A White Shirt State of Mind  It has been said, “Act as if ye had faith and faith will be given ye.” The premise is that if you act the way you want things to be, you can help them happen that way. This is doable at several levels.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Thomas J. Watson Jr., IBM’s cultural father, established an unofficial/official dress code for all managers and those that met with customers. It consisted of a dark suit, tie and shoes with calf-length dark socks and a white shirt. Watson wanted to remove the visual stereotypes that separated those creating new technology with those managing manufacturing and those advising businesses. He felt that if you looked and acted like professionals, you would be seen and treated as professionals.

Harold Burson, the quintessential public relations consultant and founder of one of the world’s largest and most successful agencies, Burson-Marsteller, nurtures his own white shirt state of mind. Burson’s commitment to superior writing and listening skills combined with poise and impeccable manners has fostered a culture of empathic professionals serving clients in more than thirty countries.

Even after fifty years Harold Burson’s firm is still blessed by his example. While Mr. Burson is just as likely to wear a pink shirt as a white one, he regularly earns the trust and respect of colleagues and clients with his professional demeanor and personal ethos. Those working with him can’t help but be drawn to his methods.

Attitude and Aptitude  Ralph Johnson is not the international figure of a Burson or Watson, but he is cut from the same cloth. Johnson owns and leads Lake County Press, one of the country’s premier printing operations. He has maintained and grown the business he created while good competitors have failed.

Ralph has succeeded because he has been willing to accept and incorporate the next generation of technologies before others knew they existed. This is not the result of kind bankers with deep pockets, but Ralph’s dedication to supporting his sales staff with the best printing operation possible. He has created an environment where his talented entrepreneurial sales people feel comfortable serving the needs of their customers rather than just selling printing. In a business that, at its heart, is still metal and paper, Ralph’s people dress and act as advocates for their customers.

Like Watson and Burson, Johnson understands and accepts the premise that strong leadership sets goals and provides the means to accomplish those goals. Johnson encourages his people to determine how best to accomplish those goals.

All things being equal (and they rarely are), success is as much about attitude as aptitude. Determining goals, setting standards and fulfilling promises is more meaningful when your entire organization understands and accepts those goals, standards and promises as their own.

While the particular white shirt state of mind of these three organizations is not for everyone, the attitude is essential for designing long-term success. Essex Two has helped many organizations identify, introduce and implement those devices that have changed minds and focused efforts. Visit the Essex Two website for case studies that demonstrate our ability to stimulate the success of our clients.

Worth your time:  Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling is not normally the kind of book we recommend. But this is not just a children’s book of magic and mystery. The book is a contemporary metaphor for reshaping the culture of any organization as it faces new challenges, new leadership and reaffirming its purpose and culture. While thoroughly entertaining this is a case study in leadership and survival.