How does a company transition culturally? How did you develop the new company’s culture?
Our culture is deep, and we’re proud of that culture. But I think with that, what you have to do when you come together with another institution is really protect the culture but build upon it. We have a history of evolving over time to meet different needs and cycles, and different economies. Our history has been to be on the front edge of leadership through all different kinds of business cycles. So we build upon that culture and use it to better serve clients through different cycles and business climates.
You protect and covet your history and culture, but you build upon it and adapt it to make it even better.
What are some of the keys to promoting change to employees?
Realistically, leaders need to understand that people will come to their own conclusions in different time frames and in different ways. The core approach is to always provide an environment that is inclusive and forward-looking. Leaders need to be able to see beyond the immediate volatility and cast a vision for employees that allows them to anchor into something that is bigger than themselves, something in the future that challenges them to be better than they are. If you provide a positive environment, and the resources and depth and breadth of platform to help people do even better, most will get to the point where they seize the opportunity to get better and serve clients better.
From a leadership standpoint, it’s all about casting a vision, having a positive approach to your key constituents, and recognizing that some people will seize the opportunity more quickly than others, and that’s OK.
How to reach: Merrill Lynch, (313) 446-1111 or http://www.ml.com/
