Changing A Culture Of Avoidance

I've been noticing an increasing trend of issue avoidance at some of the companies I work with. Not just an inability to discuss the elephant in the room - but a genuine fear of confrontation that we are having to spend way too much time fixing.

Although more prevalent at lower levels of management, on the executive floor it often manifests as passive non-compliance (where people say "yes" and then don't actually do what they have committed too, instead choosing to pursue their own agendas). This then spreads through the ranks.

I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner with Professor Adrian Furnham last week, a hugely insightful (and entertaining) speaker, author, columnist for the Sunday Times - and he had some observations about the root causes.

Adrian made the general observation that modern western culture no longer sees feedback as a positive thing. In fact, the opposite is true - feedback (unless wholly positive) is seen as criticism. When suggestions are made, they are often not seen as routes to improvement, but rather a criticism of the work already done.

So I've been experimenting on my Wife and children (which is safer than experimenting on clients, and has the advantage of being free, fun and hugely entertaining)

On valentines day, my Wife and I went out for a nice breakfast to a newly opened cafe. She'd been there a few weeks ago with some friends for coffee, and wanted to introduce me to the place. 

After we'd placed our order I pointed out that some minor changes would greatly improve the place - some gentle music to create atmosphere, a wi-fi hotspot to encourage more passing business, a couple of additions to the menu and a few more comfortable chairs.

This was definitely received as criticism rather than feedback.

I know that starting the sentence with "This coffee is great, and I love that oak breakfast bar, although you know what would make this place even better........" would have changed that perception - but it shouldn't really be necessary.

Same thing with my children. Homework on the space program for my 12 year old son, I suggest some additions (to what is already  fabulous piece of work), and it can easily cause friction. Suggest another way of looking at fractions for my 9 year old daughter - easy to 'mis-phrase' the comment.

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There are two methods of dealing with this issue in the workplace. Firstly you can teach everyone to interact with each other (at a conversational level) in a more constructive fashion. Your best people will already be doing that, those social skills and the ability to have difficult conversations effectively are one of the key defining traits for highly successful people. 

Or you can build a better culture in your organisation. One where those in your organisation hear things differently. Where people assume positive intent, where suggestions made are perceived as opportunities to improve, where people start to listen to others and react positively to criticism.

After all, people don't come into work to spread dissent and make others miserable. It's all too easy to blame the dialogue skills of others for their failure to communicate effectively - but it is equally your responsibility to hear positivity and suggestions, rather than negativity and criticism.

So I would encourage you to try it for a week, no matter what you hear, see it as an opportunity to improve - how hard can it be?

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Five Really Great Culture Articles

"Could you recommend some good articles on culture?" is a question I get asked a lot.......here are my five current favourites.

1. "Lessons We Can All Learn From Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh" 

Arguably Tony Hsieh started it all,  he is legendary in this field for starting the first truly great culture experiment with Zappo's. I've been fortunate enough to spend time in Vegas with the team - and pretty much everything you read is true (big thank you to the amazing Christa Foley and her team for putting up with me). 

This article from Jeffrey Hollender is as good a summary as you'll ever find.

2. Hubspots amazing culture slideshare. 

Don't be put off by the number of slides. Dharmesh and his team are doing amazing work putting culture front and centre of everything they do. Click through and I challenge you NOT to be moved by the power of this presentation - if you don't read this and then think seriously about your own culture, then there's something wrong with you.

3. Culture Gobbledegook. I'm being self indulgent with this one, but a friends son asked me for some help with his degree (yes, corporate culture IS taken that seriously) and I published some of our correspondence. I think it's a good "what's it all about" post.



4. Jack Welch of GE. 

One of the most compelling culture statements ever. "Never tolerate brilliant jerks" came from a Netflix slideshare from 2009.  Take some time to go through it (later) - but the focus on that single message is critical. In all companies I work with, the most resistance to change is found in retraining, or removing the brilliant jerks. Read this from Jack Welch about culture, and then the quote below:

“Everybody in America,” Welch said, “not just Goldman Sachs, has got to pay attention to the culture as much as the numbers. Great cultures deliver great numbers. Great numbers don’t deliver great cultures. So when you’re measuring people, you’ve got to have a set of behaviors, whether they be, like, treat people like the way you’d like to be treated yourself, treat customers the way you would want to be treated, whether it be speed, whether it be trying your best to promote them. You measure performance against that, against your performance in numbers. You put people on quadrants.

