blog – Erika Clegg

In praise of unorthodoxy

Erika Clegg — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 06:26:11 +0000

I introduced someone the other day as one of the most unorthodox business people I know. He’s the personification of zigging when others zag. Secure in who he is and brave in decisions. Enough of a risk taker to step into new territories but with the practical common sense needed to turn those steps into leaps forward.

The ability to be deep down unique is an extraordinary talent. My belief is that every organisation, and every person, has that talent, even if it is latent. To unearth it and deploy it as your culture takes insight and vision.

Vision is the prize. Branson and Bezos competing to be first into space. Southgate’s team getting ever further along the path to victory. A haulage business entering the industry top 100. A compelling vision can power a whole team to herculean effort because the prize is worth the pain.

And here’s the oddity: whilst your team will be driven by your vision, your creation of it will be driven by what you know about your team. By your insight to their motivation and their values.

Insight uncovers true values. The insight to know yourself, your people, your business. To dig deep, to question yourself, to forge your values in the heat of challenge. To move beyond the orthodox into the unique.

Because for your values to be effective, they must recognise the unique assets and attributes of your organisation and the team within it. Like brands, the more your values can be differentiated from those of their peers, the more powerful they are.

And it’s that unique combination of ambition and principles driven by self-knowledge that delivers a culture that transforms people, bonds teams and delivers the goods.

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Open secrets and skewed loyalties

Erika Clegg — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 03:47:54 +0000

Mohamed Al Fayed sold Harrods for £1.5bn almost 15 years ago. It has just emerged in a new BBC documentary that when he owned the business he allegedly raped at least five female members of staff, with many more now lining up to share their horrific experiences.

Bruce J. H. Drummond, a Barrister on the legal team representing those women, said “The spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark.”.

A former employee recalled that “Mohamed Al Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever,” … the staff at Harrods were his “playthings”. “We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.”

When there is a malign cultural force so deeply embedded in a company that even a change of ownership will struggle to rectify it – because when the very top is that rank, it quickly spreads down – the new leadership team absolutely must prioritise #values-led #cultural transformation. But the truth is that they might not know the scale of the problem, even when something has been an open secret.

Take as example an Employee Engagement consultancy report from three years after the sale, which includes this humdinger: “Despite perceptions outside of Harrods, Mr Al-Fayed was very popular with staff and was well known for his compassion. The new owners share his views and firmly believe that the way employees are treated is as important as financial performance.”

People like Al Fayed build myths around themselves that make people who see the other side of the story find it very hard to speak up. Loyalty is an odd thing that doesn’t always go in the direction you would expect.

Like any rot which has been allowed to spread in dark corners, it’s hard work to get rid of, and the more you dig the more you find. It’s also work with a ticking time bomb attached because without a clear and consistent demonstration of intent people can easily lapse into old habits.

Harrods is not the only cherished national institution that has allowed this moral degeneracy to take hold. Think of what happened at the Post Office Ltd with the Horizon scandal. Think of the double standards of some people in highest office.

I was curious to see where things have got to. Here’s Harrods’s values, developed in 2019. They call them ’employee values’ and position them as a promise: “As you live our values, we will too, for everyone who joins us here at Harrods. These are our promises to you.”

Since that open secret is now firmly uncovered, let’s hope the values of ‘trust’ and ‘we are one’ can fully take hold.

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We are all work in progress

Erika Clegg — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 04:08:33 +0000

Sometimes things change for us for the better. Sometimes the changes feel for the worse. Those are the times when we need someone at our shoulder, rooting for us and holding us to account.

Whilst most of our work involves helping businesses and other organisations find their purpose and values to support progress, we currently have personal clients with whom we are working on theirs. They have all hit a point of change in their lives and it’s given them the need to take stock.

We meet online for an hour or so every week, fortnight or month; and the basis for our sessions is a 34-page workbook. It’s fair to say we often go off piste, too. We don’t drop people – one of these conversations has been going on for over four years now.

We love helping good, talented people find a way in life that suits them, so please get in touch if you’d like to look into this for yourself or someone you know.

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Lead, leader.

Erika Clegg — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 04:00:09 +0000

By Erika Clegg

I’m going to say something contentious: I do not believe in recipient-led strategies.

Many organisations’ endeavours to do this are responsible for the pickle we find ourselves in today. Effectively handing over the creation of a path to those who’ll take it is not empowerment, it’s dereliction of duty.

This is a Leadership issue. It’s too easy to flip-flop between unintended dictatorship and leadership-by-committee. Great Leaders are wise Leaders, and effective strategies have to come from people who are experienced, informed and qualified to create them.

