“An Exciting and Profound Process"
About 6 months ago, Jeannine drove up to the business she and her husband Ron own – a business that family members started nearly 50 years ago. As she parked the car, she pondered the questions Kyle Mercer put forth in a recent blog article:
“How do you feel when you drive up to your business?”
“Does your business reflect who you are as a person?”
“Does it reflect your values?”
Kyle’s questions struck a chord. For decades, Ron has run the family-owned business, a complex enterprise with 200 employees and contractors. Jeannine recently became more engaged with the company. As she tackled large projects with increasing responsibilities, this sometimes caused friction. Meanwhile, Ron began leading the charge to implement crucial changes throughout the organization to assure continued competitiveness. After being in existence for nearly 50 years, the company atmosphere lacked accountability and the spark of creative teamwork, powered by full-on employee engagement and empowerment. Instead of a company that buzzed with energy and connectedness, the atmosphere felt sluggish.
“Thinking about the questions, I realized our company is not a reflection of us or our family values,” Jeannine says. While both Jeannine and Ron assert that the company is like a family, there was a disconnect. Managers and employees did not have a strong voice in this “family,” even though some employees have worked there 25 years. Jeannine adds, “I thought, Wouldn’t it be great to pull into the parking lot and have the company be an extension of who we are – as well as who our employees are? That was an exciting thought.”
The 2-day Corporate Renewal was “an exciting and profound process.”
Corporate Renewal brought together the 2 owners and all managers for a weekend. Ron and Jeannine explain that, with Kyle Mercer’s guidance, the team essentially dismantled and rebuilt the organization.
Ron describes it this way: “On Saturday, we blew up the company, and we rebuilt it on Sunday. It was an amazing experience for everyone, with every person talking openly. Everyone saw how, together, we were a family. This experience was so different – so outside the box from anything we’ve ever done before.”
Prior to attending Corporate Renewal, most managers were skeptical about the weekend’s business training program. By Sunday evening, however, they felt empowered, energized, and excited.
“Kyle ensured everyone a chance to express what they want the company to be,” Jeannine says. “I felt a sense of energy with our employees coming together as one – as a family. Together, we restructured the company into something everyone wants. Since all the managers shared input, they were ready to get on board and embrace change.”
In Corporate Renewal, Ron shared ideas about how he wanted to grow the company – and openly shared areas about how he wanted to grow as a leader. “I’ve run our company for a long time,” he says. “The goal was to identify things we all need to work on to make our company better. Kyle has an innate ability to get to the root cause of why things happen. He encourages people to be open to new ideas.”
Jeannine and Ron both summarize the Corporate Renewal experience as “an exciting and profound process.”
What were the outcomes?
“During Corporate Renewal, we created an action plan and assigned specific action items to everyone,” Ron explains. “We’re all holding each other accountable – including the fact that our leadership team is holding us accountable for strategic decisions. This is a critical way to get everyone in tune and in line, to get things done on time and using our new process.”
He adds, “Carrying us forth, we are using Inquiry Method to improve empowerment, mentoring, and accountability throughout the organization, at all levels. Our goal is to create an organization where energy surges from the bottom up, instead of Jeannine and and me forcing energy down. I want to be a better mentor, and I want to hear everyone’s ideas. In just six months, there’s been a whole new focus, a new way of managing, communicating, and interacting within the company – for all of us. Corporate Renewal created an amazing transformation.”
“We’re committed to keeping this new, vibrant engagement alive and resonating throughout our organization,” Jeannine says. “We realize this is an ongoing process – not something you do once, then think everything will be fixed. In fact, we’ve already scheduled our next Corporate Renewal.”
Using Inquiry Method, Ron and Jeannine are more inspired leaders, the company is delivering services on time and on budget, and the employees are more engaged and accountable. “One of our goals is for the company to be more like a family, and Inquiry Method is helping our employees be stronger, healthier, and happier,” Jeannine says. “It’s exciting.”
Now when Ron and Jeannine pull into the parking lot, how do they feel about their company?
Here’s what Jeannine says: “Because we’re working with Kyle and our employees as a team – as a family – to make the changes, the company atmosphere feels energetic and connected. The level of contribution that comes from creating a family atmosphere feels great!”
Ron adds, “I agree. In addition to positive energy and contribution, Corporate Renewal laid the foundation for changes to come – our company must continue to be relevant to survive the competition. This will be a challenging year for everyone. That’s why we’re looking to integrate Inquiry Method in all facets of the organization.”
The Corporate Renewal experience, coupled with weekly coaching with Kyle Mercer, is creating an energizing, uplifting environment where employees are held accountable and contributing at a greater level.
“We continue to work with Kyle as our business coach to maneuver through the challenges,” says Ron. “It’s exciting, and we’re looking forward to his ongoing mentorship.”