Mime artists are a gentle reminder to us all that actions often speak louder than words. A mime artist doesn’t use words to convey ideas, intent, or to make us laugh. We often use words rather than actions to get across our points but fail to understand that without actions to back them up, words are fairly empty.
You may not be aware of it, but there’s a little bit of mime in all of us. Our behaviors, especially the non-verbal ones are more likely to give cues that reveal our true feelings or intent than the verbal signals we try to send. Shaking your head indicating ‘no’ whilst verbally saying ‘yes’ is a typical example. A roll of the eyes, a facial expression that isn’t consistent with the conversation, or a distraction are examples of how our behaviors can either reinforce or undermine our words and language.
Roger Martin, Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, recently talked about the idea that strategy is what you DO, not what you SAY. You can read the article here Strategy is what you do.
Although not a new concept for Roger, he first talked about the idea in his Harvard Business Review Article in June 2014, it is a good reminder that your words and actions need to be congruent. When you have created a plan to achieve a business outcome (i.e. a strategy, program, etc.) your actions need to reflect the plan. Indeed, as Roger argues, the the actions of the organization need to reflect the strategy. Or as Roger put’s it – “A company’s strategy is what the company’s people are actually doing, not the slogan their bosses intone.”
When you are communicating genuinely your actions will support your words. Not just as you are speaking but also in each follow up interaction.
Too many of us compromise what we really believe in for the pursuit of an outcome we think is expected of us. When your actions are inconsistent with your words people see the incongruence and react accordingly. When your strategy is not what you do it’s hard for others to be energized about your brand; whether that’s customers, employees, or shareholders.
Learning to align your words and actions isn’t easy. It involves first, understanding your own values and beliefs. Second being aware of your actions (personal style and body language for example) and having the self-awareness to ensure your actions match your beliefs. Finally, you need to find an environment where you can be yourself and earn a living. Think of this process as iterative and fluid. It is something you have to work on consistently over a long period of time. Like I said, it isn’t easy, but once you do, you will undoubtably find your purpose.
Leaders who profess to having an open-door policy are often puzzled by the fact that very few team members tell them what’s really going on in the organization. They receive all the positive developments, even if they are a bit of a stretch, and none of the negatives. Even when asking specific questions that are intended to encourage participants to share risks and issues they are answered with a positive spin.
Another situation which we see frequently, and as advisors we experience this too, is when we ask for any comments or observations we are met with silence. Now, is that because no one has anything to say or because they don’t want to say it in our presence? If only the water cooler could share what it overhears.
Over the years we have had this conversation many times and the answer invariably rests on the leader’s behavior. To build an environment where people are free to share their ideas, opinions, and observations you have to make people feel safe.
Words and actions matter here. Saying you are open is not the same as acting open. If you meet disagreement with an explanation as to why the speaker is wrong, then you shut down future dialogue. If you interrogate and pepper managers with questions every time you meet to discuss an assignment or project, they’re not going to want to meet with you. If you’re more focused on your ego, being right, or not creating extra work for yourself you’re unlikely to develop an environment for safe dialogue.
“Emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence; it is not the triumph of heart over head – it is the unique intersection of both.
– David Caruso
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the basis for creating a safe environment for people to grow, develop, and excel.
EQ is a Superpower.
Research suggests that EQ alone explains 58% of a leader’s job performance and that 90% percent of top performers are high in EQ. Limeade, an employee experience software company, in their 2019 whitepaper “The Science of Care” noted that when employees feel safe, they are 10 times more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work and 9 times more likely to stay at their company for three or more years.
When conducting an executive search experiences, education, and capabilities begin to look similar across an array of candidates. What differentiates a successful candidate is their EQ and their ability to understand and relate to others and use that to improve outcomes, relationships, and develop others.
So, if you have an open-door policy and feel that you are still not receiving the feedback you would like then begin by focusing inward. Check your EQ.
Eddie Cantor coined the phrase “It takes 20 years to become an overnight success.” His public debut was in 1907, singing in a music hall. Cantor spent a decade touring, refining his craft, developing new material and finally made his Broadway debut in 1918. It wasn’t until 1927, after another decade, that he reached notoriety with Kid Boots in 1923.
Gradually to suddenly applies to successful outcomes as well as devastating outcomes. This is the because the power of compounding affects our upside just as much to as impacts our downside. Seth Godin refers to how incremental daily progress is what actually causes transformation.
“Showing up, every single day, gaining in strength, organizing for the long haul, building connection, laying track — this subtle but difficult work is how culture changes.”
Seth Godin
The same is true for organizations. Some of the best, well known brands such as McDonald’s, Nike, and Starbucks all had their twenty years of success making.
