From Brian Gast of Quandrant International:
Brian Gast – Quadrant International
Everything I learned about creating an employee-focused corporate culture I learned while working for a large New York bank in the late eighties. When I became a CEO in the nineties, I recalled my experience working for the bank. I took note of its training, leadership and HR strategies . . . and did the exact opposite.
Hierarchical design and numbers-driven principles have built elegant, scalable organizations that have served as solid training grounds for leaders. Modern organizations are productive and sophisticated machines and yet we all know the negative, unintended consequences of its architecture and priorities.
As with many companies, on the outside my bank appeared to be doing okay. Its share price kept rising, managers made nice livings, and its customers kept buying. But on the inside the bank was decaying. The bank eventually was merged and remerged into other banks. Less than ten years after I left there was no evidence it had ever existed.
Like many entrepreneurs, my early large-organization experience awakened me to a desire to offer something different to the companies I led. I wanted to avoid the unnecessary inhumanity, talent drain and inefficiency. I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than my ego.
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