SmartBrief is partnering with Big Think to create a weekly video spotlight in SmartBrief on Leadership called “VIP Corner: Video Insights Powered by Big Think.” This week, we’re featuring John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods.
Trying to replicate a successful company culture can be a difficult task, but it’s not impossible. For John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, transferring the company’s culture into a new store is as easy as making yogurt.
What does he mean? Making yogurt involves introducing old yogurt culture into new milk. The old culture then turns the new milk into new yogurt. By injecting small but key parts of your company’s culture into the new store, you’ll be able to slowly grow it.
This means emphasizing your company’s core values, training your employees well and giving them the right leadership tools. Be the leader you want them to be, and they’ll naturally start to follow suit, Mackey said.
“The great thing about a culture is that once you really get it going, it evolves on its own. It’s self-organizing. It’s dynamic. It just feeds on itself,” Mackey said.
Big Think is a forum in which top experts explore big ideas and core skills defining the 21st century. Learn more from its editors, fellows and guest speakers.