Even looking at companies out there today; we can see them building their craft, refining their brand, and building customer loyalty. Peloton, the creator of the indoor, connected biking experience, is a great example. They are eight years into their journey and already have over 2.5M members and their members now regularly complete 1M workouts a day. They’re just getting started. For sure, Peloton has seen a bump in both members and workouts as a result of the lockdown(s) in the USA and UK but in April 2020, its debut ‘Live from Home’ ride broke the record for the largest live class. They had over 23,000 participants.
Peloton is looking to the future, aiming for 100 million subscribers, through broadening their product portfolio, expanding their geographic reach, and creating better experiences. People aren’t necessarily going back to the gym and Peloton may well provide an alternative to those looking for a competitive spin class experience at home. We are looking forward to following their success.
What Cantor and Peloton, and so many others, make so blatantly clear is the need for consistency and repetition. Whether it is singing a song or hosting an online class being consistent is really important. I’m sure Cantor sang to a crowd of a few on more than one occasion and Peloton had classes that were attended by only one or two participants. Consistency builds reputation, facilitates feedback, and allows you to refine your message and product. Repetition unlocks your value proposition and makes it available to everyone.
In the same way that gradually can lead to devastating consequences so too can it lead to success. The difference comes down to our values, beliefs, and attitudes. Or culture. It is up to you; success is within your reach. You too can become an overnight success!
In July 2020 we began a conversation about culture with an assertion that culture is the sum of all of the behaviors in your organization. We also noted that, in general, culture tends to modify our behaviors and yet individual behavior can also shape the culture of your organization. This is why culture is constantly evolving. Good leaders behave in a way that highlights and supports the culture of the organization. Conversely, toxic people diminish your culture.
Subsequently, we have talked with many of you about how individual behaviors influence culture and how culture modifies, or constrains, our behavior. Overwhelmingly, we agree that while culture typically helps to modify our behaviors we each have one or two examples of individuals who have shaped culture. Both positively and negatively.
Back in July we said that culture is often shaped by the worst behaviors that leadership is prepared to tolerate and our conclusion was that managing behaviors is preferable over managing people.
Building on this point, tolerating poor behaviors actually contributes extensively to cultural debt in organizations. Cultural debt accrues when individuals undermine the values, attitude, and beliefs embedded in your organization. When leaders and employees don’t address these behaviors directly it acts as a tax, or interest payment, on the business. These taxes come due sometime in the future and are often the underlying reason for poor business outcomes. Other impacts can be seen in employee engagement, employee turnover, and business results.
Allowing poor behavior to continue unchecked means that you may well experience “Hemingway’s Law of Motion: Gradually, then Suddenly”. In his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway’s character Mike, when asked “how he went bankrupt, responds “Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly.”
The crisis takes a much longer time coming than you think, and then it happens much faster than you would have thought.
Rudiger Dornbusch
This is very much they way cultural debt operates. If we tolerate it and let it go unchecked we create this gradual grinding on the business and then one day we are surprised by the sudden impact of our culture.
All of a sudden, things seem to come to a head.
How to avoid “Suddenly”
Have a defined set of values, beliefs, and behaviors.
Communicate broadly and consistently connect actions and results to values, beliefs, and behaviors.
Immediately address behaviors that are inconsistent with the cultural expectations.
Of course, avoiding suddenly is really a story of fixing gradually. Having a standard by which to measure interactions is useful. Actually taking action when behaviors do not meet expectations is a more important action. Unfortunately, all to often, we see poor behaviors go unchecked and gradually becomes suddenly.
Last week we talked about how meetings are a proxy for the culture in your organization. In particular, we highlighted engagement, leadership, and accountability as well as the importance of these interactions for collaboration, connection, and relationship building.
One of the more interesting discussions that has emerged post our interviews is whether or not a meeting or interaction is real or fake. By this, it was suggested, that not all meetings are required. The argument for fake meetings is that: we all have too many meetings on our calendars, most of them are unproductive, and most of them don’t make good progress. So, they are probably fake, or not required.
“Fake meetings should be cancelled, if they are repetitive and routine, or you need to figure out how to make them real.” Was the assertion from one executive.
So how do we ascertain if a meeting is Real of Fake?
Scenario
Dave calls an hour-long project team meeting and adds people from a few other functions to cover all bases, just in case they are needed. Dave, shares information and explains the importance of the project to everyone. The team members already involved in the project, nod every so often, while checking emails or preparing for their next meetings. The people from the outside the team are not quite sure why they were included but they take notes to show how engaged they are while trying to stay awake. The meeting concludes right on time and Dave adjourns smiling and noting that he always finishes right on time because of how much he values everyone’s time.
So, real of fake? Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the above scenario, or a recent meeting you attended. Answer these questions at every interaction and you’ll begin to think about meetings in a different way:
Was there a clear agenda and goal for the meeting?
How many people actually spoke during the meeting?
How many people actually participated during the meeting in a discussion about problems needing resolution or was this an illusion of collaboration?
