Culture Change and Leadership: A New
Badge of Honor
We’re in the midst of
one of the most exciting chapters in the history of aerospace. Engine
production is increasing two-to-three-fold year over year, and we are on the
edge of the industry’s digital revolution. While it took roughly 60 years to
achieve the advanced technology we see in jet engines today, the digitization
of our industry will move it much faster. It’s energizing to think of what’s
still to come. And, we’re excited to be on the forefront of those changes.
Of course, with
change comes the need to have organizational agility; be fast in our
decision-making to meet our customers’ needs and expectations. Our employees
must be empowered and entrusted to allow us to achieve that, and it’s why
having the right company culture is vital to our future success.
I’ve read countless
articles about companies espousing their respective cultures. From my
perspective, culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, practices
and behaviors. Organizations are driven by culture, and cultures are driven by
people. At Pratt & Whitney, our employees influence our culture through
their diversity of thought, herculean work ethic and the pride they take in
what they do. Our inclusive work environment helps us develop innovative
products and services for our customers around the world. And, our goal to hire
25,000 people by 2026 will bring in new perspectives to help us continue to
innovate and positively impact how we position ourselves for the future.
Having a
traditionally strong culture is not enough to succeed in today’s business
world. We must relentlessly examine our environment and look for ways to
disrupt traditional methods to remain agile. We must create an environment
where learning, solid decision making and prudent risk-taking are valued, where
people development is a core competency, where speed is a competitive advantage
and where each employee’s voice is heard.
How can we do this?
Simply, by driving transparency, trust and empowerment throughout our
organization. Recently, I challenged 250 of our leaders around the world to
relinquish just three decisions they make today to their teams. Because we
believe every employee can help build a culture where it’s okay to make mistakes,
figure out what went wrong and learn from it; a culture that entrusts and
empowers at all levels, so the next generation is ready to lead us forward.
This kind of
transformation doesn’t happen overnight, or on its own. It starts at the top.
As leaders, we’re responsible for engaging the hearts and minds of our people
to give them a higher sense of purpose.
Many of our leaders,
including me, recently went through the Thayer Leadership Development program
at West Point. The hallmarks of the Army’s culture – developing people, being a
learning organization and having each other’s backs – really hit home for us.
This is the culture we’re continuing to build at Pratt & Whitney.
I am incredibly
fortunate to be able to stand on the shoulders of those that came before me. My
job is to put the building blocks in place today, model the behaviors that will
bring it to life, and let our employees take it from there so those that come
after can continue the legacy of this company that I consider a national
treasure. It’s a role I’m humbled and honored to play, and I encourage other
leaders to do the same so we can “Go Beyond” for the industry we are so
privileged to participate in.
·
Robert F. Leduc November 16, 2017
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/culture-change-leadership-new-badge-honor-robert-f-leduc/
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