Book of Important Stuff - How NZTE’s Culture Characters Dominated

The CEO, Peter Chrisp) of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, approached me to help him develop a set of cultural characteristics and behaviors he wanted to become part of NZTE's operation.

Challenge:

NZTE needed to develop a culture code to align the global organization with its internal communication. Due to how NZTE operated and having to hire New Zealand citizens for many international leadership positions, there was sometimes a challenge and clash of cultures. 

The CEO had a concept of what he wanted and five key behaviors that he thought were important. My job was to bring these to life in a manner that would resonate with an organization spread across 50 countries and 40 languages.

Actions:

With a background in media and marketing, I knew that language and visuals were important. They had to be designed to create a sense of organizational ownership and drive adoption beyond a mandate. 

Finding the perfect creative to partner with, we created a resonated language.

The Characters and Book of Important Stuff:

The CEO did not know what he wanted as an output. Partnering with Noah, we developed a language and five core characters, explaining them in a short book distributed to all team members.

• Adventure Teaches Us

• Ambition Drives Us

• Honesty Frees Us

• Trust Binds Us

• Manaaki is Us (Manaaki is a Maori word for building the stature up in someone else over yourself)

Results:

These characters become the organization's nomenclature. They are used broadly, from team events to hard conversations. They enable team members to approach their leaders for a 'Hinesty Frees Us' conversation. Many regions adapted them to their cultures, blowing out the impact beyond all expectations.