APM Team,

I commend our efforts this week to communicate our APM culture pillars. Hopefully each of us have a better understanding of three basic questions:

What is culture?

Why is culture important?

How to apply culture to my role?

This week I recalled thoughts shared by Jake Wood, Co-Founder and CEO of Team Rubicon and author of the book Take Command.  Mr. Wood writes “Passion trumps talent, but culture is king.”  He further writes:

“But while passion might be enough to achieve high impact for individuals, if a high impact team is what you’re after, then culture is king. Simply put, your culture is your organization’s lifeblood. It is what drives decisions in the absence of orders; it is what maintains direction when leaders inevitably move on; it is what makes people excited when their alarm clock goes off on Monday morning.”

In the spirit of collaboration, I hope each of you see and feel that APM is about the Team. Creating the team first, win as one mentality starts with culture. And it starts with each of us understanding the culture, embracing the culture, and applying the culture to ourselves.

In the spirit of accountability, please devote time this summer, as we reflect on the spring and prepare for the fall, to assess how you have embraced the APM culture pillars in your role. What are you doing well and should continue? What are you struggling with and should improve?

In the spirit of transparency, I share below the culture focus points I had this spring:

• Accountability: Continue to use of data to verify say/do. Consider using 3 way communication (HOP) to clarify expectations.

• Candor: Continue asking good tough questions – challenge to “dig deep and pursue excellence.” Consider more direct, decisive when providing feedback, ex: I expect (who to do what by when and why – not how).

• Transparency: Continue sharing information in real time at all levels. Consider creating urgency for all levels to share information and accelerate change.

• Collaboration: Continue reaching out to non-APM stakeholders (GE, Labor, Industry peers) to engage and influence. Consider who from APM can I bring with me? Empower & Elevate – bring other Chiefs & Leaders to GE/FC/Industry tables.

  As we enter the PD process, I am reflecting on how well I did with these focus points. And in the spirit of candor (and humility), I will seek feedback from many stakeholders, both inside and outside APM, to assess my performance and what I need to focus on for the fall. I encourage you to do the same.

  – Jake