Reshaping an organization around purpose takes time

Truly changing an organization takes time. Jim Manskey, President of TBG Partners, shares his experience with what it takes to truly reshape a company around purpose.

Robin: Hello and welcome to this edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies. I am Robin Tooms, VP of Strategy at Savage Brands, and my guest today is Jim Manskey, President at TBG Partners. So Jim, welcome back. I’m glad you’re back on the show.

Jim: Thank you, Robin, always a pleasure.

Robin: Well I’ve loved talking to you about some of the leadership transition at TBG Partners and what you’ve been doing around the brand, but this has been a big process for you. I’m curious where you see yourself on that journey right now, and maybe why you’re at that stage.

Jim: So much bigger a process than I ever anticipated. We were told going in, three to five years, and being service-oriented, we thought, that’s crazy! We can get much quicker. The reality is what we’ve discovered is that to go organizationally and truly wrap the organization around delivering on our purpose, it is three to five years, and I’m convinced that’s at a minimum because we truly are changing our conversation.

Robin: Yeah, and that’s what’s interesting about what you’re talking here. It’s not just about launching a new external image, this is about reshaping the organization, and that takes time.

Jim: Absolutely. Literally from the way we communicate, from hiring and recruiting to changing the sort of personal dynamic of leaders that have been with us for years and years, and helping them understand this new paradigm for how we communicate and deliver our purpose.

Robin: And since you’ve started this process, you’ve likely seen some benefits. So now that you’ve reorganized your own purpose, what’s a benefit that you’ve seen?

Jim: I think on the surface, most impactfully is recognizing the consistency of culture across 6 offices and 150 employees give or take. It’s really been a rallying point from the newest recruits and interns to the most seasoned leadership folks, in terms of rallying around that common purpose, which we’ve not had before. So it’s really putting us on a single path.

Robin: Well I’m glad you shared that. I can think of some other leaders maybe in similar situations that want to learn from what you’ve gone through.

Jim: Well thank you, I hope so.

Robin: Thank you. This has been another edition of Brandonomics, an inside look at top brands and their marketing strategies.

 

TBG is a landscape architecture firm specializing in community development, corporate campuses, civic spaces, hotels, hospitals and educational facilities. Over the past 28 years, the firm has grown from a single office to an integrated practice with more than 125 professionals working on projects around the world. https://tbg-inc.com/