I work with leaders. Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” He didn’t say “Talk about the change till you convince everyone you’re right!” I have to admit that I’ve sometimes forgotten that piece of advice. But as a leader and a change agent I’ve found that when I can remember it, life works much better. It puts the focus on how I’m Being inside, not what I’m doing or thinking or talking about doing. It reminds me that to be in integrity, how I’m Being and what I’m doing or saying need to line up. It reminds me that when I don’t like the way things are going, I need to look for a different way to Be in the situation. That’s true whether it’s about world peace, an argument with my significant other, or a client challenge.

PG: How many gorillas does it take to make a company great?

LF: Just one, Phil. If the 800 pound Gorilla in your company lives by the six directives outlined in my book, The Fourth Factor, you can build a great company. There may be some variations in the culture between different divisions or locations, but the core culture needs to align around these six directives.

* Question Rigorously
* Include Respectfully
* Commit Responsibly
* Experiment Relentlessly
* Integrate Radically
* Connect, Really

If you want to know more, you can download “Experiment Relentlessly” for free.

PG: What’s your definition of a slacker manager?

LF: That would be a gal (or guy) who gets the Gorilla to point people in the right direction so s/he can make the organization successful without working ridiculously long hours.

PG: Where can we find more about you:

LF: Sure thing Phil. Glad to share a bit more.

• Read my blog at www.FordBusinessConsulting.com.
• Check out my new book, The Fourth Factor: Managing Corporate Culture, at www.FourthFactorOnline.com (or at Amazon.com).
• Listen to my “Crazy Middle Manager” podcast interview with Wayne Turmel

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