• One quadrant is great culture/great numbers. Onward and upward for these people.
• Another quadrant is bad numbers/bad culture. Bad news. Easy. Get them out.
• The third quadrant is good culture/tough numbers. Give them another chance. They buy into what you’re doing. They might have a family problem. Give them a shot.
• The one the kills companies is the fourth quadrant—the horse’s ass, the one who has cultural problems and good numbers. The CEO says, given them one more quarter and the problem will be fixed.”

5. Fish! By Lundin, Paul & Christenson

There can be confusion about the difference between employee engagement and corporate culture. Both are interrelated, but if you want to learn about the basics of engagement I suggest you pick up Fish! and read it. My short review here. It is a highly effective blueprint for owning your own levels of happiness and engagement at work.

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That's it - I hope you feel inspired to go and grab the corporate culture beast by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Remember it all starts with YOU. Go forth and make a difference in your company today.

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Miley Cyrus, Twerking & Expected Behaviour In The Workplace

No such thing as negative publicity? I'm not sure about that, but the antics of Miley Cyrus this week certainly 'thrust' the issue of appropriate behaviour to the forefront of the public eye. I couldn't agree more with the excellent open letter to her daughter from Kim Keller which went viral last week. 

One question I don't see being answered, is what kind of expectation drove this behaviour? We've seen the increased sexualisation of music video and stage performance on everything from the X-Factor to the music screens at the local sports centre - and it's forced some conversations with our children that we'd rather have left for a few more years.

In the case of the 'Twerking' and tongue antics of Hannah Montana (which is how my 9 year old daughter sees her) - it certainly achieved her desire of headline grabbing, ongoing media attention and album promotion. 

(No, we are not expecting MTV to be family viewing, but the news media so extensively covered her antics that shielding our kids from it became an impossibility - want to know why? - A brilliant satire piece here explains how CNN may or may not see it)

As I endeavour to help people change workplace culture there are many instances where I find managers questioning the behaviour of their staff, or CEO's questioning the way their divisions are working.

I recently provided a company with a 'culture DNA' sample - which clearly showed poor behaviour flowing through the ranks of several organisations (those ugly red blocks in the graphic) - yet it took several meetings, and a great deal more time than it should for the leadership team to recognise that one person can influence a team so greatly.

Just one chair slinging, tantrum throwing abuser can create a cancer within your organisation that will spread throughout a team, changing the behaviour of previously good leaders and tarnishing entire divisions. 

Be quick not to reward that - or you will be seen as promoting it. This same lesson applies for any individual who blatantly flaunts your core values - whatever they may be.

Here are two very simple statements:

• It would appear that the answer to stopping the flow of sexualisation seems to be in the hands of retailers and media outlets.
• I would also appear that the answer to stopping the flow of bad corporate behaviour seems to be in the hands of managers higher in the organisation.

Both of these statements are true, but are equally weak, simplistic and optimistic. They represent a view that lacks courage of conviction and acceptance of responsibility.

If you don't want a sexualised society, then turn off the TV when something you object to appears. Don't buy the products that are advertised in the commercial breaks. Don't buy the produce of the artist. Don't buy the newspaper or magazine with the suggestive cover or intrusive photograph. Even better, walk out of the shop that displays them. As cash flow slows, behaviour will change.

In the workplace it becomes more complex due to one overriding factor. Income.

In the first scenario, you are withholding expenditure from artists and companies you disagree with. In the workplace you are risking your income by standing up to poor behaviour - or are you?

Here are some things to think about....

• If you don't like the behaviour of your manager - then don't copy it. They will not be your manager for ever, and the memory of your behaviour will live long after they are gone.
• If you witness poor behaviour, then wait for a quiet time and talk to them about it. Is risk involved? Of course - but without crucial conversations and risk taking, nothing ever changes, and people (just like companies) start to stagnate.
• Emulating the behaviour of your manager can often lead to short term promotions - one of many problems with improving the diversity of organisations comes from people employing in their own image. But this is a betrayal of who you are. It's not worth it.
• When you start to copy poor behaviour, you are effectively starting a cycle of abuse that will only end when you and your influencers are removed from the company. 
• Who are the leaders you REALLY respect? Not just in your company, but in those you admire. Who would you choose to be your mentor? These are the people to emulate.

Change happens one person at a time. If you want change to happen, make sure that person is you. The rewards will come - professionally and personally. 

Do not compromise who you are for short term gain - a lesson that can be applied equally in the showbiz world as in the workplace.


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