Whale companies, other departments and parts of
the company are referred to as “The,” and management is
referred to as “They.”
Customers, vendors, and consultants are viewed as outside
entities instead of as partners and important parts of
the team. This indicates a total disconnect.
“ THE IT department… ”
“ THEY don’t want us to do it that way… ”
“ THE audit group told us we couldn’t… ”
“ THE customers don’t… ”
UNBEACH
“ Words are currency! ” —Tammy Kling
33
There is power in words.
Words become the culture individuals and teams revolve around.
What words are you using?
Insist on using the words “Our” instead of “The” when referring to
other parts of the company including customers and vendors.
“ OUR IT department… ”
“ OUR management team doesn’t want
us to do it that way… ”
“ OUR audit partners told us we couldn’t…”
“ OUR customers don’t… ”
OUR
BEACHED
35
BUNKERED SILOS
In BW (Beached Whale) Companies, silos are everywhere, and
they are well protected. Teams talk about other departments and
functions with disdain, and they bemoan how ineffective they are
or how difficult they are to work with. The left hand clearly has no
idea what the right hand is doing. In fact, the two hands are often
working at cross-purposes with each other.
The business is not viewed as an interconnected enterprise but as a
bunch of bits and pieces cobbled together. Success is measured locally
by what our group did, not by the success of the overall outcome.
This is relational death within an organization, a family, or an
individual life. Any individual has many moving cells, parts, and
organs that make up the whole, yet one is just as important and
necessary as the other to function. Healthy companies, individuals,
and relationships are in synch holistically. They function as one.
UNBEACH
37
Enterprise, Enterprise, Enterprise!
Communicate and collaborate so team members view the company
authentically as one entity and not a series of castles. Recognize
that every part is interdependent on the other parts. Create
opportunities for parts and pieces of the company to interact
and collaborate with other parts.
Eliminate all “us/them” talk and attitudes and insist on a strong
collective “we.” View the company as one team that wins or loses
together rather than multiple teams working at odds with each other.
Our wins are your wins. Your losses are ours too.
Healthy companies have a culture of synchronicity.
ELIMINATE SILOS
BEACHED
39
ALIENATE OUTSIDERS WITH
A CLASS MENTALITY
I heard a C-level executive refer to consultants as
“ blood sucking leaches.”
It was not surprising that at this companies’ plants there were signs on
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