1. Creating a Culture of Winning™
2014 Mid-Atlantic Conference & Expo
Sheraton Premiere
Tysons Corner
Creating a Culture of Winning™
Eric Gregory
SVP, Shipley Associates

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Webinar Overview
What do we mean by “culture”?
Key elements of culture
How does “winning business” fit with culture?
10 principles (steps) that support creating a culture of winning
Questions and Answers
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Culture: What is it?
“…the shared values, traditions, customs, philosophy, and policies of a corporation; also, the professional atmosphere that grows from this and affects behavior and performance.”
- World English Dictionary 1
“Organizational culture includes an organization's expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations.”
- BusinessDictionary.com 2
The acknowledged and accepted expectations, values, attitudes, beliefs, rituals, symbols, actions, tools, education, and reinforcements enabling a group to sustain itself and prosper in the face of adversity and competition. 3
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4. Culture: Thrive (Win) or Die
 Shawn Parr, Fast Company,
Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch,
Jan 2012
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5. Culture: Thrive (Win) or Die
FOCUS: Aligns the entire company towards achieving its vision, mission, and goals.
MOTIVATION: Builds higher employee motivation and loyalty. 
CONNECTION: Builds team cohesiveness among the company’s various departments and divisions. 
COHESION: Builds consistency and encourages coordination and control within the company. 
SPIRIT: Shapes employee behavior at work, enabling the organization to be more efficient and alive.
 Shawn Parr, Fast Company,
Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch, Jan 2012
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6. Synthesis Critical to a Culture of Winning
Equip
Train
Operate
Leadership
Emotion
Win!
Vision
Capability
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7. Roles Must Be Defined in a Culture of Winning
Culture requires specific talents for success.
Creators
Win!
Sustainers
Teachers
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8. Importance of Culture Roles
Creators: Bring fire. The Prometheans. Sweet Medicine (Cheyenne)
Teachers: Bring knowledge. Confucius.
Sustainers: Act. Suleiman the Magnificent.
To create a winning culture requires leaders in each role who commit to the greater organization and its success.
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A Culture Must Evolve
Stories
Integrate facts, legends, art, and heroes into the organization’s social fabric.
History
Visual
Win!
Exemplars
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A Culture of Winning™
Clear
Expectations
Lived
Attitudes
Transmitted
Beliefs
Practiced
Rituals
Observed
Symbols
Defined
Actions
Available and used
Tools
Formal and mentoring
Education
Positive
Reinforcements
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11. The First Step: Expect to Win!
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12. The First Step: Expect to Win!
Set win rate and capture ratios reasonably high but not impossible
Expect everybody to contribute to winning new business in well-defined roles
Have a “no excuses for losing” mindset (we blew it!)
Have leaders set the tone
Publish metrics and results frequently
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Concepts and Lessons
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14. The Second Step: Align Values with Winning
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15. The Second Step: Align Values
Establish the Values of a Culture of Winning™
Teamwork
Discipline
Excellence
Accountability
Communication
Commitment
Innovation
Perseverance
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Concepts and Lessons
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17. The Third Step: Reinforce a Winning Attitude
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18. The Third Step: Attitude of Winning
Attitudes often determine outcomes
Never accept a losing or neutral attitude from an individual or the team
Generate enthusiasm, create confidence, engender competitiveness, demand urgency
Choose attitude over skill in all cases—skills can be improved. Attitude is fixed
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Concepts and Lessons
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20. The Fourth Step: Establish Beliefs
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21. The Fourth Step: Beliefs
Bid less, win more!
Win early. Bid to win, not to bid
Customer knowledge trumps solution every time
The competition is always ahead until you win. Enemy gets a vote
Strategy revolves around action
You can win in the capture and lose in the proposal
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Concepts and Lessons
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23. The Fifth Step: Recognize Rituals
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24. The Fifth Step: Rituals
Gate reviews are rituals that cement the belief structure
Color team reviews are rite of passage rituals for capture teams demonstrating maturity and competitiveness
Kickoffs are rituals in preparation for tribal warfare
Win parties are rituals celebrating and acknowledging victory
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Concepts and Lessons
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26. The Sixth Step: Create Symbols of Success
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27. The Sixth Step: Symbols
Capture and Proposal logos could be powerful symbols for power and effect
Winning covers become symbols for capture and proposal aspirants
Numbers become powerful and inspiring symbols. 60% Capture Ratio
Colors become powerful symbols of the pursuit of excellence. BLUE
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Concepts and Lessons
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29. The Seventh Step: Assign Action Tasks
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30. The Seventh Step: Actions
Define the 10 actions that must be accomplished on every capture effort to increase Pwin
Score actions at every gate review and capture meeting
Ensure each action has an accountable leader
Review each action separately with the leader once a week
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Concepts and Lessons
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32. The Eighth Step: Provide Tools
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33. The Eighth Step: Tools Make tools and tool experts readily available
Define and perfect your tools
Make tool use mandatory, not optional
Adapt tools, as required, to make them better
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Concepts and Lessons
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35. The Ninth Step: Educate and Train
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36. The Ninth Step: Education and Training
Education must become win culture immersion
Must have formal and informal education
Successful capture mentor invaluable
Keepers of the flame must educate the next generation
Practical application of skill supervised by the experienced-the only way to achieve excellence
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Concepts and Lessons
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38. The Last Step: Reinforcements
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39. The Last Step: Reinforce and Recognize
Reinforcements should accentuate the positive and success and help eliminate the negative and failure
Recognition should be rewards, not punishments
Reinforce with praise, tangible gifts, and setting of examples
Recognition from known “heroes” may be the greatest reinforcement available
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Concepts and Lessons
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41. Summary: Creating a Culture of Winning™
Not optional in today’s competitive market
Knowing who you are and how you will succeed as an entity binds people (culture)
A culture of winning has a clear advantage over a neutral culture
Vision, energy, innovation, competitiveness, are cultural attributes
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42. Summary: Creating a Culture of Winning™
Must be a clear objective of the organization
Can be planned, developed, and sustained
Identify your creators, teachers, and sustainers
Live your culture through every competition
When people lose their culture, they die
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43. Creating a Culture of Winning™
“A vibrant culture provides a cooperative and collaborative environment for a brand to thrive in. Your brand is the single most important asset to differentiate you consistently over time, and it needs to be nurtured, evolved, and invigorated by the people entrusted to keep it true and alive.” -Shawn Parr

44. Questions and Discussion
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Contact Information
Eric Gregory ww.shipleywins.com
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