4 steps to taming a combative culture

f oorc ARouND. Has a 10.000-lb. I-lgorilla taken over your company?

Before you reply with a quick "no" and refocus on your to-do list, bear in mind that this giant beast is known by a second name: culture. And understand that taming him is imperative because his destructive behaviors can keep your company's tribe from doing what it was brought together to do.

Here are some tell-tale signs that he has adopted your organization as his habitat:

. There are several positive change initiatives in the works, but the old guard refuses to alter "the way we've always done things." They aren't receptive to new hires and won't take an active role in training them. Rather than working to move the company forward, they spend most of their day making excuses for why things should stay the same.

. Your employees are constantly patting themselves and each other on the backs. Unfortunately, they're often celebrating empty wins like getting a client's order right on the second try or passing an angry customer on to another department. These "celebrations" only serve as a smokescreen to hide stagnation and lack ofprogress.

. Most people in your company seem too comfortable. They gravitate toward and "nest" in the familiar. At times, you wonder if innovation, creativity and motivation are foreign concepts to them.

"Unfortunately, the gorilla's constant bellowing drowns out other messages in the concrete jungle, which allows poisonous cultures to take entire organizations hostage," says Micheal J. Burt, coauthor of Zebras & Cheetahs: Look Dffirent & Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle. "The good news is, prepared and proactive leaders can provide clarity, unite the tribe, and tame that unruly gorilla so that cooperation, growth and innovation are once again in the spotlight."

According to Burt and co-author Colby Jubenville, leaders who can successfully go nose-to-nose with culture gorillas are members of a newly evolving breed:Zebra and Cheetah (or Z&C\Leaders.

"Zebra and Cheetah Leaders are so called because they exhibit qualities of both breeds," explains Jubenville. "Like zebras, they boast a distinctive appearance that others can easily recognize. Like cheetahs, they possess great speed and are particularly quick accelerators. And like both, they have an ability to utilize their senses so well that they excel in adapting to their environments. In other words, these are leaders who are able to adapt to the fast-paced, always-changing, and highly competitive business world, and who are capable of leading diverse tribes within it."

Zebra and Cheetah Leaders recognize that 10,000-lb. gorillas are sustained by individuals who, unlike themselves, have refused to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of reality.

The authors suggest four things Z&C Leaders must do in order to stop feeding the gorilla... and create clarity amid the chaos of the concrete jungle: n Get real about the reality your tribe is facing. Chances are, the path you once took through the jungle was wide. well marked. and free of most significant obstacles. You could count on easily visible indicators, typical benchmarks, and annual performance ratings to keep you going in the right direction. And if any doubt cropped up, your company's fearless leader would dictate who should lead, who should follow, and what should be done. To hear your change-averse gorilla tell it, that's still an accurate portrayal of reality. Don't let him fool you. The good old days are long gone. each individual is likely to define that outcome differently, usually in whatever way would benefit them most personally. In this scenario, you're likely to have some employees who mistakenly believe they've "made it," while others struggle, strive and snipe their way in the wrong direction.

"In today's competitive, constantly changing global economy. organizations whose cultures expect the journey through the concrete jungle to be easy won't last long," Burt says. "These days, the path can quickly change, or disappear altogether. You might encounter rockslides or quicksand at any moment. And predatorsotherwise known as competitors-will be constantly nipping at your heels.

"Z&C Leaders are committed to drawing a clear picture of the true, actual circumstances their organizations face, regardless of how positive or negative they may be. Only then will you be able to cut through the smokescreen your gorilla may be throwing up and unite your tribe in pursuit of an overarching dominant aspiration."

- Make sure your tribe understands the complex order of the concrete jungle. In nature, jungles are incredibly complex. They contain a dizzying amount of animals and plants that are competing for resources and survival But despite (or in some cases, because of) the occasional casualty, the ecosystem supports the many populations that call it "home" and enables them to thrive.

Ideally, that's the case within your company, too. However, it doesn't matter how balanced and well calibrated your tribe is on paper if all of its members don't understand where, how and why they fit.

"It's a natural instinct for people to worry about their futures," Jubenville says. "That's why so often new ideas, policies and people spark pushback. Established tribe members worry that they're being edged out or that they're entering the endangered species list. And that type of uncertainty feeds the gorilla. It'll beat its chest, bellow and attack what it mistakenly perceives to be the competition, effectively halting growth and progress.