Were there agreed upon actions and outcomes at the conclusion of the meeting?
Could Dave have shared this information in an email or through a collaboration platform?
Our answer: Fake meeting.
Meetings can be incredibly productive and energizing or a seed that causes behavioral complexity. To make sure your interactions are in the former category and not the latter think about changing your approach to meetings. Reset the number, length, purpose, participation and outcome expectations, follow up actions, and accountability.
The following are “must haves” for meeting protocol and decision making. Together they have an exponential impact on results and a positive impact on engagement:
Is the meeting truly necessary?
Set very clear meeting purpose, expectations and decisions to be made at the meeting in the invite.
Create shorter interactions. (Think about a 50% reduction)
Send agenda and materials in advance – ask for confirmation of review before invitees attend the meeting. No review no attendance.
Start and end on time, have a no exceptions policy, maybe?
Include necessary individuals only. The practice of “optional” invitees should be discouraged.
Assign a point person to keep the agenda focused and on track.
Engage all participants.
Monologues should not be allowed.
Action items and responsibilities should be discussed and agreed to before the meeting concludes and confirmed in writing after meeting.
A recent article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) quoted an excerpt from the corporate blog of a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry:
I believe that our abundance of meetings at our company is the Cultural Tax we pay for the inclusive, learning environment that we want to foster…and I’m ok with that. If the alternative to more meetings is more autocratic decision-making, less input from all levels throughout the organization, and fewer opportunities to ensure alignment and communication by personal interaction, then give me more meetings any time!
Our belief is that meetings can create engagement, leadership, and accountability as well facilitate collaboration, connection, and relationship building. A Cultural Tax is only created when interactions become burdensome, unproductive, and disengaging. The alternative is not autocracy. The alternative is diluted results, time consumption, and frustration.
The answer is simply to design and conduct meetings in a thoughtful way that reaches the desired outcome.
A Google search of ‘how to run an effective meeting’ returns 555M entries in about 0.64 seconds. Hopefully that is sufficient to persuade you that there isn’t a shortage of instruction on how to lead a productive meeting. There are reportedly about 11M meetings a day in the US yet Harvard Business Review in their “Stop the Meeting Madness” article said that 71% of executives interviewed said meetings are unproductive.
It was hardly a surprise therefore that during our research on the topic of Complexity versus Simplicity a consistent theme from every single one of our interviewees was related to “too many meetings” and “unproductive meetings”.
Why then, with so much instruction available and a clear understanding of what good looks like are we still creating interactions that are unproductive?
To be fair, most people don’t attend meetings with the intention of making them unproductive. We approach them optimistically, forgetting quickly about the last time we met and hoping that we will do better this time. Good intentions apparently aren’t sufficient.
What meetings say about your organization
Poor meeting outcomes are signs of three underlying issues:
Lack of engagement – whether this is “it’s not my job to prepare the agenda” or “hey, they’re paying me to sit here” most staff are disengaged during a meeting and most likely before and after as well.
Lack of leadership – leaders need to insist on the appropriate process: objectives, agenda, actions, etc. This of course means that when leaders hold meetings that they lead with the appropriate process too.
Lack of accountability – if it’s OK to go from meeting to meeting with no real process or outcomes then there is clearly an accountability problem. If it’s culturally acceptable to have unproductive interactions quite often this is demonstrated in other parts of the organization.
The opposite of these signals is also true, in that where you have productive interactions, it is normally an indication of a positive culture with an engaged workforce, competent leaders, and acountability. Certainly, given the behavioral components of an effective meeting it isn’t unusual to find pockets of an organization where engagement, leadership, and accountability thrive. A lot comes down to the leadership style of an individual, department, or group.
Meetings continue to be an important way in which we collaborate, share ideas, and gain alignment. Moreover, they provide a human connection, a social connection and a place to further business and personal relationships. When conducted properly they are energizing. When we fail to bring the discipline, structure, and process to the interaction the result is fodder for the next Dilbert cartoon.
Complexity is not particularly difficult to recognize. Most of us know it when we see it. The hard part is putting it into words and being able to discuss it in a way that is productive. The lack of a widely used framework prevents us from really tackling complexity head on.
Our recent research on recognizing, unraveling, and replacing complexity has begun to shine a light on how leaders think about complexity and how they recognize complexity in their organizations.
During our research we specifically asked executives how they recognize complexity in their organization. At a high level, they all made reference to the lack of speed in decision making and desired outcomes as being evidence of complexity. The analysis of their answers created five indicators that led executives to their conclusion.
Business performance – the ability to achieve results is a signal of a high performing organization. Of course, meeting your objectives does not necessarily mean that the business is not complex. On the other hand, continuously missing deadlines, key performance metrics, or even just your commitments are a signal that complexity is working its way through the organization.
