When an organization scales quickly, so can the temptation to add needless red tape.
Chris Anderson, general counsel and HR lead at Rayburn Electric Cooperative based in Rockwall, Texas, was going through that situation when the company size doubled in the past three years. “This significant growth spurt forces us to ensure that the culture that made us who we are remains the basis for the culture we want to be.”
In an interview with StrategicCHRO360, he shares exactly how his team has worked diligently to prevent unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, and the most important leadership behaviors for building a healthy culture.
Growth often triggers more rules and less trust. How can HR leaders scale an organization without unintentionally adding bureaucracy?
This is a great question because we are going through this at Rayburn, where we have almost doubled the size of the company in the last three years. This significant growth spurt forces us to ensure that the culture that made us who we are remains the basis for the culture we want to be.
We are very conscious of unnecessarily adding policies, procedures and imposing a bureaucracy where one did not exist before. Our answer to that is people: We are relying more on our directors and managers to guide culture rather than relying on pieces of paper and intranet website postings to communicate policy.
We have intentionally clarified decision rights and ownership at the leadership level so that accountability lives with people, not paperwork. Our solution in scaling our organization rests in people-centered conversations and leadership-driven modeled behavior rather than written policies and procedures.
What role should continuous learning play in workforce strategy, especially in highly regulated or technical industries?
Continuous learning is vital. The real challenge for leaders is ensuring that training is both engaging and directly applicable to employees’ day-to-day responsibilities. In a highly regulated and technical industry like ours, much of the instruction must be specialized. Our responsibility is to keep that targeted training practical and current, while also using it as a foundation for new skills and expanded learning horizons.
To support this, we created Rayburn University, REC-U, a core curriculum that covers who we are, the role we serve and how we manage revenue responsibly. It helps employees across departments understand how their work connects to the larger mission. We also introduced electives led by each department, giving teams the opportunity to teach the rest of the organization what they do and how they serve our members.
We regularly review all content to ensure it aligns with operational realities and regulatory expectations. Just as important, our training extends beyond technical expertise. We intentionally develop leadership, strengthen communication capability and create cross functional exposure so employees grow not only in their roles, but as well-rounded contributors to the organization.
How has your own career progression shaped how you approach your role today, particularly when balancing legal risk, people strategy and critical infrastructure?
Rayburn is a relatively small company and much of my career was spent at a mid-sized publicly held corporation. Across every role, the leaders who shaped me most were those who communicated clear vision and purpose and consistently modeled their values. From them, I learned that strong organizational development and culture-centered leadership are strategic advantages.
Legal risks and infrastructure challenges are real, but they are best addressed by investing in people. When employees are committed to continuous learning and personal growth, and when a company honors them as individuals, the organization becomes more resilient and more capable.
I also learned early that people cannot perform optimally if they do not understand how their work fits into the bigger picture. During an internship at the Wisconsin Attorney General’s office, I overheard staff members say they lacked context for the work. I have carried the lesson of that overheard conversation with me throughout my career.
To me, a people-first strategy is the foundation for navigating risk and complexity. By reinforcing culture and developing employees, leaders strengthen the structure of the organization and create the conditions for long term success.
What quiet leadership behaviors have you found to be most influential in shaping culture over time?
The quiet leadership skill I value most is modeled behavior. I see principled leadership in action every day when core values guide day-to-day decisions. Modeled behavior may sound cliche, but whether someone leads by title or by influence, people are always watching how they act and react.
I once watched a CEO step away from a highly publicized meeting with key stakeholders after learning that an employee at a plant had been injured. He understood that his presence mattered more to the employee’s family and co-workers than the meeting ever could. That single decision reinforced the organization’s commitment to safety and made clear that every employee mattered.
It is easy to demonstrate strong values when things are going well. The true test comes in moments of stress, crisis or volatility. In those moments, people look to leaders for cues on how to respond. Culture, both positive and negative, is cemented under pressure. Actions taken in critical moments define credibility more than any formal statement ever will.
