We were lucky to catch up with Philip Folsom recently and have shared our conversation below.
Philip, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Talk to us about building a team – did you hire quickly, how’d you recruit the first few team members? Any interesting lessons?
Attracting, onboarding, engaging and retaining your key employees is one of the primary functions of culture. In a deeply individualistic culture this means sharing an aspirational vision for the future that is greater than they could achieve alone or in any other company. It also entails a set of shared values that drives the decision making and action taking of the team which forms cohesion, structure and belonging. Additionally, your foundation of culture involves a set of shared missions that are contain collaboration and celebration which is the engine of kinship and an honor-based culture.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the founder of Wolf Tribe, a leadership and culture development company based out of Venice Beach, CA. We work with major companies such as Disney, Red Bull and Space X along with smaller start ups and non-profits. Culture is the number one driver of organizational success and investing in culture provides eight times the ROI of investing in either strategy or technology because culture moves the levers on all four profit drivers of innovation, competitiveness, efficiency and engagement.
Our signature program is Wolf Wisdom where we bring work teams out to a wolf sanctuary and learn the ancient team success principles of the wolves.
We also offer executive coaching programs because leaders are the head of culture before they are anything else and leaders’ behavior generates culture. Leadership development is culture development.
We also have leadership and culture development books and curriculum as well as high quality digital products that are available to the public.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I spent several decades doing team building for major organizations. Over time I realized that the same clients were coming back year after year with the same challenges and team building was not creating sustainable success. This was my pivot into culture development which is what actually drives sustainable change and growth and leadership development which is the source of culture. Now I’m seeing measurable transformation in profit, engagement and success and you can too!
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Belonging and status are the two core social needs of all communal animals and the engine of morale. To belong is to join a relationship or group which is to enter a hierarchy. Hierarchies are not power or position systems, they are value systems. The cost of entering a group is providing value TO the group. The more value provided increases status and deepens belonging. In uncertain times like ours, value is no longer clearly defined and can vary greatly from person to person and project by project. Define what value is to yourself and those in your group early and often because reciprocity is the exchange of value and the engine of kinship.
Belonging and status are an interconnected flywheel that generates freedom and meaning for both the individual and the group and freedom and meaning are the two core psychological needs for all humans.
You are all part of many relationships, groups and hierarchies. What is the value you are providing and receiving? How does this dictate your status and what is the next version of you that provides even more for yourself and others? This is a hidden part of the quest for freedom and meaning in life and the source of morale.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipfolsom/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipfolsom/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mywolftribe