I do believe very strongly in establishing deep context. That includes really understanding and drawing alongside the people who are on the receiving end of your decisions, not just sending round wonks with clipboards or, worse, an online questionnaire.

Whether your focus is internal or external:

🔭You’re going to have to make the effort to discover which people and groups are the social glue

🎓You’ll need to connect respectfully, with a learning mindset, and making a long-term commitment to the relationship

🤞🏼You’ll want to do everything in your power to find out what the real hopes and lived challenges are for people you impact

🥾You’ll be keen to know where paths might open up to deliver the change you’re making

🐘You’ve got to read the (metaphorical) room: what’s the mood, what’s the lingo, where are the (metaphorical, unless you run a zoo) elephants hiding?

So yes: make people part of the process. There are all sorts of good reasons for that. But don’t hand it over.

You’re a Leader. So lead.

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BrewDog’s 80% brilliant values

Erika Clegg — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 04:10:39 +0000

What’s fascinating about BrewDog – who, as we all know, are lovable scamps 😏 – is that four of their five values entirely justify their more outlandish behaviour. Had they left it at four they could reasonably argue that people knew exactly what to expect of them and didn’t have a leg to stand on in trying to complain.

Because values don’t have to be nice. Values are not about imposing the world’s views on you, but are about stating your world view. It’s a very different thing and I’d say that BrewDog’s values set is 80% exemplary.

We bleed craft beer

We are uncompromising

We are geeks

We blow shit up

Let’s deconstruct that. It’s quite blokey. The ‘we’ makes it clear that everyone is expected to buy into it. Whilst one of them is very specific – bleed craft beer – the others are open to a range of situations, if not interpretations. Uncompromising makes its point very clear indeed, whatever your point of connection. And if you were expecting an organisation to observe etiquette, ‘blow shit up’ would shatter the illusion.

But hold on, you say: that’s only four. You said they have five. Indeed they do: and this is it.

5. Without us, we are nothing.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that looks like it belongs to a completely different company. My instinct is that it was added as a compromise. In fact, since discovering this I have observed that many sets of corporate values have a team-related item last, which is ironic, when you think about it. It’s on account of that value that ‘Punks with Purpose’ – a renegade band of ex-employees and anonymous existing staff – could create a massive social media problem for James Watt to pick his way through, clearly in unfamiliar territory.

When I describe BrewDog’s values as pretty much exemplary I can feel the air being sucked out of the room by the sudden, sharp intakes of breath around me. I know how a vacuum-packed sausage feels. But it’s true: values are your values, not those other people would like you to have, or would choose for themselves. And in that regard, BrewDog’s are (80%) brilliant.

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What’s driving Mr Beast?

Erika Clegg — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 04:15:27 +0000

If you have teens and/or an enquiring mind, you’ll have come across Mr Beast, the alter-ego of YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson. As well as his entertaining money-splurging, risk-taking set pieces, he’s known as an environmentalist, philanthropist and mentor.

But there are aspects of his approach that people like less. His stance of ‘accepting everyone’ – which on the face of it sounds laudable – leads him to keep some dubious company, and some of his activities can feel exploitative.

How does he align the two sides of his approach?

Donaldson’s choices are deconstructed in this entertaining, well-informed and balanced critique by fellow YouTuber Jimmy Robins, who asks the question ‘Is Mr Beast Ethical?’.

My observation is that Donaldson is leaning most strongly into his vision when he makes his choices. Whilst from outside his perceived values seem to be in conflict, I think that is looking into the wrong direction, and confusing commercial decisions with ethics.

His vision is quite clear. If you follow him on LinkedIn you’ll see this goal: “On a mission to be the biggest Youtuber of all time.” Now, whilst he also says “I want to make the world a better place before I die” – and indeed many of his actions support this – if we look at his overarching ambition can contextualise what his values actually might be.

If Donaldson decided to write down his core values, perhaps one would be ‘To make an impact‘. This underpins the dizzying scale of his YouTube numbers goal, the changes he makes to people’s lives (most recently paying for cataract surgery for 1,000 people), the planting of 2m trees, the sheer scale of his generosity – all the positive stuff. It also aligns with less pleasant aspects of his work, like his partnerships with people like Andrew Tate, IShowSpeed and Joe Rogan; divisive people who cause a stir.

Another might well be ‘To be happy‘. As he says himself “Do not email me asking for money, I give away money because it makes me happy :)”. Since it’s increasingly understood that meaningful relationships, purposeful work and giving back to people are the key drivers of happiness, Donaldson is doing the right things to bring himself that reward. His colleagues are largely close friends and the joy in their work is palpable.

