How Leaders Lead with David Novak #71: Larry Senn, Senn Delaney Founder & Chairman—Help Others Be at Their Best
Today's guest is Larry Senn, who's actually the father of corporate culture, and the Chairman and Senn Delaney. Larry and his business partner were hired by Sam Walton in the early days of Walmart. And it was there that Larry began to understand the intangible part of an organization that really makes a difference. Today, we call this company culture, which is simply defined as the way people behave and the way they work together. Believe it or not, Larry published the world's first research on corporate culture, and has spent his entire career helping organizations be at their best, when you think about it, helping others be at their best. That is what being a great leader, and a great coach is all about. And I'll tell you, Larry has made quite an impact in my life as my coach over the years.
In this episode, you’re going to learn:
- How Larry built a flower business and bought a Jaguar K 120 sports car at age 18
- How Larry learned that he was in the wrong career after college, and what he did to make a change
- What Larry learned as a consultant for Sam Walton before Walmart went big
- How to build exercises that inspire employees to embrace change
- What jigsaw puzzles reveal about teamwork
- How to build actionable work values and principles
- Why it’s hard to get company cultures to change
- How to develop the mindset of a leader
- The best and worst things leaders can do for (and to) their companies
- PLUS How to thrive at work and home without making compromises