"As a Z&C Leader, it's imperative for you to not only leverage your tribe's talents, but to make sure all of its members understand where they fit within your organization's ecosystem, both now and in the future."

" Clearly define success. Once tribe members understand the order of the jungle they inhabit, Z&C Leaders must outline what, exactly, constitutes success. Left to their own devices.

"We refer to the force of a tribe working toward success as collective passion," says Burt. "The struggle to survive and succeed in the global economy won't always be pleasant or easy. But if your tribe goes through the metaphorical fire together, it will emerge as a stronger, more efficient group. Collective passion helps create a cooperative. unified environment- in which gorillas can't survive."

" Create new levels of professionalism. This step is the easiest. You'll find that when your tribe's members have collectively survived the crucible and reached the first level of success you've set for them, their relationships with each other will change.

"Specifically, competition within the tribe will naturally be replaced by new levels of cooperation once everyone sees what they're all capable of accomplishing together," promises Jubenville. "This will then allow the competitive focus to fall where it belongs: outside the tribe.

CNRG Adds Georgia Store

Central Network Retail Group, Natchez, Ms., has acquired Moore's Hardware, Dahlonega, Ga., from Lamar Ricketts.

"CNRG was a good fit for us," said Ricketts, who will stay on as a consultant. "After 20 years of running this business, it was important to us to choose a good owner for the future. CNRG understands our business and they are committed to investing in it for the future."

CNRG now operates 44 stores in the South (including five in Georgia) under nine separate brands.

Longtime lowa Dealer Closes

Fifty-six-year-old Waterloo Lumber. Waterloo. Ia.. auctioned off the last of its inventory and equipment July 18, after closing a month before.

The buildings and property are up for sale.

"Numerous things happened over the course of the last couple of years," said third-generation co-owner Nick Donlea, who has operated the company with his sister, Stacy, and brother, Tony, since 2003. "Contractors constantly closed and retired, and we just didn't find any new business."

He also blamed competition from national retailers.

New Owners for Florida Mill

New York-based private equity firm Blue Wolf Capital Partners has acquired substantially all of the assets of Suwannee Lumber, Cross City, Fl.

Suwannee c.e.o. Frank B. "Bump"

Faircloth and president Daniel Dickert invested alongside Blue Wolf and will remain with the company, as will others on the management team. Michael Ranson and Charles Miller, partners at Blue Wolf, will join the company's board of directors.

"We are excited by the opportunity to partner with Blue Wolf," said Faircloth. "Their operating experience and vision will be invaluable as we continue to modernize our operations and increase capacity in order to take advantage of the rebounding housing construction and remodeling markets."

Founded in 1954, Suwannee operates a 150 million bd. ft. sawmill operation that supplies decking and dimensional lumber to customers in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast United States. Suwannee also operates a ground cover division that manufactures and bags a variety of mulch and soil products, as well as a retail hardware store (Florida Forest Products) and firewood operation (Lite My Fire).

N.Y. Wholesaler Adds Retail

Potter Lumber has operated lumber warehouses in Corfu and Le Roy, N.Y., since 1903. In late June, the company held a grand opening celebration for its first retail store, also in Corfu, which will offer hardware, plumbing, and electric.

"Our warehouses have been on Water Street in Corfu for years, and this building just happened to be across," said co-owner Mary Dix. "The idea is to have the customers order their lumber, then go across the street to get their building materials. Lumber and hardware go hand-inhand."

The family spent a year planning for the new store. "We're trying to be more diverse and get a broader base in customers," said co-owner Bob Dix. "Going against Home Depot is a tough job."

The company's two warehouses house a large supply of lumber, trusses, insulation and more, which can be delivered anywhere in New York.

"I think we lose out on a lot because we are called Potter Lumber, and when people look at that they think it's just lumber," said Dix. "Now we do everything."

ABC Supply Buys Sellmore

ABC Supply, Beloit, Wi., has acquired the distribution assets of Sellmore Industries, a distributor of steep-slope roofing, siding and windows with locations in Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md.; Philadelphia, Pa., and Buffalo, N.Y.

"These four new locations will expand and strengthen ABC Supply's