With 131m subscribers he’s advertiser catnip, which has so far delivered a personal fortune of between $25-100m dependent which reports you read. Late last year he valued his business at $1.5bn. He’s given away $1m in one show, committed $2m to supporting emerging content creators, given away an island, the list goes on – and on the way, he’s become YouTube’s highest-subscribed individual with 20m more subscribers than his closest competitor PewDiePie.

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Watch: What is ActiveEthos?

Erika Clegg — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 04:33:31 +0000

Erika was asked to explain what the term ‘Active Ethos’ means. Here’s her response.

https://erikaclegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/file-1.mp4

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Questions Answered: Where does the word ethos come from?

Erika Clegg — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 04:38:45 +0000

I started using the word ‘ethos’ regularly many years ago when introducing a new Values Set to my own business, with the goal of using those values to help create a positive culture.

The word ‘ethos’ represents what you get when you combine the values. It is heartfelt and purposeful, something I could draw upon fully as I took on the task.

The starting point for the word can be traced back to Ancient Greece, and the philosopher Aristotle. This was a golden age of oratory, and Aristotle set out the three necessary components of a speech to persuade: namely logos, ethos and pathos.

Logos (‘the word’) – this is the clarity of the argument, its content and factual accuracy

Ethos (‘character’) – someone’s right to make the argument (and therefore its weight) by dint of their own values and reputation

Pathos (‘suffering/experience’) – a speaker’s ability to appeal to their audience’s emotions.

I started using the word ‘ethos’ regularly many years ago when introducing a new Values Set to my own business, with the goal of using those values to help create a positive culture.

The word ‘ethos’ represents what you get when you combine the values. It is heartfelt and purposeful, something I could draw upon fully as I took on the task.

Logos (‘the word’) – this is the clarity of the argument, its content and factual accuracy

Ethos (‘character’) – someone’s right to make the argument (and therefore its weight) by dint of their own values and reputation

Pathos (‘suffering/experience’) – a speaker’s ability to appeal to their audience’s emotions.

This has subsequently been called the Rhetoric Triangle, and its use allows writers and speakers to create impact.

Looking more broadly, it’s a helpful structure for communications in any kind of project or programme in an organisation.

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Questions Answered: What are Ethos and Values?

Erika Clegg — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 04:44:17 +0000

We wanted to take a few steps back and look at the starting point for Larkenby’s work. Many of our clients are at the very beginning of a long journey, and part of their challenge is to draw people alongside them as they make that journey.

It can be hard to do this without the tools to explain their choices clearly, in a way that encourages involvement from busy people who may start the process unsure of its benefits. We want to empower those we work with to have these conversations with confidence and the necessary definitions and data to hand.

So over the next few weeks we are going to share some of the basic tenets of our practice, starting today with an explanation of what ethos and values are, and how they connect to form culture.

Values

These are the things that are important to you – your principles and standards. It’s important to set values that you feel in your belly or you’ll find them hard to stick to.

Behaviours

This is the way your values come to life to form culture – you will need planned, tracked and managed activities in place to inform those behaviours, especially at the start of the process where nothing is intuitive and the benefits are yet to be seen.

Ethos

A driving force that defines your approach, attitude and ambitions, this is the spirit of place. It is perceived from actions and implications.

Active Ethos

This is the whole thing – it is the process of defining and phrasing your values and bringing them to life fully and sustainably in every aspect of your organisation to deliver culture. We call it Active Ethos rather than Active Values because it’s very much about capturing that spirit of place and bringing it to life through values-driven behaviours.

Culture

This is the behavioural environment you create that carries your values through your people. This really is the big ticket item, which the ‘active’ part of ActiveEthos is designed to address. If you do not manage it, other factors will – hence the famous quote ‘culture is what people do when you’re not looking’.

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Chanel recruiting culture leaders

Erika Clegg — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 04:58:50 +0000

On the day that Glassdoor releases its annual list of best places to work, our eyes are peeled as ever for organisations that demonstrate real commitment to their culture.

So we were delighted to stumble across this recruitment ad for a Leadership Development Lead for Chanel which wraps together brand, values and culture across their global team.

In their words:“The Global Learning & Development department’s aim is to ensure leaders and managers feel equipped to transmit CHANEL’s Brand, values, and culture across the organization through a set of experiences, while actively working on the infusion of a shared culture within the House around these topics. The ambition, ultimately, is to ensure we are building the right capabilities for now and the future.”

How excellent to see them making such a direct link between values, culture and future leaders – this is exactly the route to take, and a critical investment in today’s challenging market conditions.

It sounds like a fantastic opportunity for someone who is coming up in the culture world and wants to stretch their wings at a genuinely iconic business.

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