The 7 Steps to Stickiness
TM
A practical framework for connecting commercial ambition with the culture, leadership and behaviour needed to deliver it
Stickiness is about creating an organisation people want to join, grow in, contribute fully to and stay with because they understand where it is going, feel part of it and love what they do and who they do it with.
I developed the 7 Steps to Stickiness to bring together the things I believe organisations need to get right if they want that to happen. They cover the story you tell, the reality people experience, the way leaders lead, how well you listen and communicate, how change gathers momentum and what keeps it going.
This isn’t a rigid programme. Every organisation starts from a different place. You may need to work across all seven steps or concentrate on one or two. The framework helps you understand where you are now, what may be getting in the way and where focused support could make the greatest difference to you, your people and the organisation’s future success.
1
Create and tell your engaging story
A strategy can make perfect sense to the people who created it and still mean very little to everyone else.
If people are going to support where the organisation is heading, they need to understand what is changing, why it matters, the choices being made and where they fit. An engaging story brings that thinking together in a way people can make sense of, talk about and share with others.
Your story needs to be clear, relevant and credible. Leaders need to be able to tell it in their own words, while people across the organisation need to understand it and see themselves in it.
2
Make sure the promise matches reality
The story you tell creates an expectation. What people experience every day determines whether they believe it.
If your stated values say one thing while leaders, decisions, recognition and everyday behaviour say another, people notice. That gap between what is said and what is done breeds cynicism, weakens trust and makes the strategy harder to deliver. Over time, it costs you good people.
Closing the gap starts with an honest look at the culture people actually experience, not simply the one described on a wall or website. It means being clear about the behaviours the organisation needs to succeed, understanding what currently helps or gets in the way, and making sure leaders, systems, recognition and consequences reinforce the reality you want to create.
3
Equip leaders and managers to engage
Whatever an organisation says about itself, much of someone’s everyday experience is shaped by the people who lead and manage them.
Too often, organisations assume people know how to lead and engage others. Many are promoted because they were good at their previous job, then left to work out the people bit for themselves, often copying what they experienced, including some fairly unhelpful habits. Even those who were good at it “back in the day” may find that what worked then no longer works. Working life has changed, and so have people’s expectations.
Leaders and managers need to understand what good looks like, have practical tools, opportunities to practise and support to keep learning. That builds their confidence to set direction, coach, give feedback, handle difficult conversations and hold people accountable, while adapting to different people and situations. When they do, people are better able to contribute, grow and do good work.
4
Listen, understand and act on the employee voice
The people closest to the work often spot problems, opportunities and unintended consequences before anyone else. If organisations want the benefit of that insight, people need safe and credible ways to speak up, challenge and share what they are seeing.
Listening means more than running an annual survey, or asking for opinions after a decision has already been made. Leaders need the curiosity and humility to hear things they may not like, while organisations need to look beyond headline scores and understand what is really driving them.
The quickest way to silence people is to ask what they think and then do nothing with it. Acting doesn’t mean agreeing with every suggestion. It means showing people what has been heard, explaining the choices made, changing what needs to change and reporting back. When people see their voice leading to visible action, trust grows and they are more likely to contribute again. When it disappears into a void, they stop bothering.
5
Communicate consistently
Communication isn’t a constant download of information. It is a two-way exchange in which people need space to ask questions, check their understanding and make sense of what something means for them.
People don’t all receive and interpret information in the same way. Some want the big picture, while others need the detail. Some think things through privately, while others need to talk them through. Good communication considers the audience, chooses the right mix of channels and conversations, and gives people more than one opportunity to understand and respond.
Consistency doesn’t mean delivering the same words in exactly the same way. It means the central message remains coherent, what people hear matches what they see, and they are kept informed about progress, changes and what has happened with their feedback. It also means checking whether communication has landed, rather than assuming that hitting send or hearing silence means everybody understands.
6
Find your first followers
People’s willingness can make or break change. Yet change efforts often spend too much early energy trying to win over those who are most sceptical or resistant. The thinking seems to be, “If we can just get them on board, everything else will be fine.” But momentum doesn’t come from the back of the ready-for-change line.
Some people are already on the same page. They have been waiting for the change, want it, need it and are ready to embrace it. They bring energy, ideas, enthusiasm and willing effort that the organisation can build from.
These first followers also provide visible proof for those waiting to see whether the change is worth it. Identifying them, encouraging them and putting them into play helps turn early belief into genuine movement. Give them the context, support and backing they need to try things, share what they learn and show others what the change can look like in practice.
This doesn’t mean ignoring concerns or resistance. It means not allowing them to dictate where the movement begins.
7
Stick with it
Meaningful culture change is never a “one and done” event. A launch, a set of workshops or some new values can create attention, but they won’t change what happens every day. That takes time, repetition and continued reinforcement.
Leaders need to keep showing up after the initial energy has faded. But commitment cannot rely on attention alone. The desired behaviours need to be hard-wired into objectives and measures, and into how people are recruited, inducted, developed, recognised and held accountable. Otherwise, the old systems will continue to reward the old ways of working, whatever the new message says.
Sticking with it doesn’t mean blindly following the original plan. It means monitoring progress, listening to feedback, learning what is working and refining the approach. Notice and celebrate evidence of change, deal with drift and keep reconnecting people to why it matters. When attention moves elsewhere too quickly, the old ways fill the gap. When commitment is sustained, the new behaviours gradually become part of how the organisation works.
Putting the 7 steps to work
You may already have a good idea which of the seven steps needs attention. Or you may simply know that something isn’t working as well as it should.
I can help you take an honest look at where you are now, understand what may be getting in the way and decide where focused effort could make the greatest difference. That might mean listening to your people and understanding the culture they experience, bringing leaders together to clarify direction, developing managers, helping teams work better or supporting a change until new ways of working take hold.