Coaching Company Culture

What are the top considerations for solving business problems? In start-ups to giant Fortune 10 companies and everything in between, challenges arise daily. Company culture dictates much of how companies handle issues, from how decisions are made, and operations are developed, to implementation and measurement of how it all impacts client satisfaction, productivity, the workforce– and ultimately, whether it spells success.

In a world of profit based bottom-line thinking, we talked to Andie Monet, who counsels captains of industry on company culture. Although this maybe sounds like more meaningless corporate jargon, she makes a strong case for the angels to be in the details. She weighs in on everything from the “Great Resignation” to the “Great Fulfillment”, why operations truly matter, and more. Speaking from more than 30 years of experience, Monet gives new meaning to terms like “optimization”. Read on as you directly learn from someone who has the ear of Fortune 10 companies.

You’ve had a lot of success coaching and consulting leaders at 8, 9, and even 10 figure companies. How did you get into that line of work and find your first client?

It’s been exciting, with even up to 11 figure companies that I’ve helped, and it started completely by accident. I’ve always been good at solving problems and making things work out, originating from having to be a mom to my mother at an early age. Most of my original clients were found walking business to business selling my business services. This was before cell phones and the internet. I didn’t have business cards or even a car. Very humble and challenging beginnings.

What makes you different from other coaches and consultants helping businesses with their bottom line?

The longer answer is super geeky, but the short answer is that the term “optimization” is when you solve several mathematical equations that result in one solution that answers all the equations at the same time. For example, maximizing revenue, minimizing cost, all with as few employees as possible, with maximizing marketing and publicity, etc. I see businesses as a “system” that can be optimized in hundreds or even thousands of areas, operations, workflows, financial constraints, employee count, industry information, and provide the most cost effective and, simultaneously, most impactful and powerful profitability solutions for that exact organization. No one does exactly what I do, that I know of.

What should a small business try to duplicate from big business and what should a small business not try to attempt that big businesses do with ease?

A Fortune 500 company can be everywhere, all the time, for everyone. If a small company tries to do this, they will become bankrupt before they even begin. However, what small businesses should follow and understand is to be consistent in their messaging, and even better if they know exactly what kind of people will resonate with their offerings. Sometimes that’s not just demographic but also psychographics, as well as solving very specific challenges, both business or personal, that their market faces, and to speak to that.

What buzz words or hot topics do you see about business that are somewhat of a myth or at least over played?

I see “grind” and “hustle” a lot on social media for entrepreneurs. It’s mostly to “pump people up”, get people motivated, or both. Unfortunately, it continues to feed a dangerous myth and reduces long-term success for business owners. Sure, there are challenges with starting a new business. I’ve been consulting for over 35 years, showing people that you do NOT have to grind or hustle to be successful. I’m immensely sad and frustrated that business owners think they need to suffer to do well in business. My personal goal is to turn upside down the statistics of failing businesses. Instead of seeing 8 out of 10 businesses fail within a year or 2, I want 8 out of 10 businesses to succeed beyond 10 years, while creating a long-term plan for their business as it relates to their personal goals and life plans.

What unsexy strategies do you see companies doing or that you even encourage them to implement that don’t get a lot of press or attention?

“Operations”. It’s totally unsexy, unfun, and most people don’t really understand the extent of what that means. When I’m talking about how to increase revenue and profits without increasing costs or hours worked, some of that strategy has to do with operations. There are sales operations, financial operations and even vendor/customer onboarding. Nearly 100% of smaller companies that I work with have never thought of operations as a solution to explosive growth. Even some multi-billion-dollar clients don’t think of this.

In the past there have been trends like working from home and even the “Great Resignation”. What new trends or changes do you see coming in the workforce as a whole?

I agree with the concept of the Great Resignation, but it is limited by work-life balance or quality of work environment. However, what has not been discussed, that I’ve personally seen, is the idea of the “Great Fulfillment”. What’s really been cool, but not easy or convenient for a lot of businesses, is that younger employees, especially Gen Z, often want jobs that are in alignment with their personal social morals. Examples are companies supporting sustainability, green technology and industries, or organizations who have corporate objectives that have social impact.

What are company leaders secretly most concerned about that they don’t like to share publicly?

This is an easy question because it’s related to the perceived work ethic and sense of entitlement of younger employees. The older generations perceive the work ethic of younger employees as not being strong. In reality, it’s often related to work-life balance and, unfortunately in many firsthand examples, their personal lives are more important than working at all, resulting in resignations or firing. Related to entitlement, I’ve also seen firsthand that some of the younger generation feel that they should not “have to pay their dues” and should get a higher wage than some of their experienced counterparts. This is tough to address from an HR perspective as well.

We could have spoken with Andie for hours and look forward to talking to her more in the future. Her insights are shockingly simple at times as well as wildly controversial at others. Did I mention she thinks COVID is coming back? Regardless, there’s a reason so many seek her out.

See more at AndieMonet.com