You Never Step In The Same Stream Twice

“You never step in the same stream twice.” I first heard this saying from my long-time friend and former coworker, Loring “Pud” Mellein, an avid fisherman. At first, it didn’t make much sense to me. Pud explained that although a stream may look the same on the surface, the water is constantly moving, making the stream never truly the same.

Culture

This got me thinking about company culture. Where Pud and I worked for decades, the culture was outstanding until the end. At State Auto Insurance in the 1990s and early 2000s, the word “family” was often used to describe the culture. People who joined tended to stay for a long time. Every time I visited a regional office for training, it was a slightly different. Some people left for new opportunities or retired, and newcomers were gradually absorbed into the existing culture. Like a stream, the company looked the same, but its culture changed subtly with each new person. That’s because the newer folks were more transformed by the culture than the culture was transformed by them.

However, major strategic changes can dramatically alter a company’s culture and they can do so rather quickly. When State Auto decided to pursue new strategic directions rapidly, as opposed to gradually, many new people with different skill sets were brought in to achieve these goals. In doing so, the culture began to shift rapidly. It was like a heavy rainstorm changing the course of a stream or turning the stream into a river with rapids.

If you read my recent post about the late Tim Kight, you know my view on culture, which I learned from him. Culture is how people experience your organization. These experiences stem from behaviors, which in turn come from beliefs. When you bring in many people with different beliefs in a short time, behaviors change, and so does the experience.

Culture isn’t inherently good or bad; it’s about whether it delivers the experience the organization needs to be successful. Different companies in the same industry can have vastly different cultures and still thrive because they create the internal and external experiences necessary for success.

Case Study

In the case of State Auto, the cultural shift didn’t work out. While the company was named the best-managed insurance company in the industry by Forbes in 2005, by July 2017, on its 100th anniversary, it was acquired by Liberty Mutual. The stream that was fished in by agents for 100 years was diverted, and the familiar culture was gone.

Some companies navigate strategic change successfully, building a culture that aligns with their new direction. Unfortunately, State Auto wasn’t able to accomplish that. The decision to shift from what the company was traditionally good at—writing homes, autos, and smaller business accounts with a focus on agency relationships—to chasing larger accounts and going all-digital didn’t work out. We didn’t have the right people to execute these strategies. It was like expecting a football team built for passing to suddenly excel at running the ball.

The company wasn’t built for the strategic changes we undertook, and even bringing in lots of new people couldn’t overcome that. The company culture also moved away from an agency focus built on strong relationships which made it difficult to thrive in the new strategic direction.

Conclusion

Company culture, like a stream, is always changing. But dramatic shifts in strategy and personnel can change it rapidly and fundamentally. To navigate these changes successfully, it’s crucial to have the right people and a clear understanding of how to align your culture with your strategic goals. Reflect on your organization’s culture:

• Is it aligned with your current strategy?
• Are you prepared for the changes that come with new strategic directions?
• How has your organization managed cultural shifts?
• What strategies have you found effective in aligning culture with new directions?

I encourage you to share your experiences and thoughts and comments because your insights could help others navigating similar challenges.

Edited by ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute. An author, TEDx presenter, international speaker, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.
As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book, The Influencer, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence in everyday situations.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by over 700,000 people around the world and his TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!