Ambiguity – The lack of clarity slows down decision making and increases the number of interactions between people and departments. It opens up the opportunity for misunderstanding, interpretation, and misalignment. Creating clarity and building alignment was seen as key to success to many of our interviewees.
Employee engagement – Complexity creates a degree of frustration for employees. When complexity gets in the way employees find it difficult to understand why the organization doesn’t resolve the complexity and how the organization wants them to move forward. Complexity undermines individual employees in terms of understanding, empowerment, and learning.
Meetings – The issue of meetings was raised by almost all of our interviewees. Too many meetings, meetings to prep for meetings, and too many people are involved are felt to be indicative of complexity. Many of us have been in back to back meetings and wondered when am I supposed to get any real work done? In addition, the number of organizational layers in a meeting was called out as creating complexity along with poor meeting discipline, as this creates ambiguity and reduces clarity.
Accountability – The lack of accountability in organizations whether created by roles, organizational structure, or individual behavior adds to complexity. Siloed functions, combined with risk aversion, the fear of being wrong, and knowledge in the hands of the few are all indicators of complexity.
None of these indicators are evidence of complexity when experienced individually. It is when we notice multiple indicators that it becomes more of a signal than just a noise. Even then, the lack of a framework to discuss complexity makes it difficult for people to raise it as an issue, difficult for executives to take action, and difficult for the organization to adopt new ways of working together.
If you notice any of these indicators in your organization, or you have experienced them first-hand, please join the conversation and share your perspective.
Final Thought
As we discussed on LinkedIn recently, complexity is best evidenced by three things: how long it takes to get stuff done, how hard it is to do stuff, and how frustrating it is to be part of the process.
Are you feeling a bit numb to everything happening around us? Simply focused on how you and yours get through the days and weeks? Trying to stay healthy and be sensible? Wanting to be involved and make a difference but feeling that you are just scratching the surface and wanting to throw caution to the wind and get out there. But how? And why? The combination of gratitude and guilt feels like a constant and tangible emotion in most of us and it causes a feeling of unease and discomfort.
Step in, our take on “Pay it Forward”.
Traditionally, “Pay it Forward” is an expression used to describe the beneficiary of a good deed repaying the kindness to others instead of to the original benefactor. It is a concept that has been around since ancient times but was brought into our stream of consciousness from a novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde, the subsequent movie and the social movement created globally through The Pay It Forward Movement and Foundation. We should be ever grateful to Ryan Hyde’s fictional character 12 year old Trevor McKinney who accepted his social studies teacher’s challenge to come up with a plan to change the world. And his idea was such a simple one but so impactful: do a good deed for three people and ask them to “pay it forward” to three others in need. And so grew the concept as we know it today.
While the concept of Pay it Forward is outstanding, our view is that it is simply not enough and quite candidly a bit too narrow. For instance, it is critically important to support small businesses and individuals struggling to survive, to donate food to the hungry, to help the homeless, to share generously of time and talent in any way we can. But still not enough by any standard. It is simply not an option not to focus on being part of the solution to continue the fight for all. Yes, we do see and hear inspiring stories each day and yes we should pause and consider how far we have come. Yet, the breadth and depth of injustice and disrespect is vast and unacceptable. There is still so much that must be changed, acknowledged and achieved. Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis passed away last week and this week we remember him, mourn him and know that we lost yet another giant voice for conscious change.
It struck us that Congressman Lewis’ life-long dedicated struggle and commitment for human rights, civil liberties and equality was and is for the benefit of all of us. He was one of those generational leaders to whom we all owe a debt that must be repaid in multiples. John Lewis, often asked, “if not us, then who? If not now, then when?”. So, our take? Let’s pay it forward: there should be no expectation of simply paying forward a kindness we received but just paying forward all the time. We all have the capacity to give. If we truly give of ourselves, however uncomfortable it can sometimes be, we can truly be a part of the solution to achieve equality, productivity and prosperity.
After all, “if not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
Implementing a change in technology in an organization is never an easy thing. It is a complicated process which involves coordinating many moving parts, clear communication, and effective change management. As we discussed in our July 3rd blog post, Complex Versus Complicated, this type of business issue, whilst complicated, should not be complex. Why is that? The reason is that there are clear processes and tangible goals involved in transitioning a company from one technology system to another. Complexity is added only once people are factored into the equation. Let’s dive into this and see how people and more specifically behaviour add complexity.
Let’s take a real life example of this, the actors remaining nameless of course! A medium size international perishable foods production and distribution company had seen tremendous growth in the past decade with revenues and international presence expanding rapidly. In cases like these, it can be difficult for all parts of an organization to keep up. In this case, the company’s waste tracking system was left behind. Tracking waste during production gives an estimate as to how much actual inventory a company has post-production. Initially, the company’s original system would estimate how much waste occurred during production by using relatively simple, general projections based on previous years’ data. However, as the company expanded, it was no longer able to produce accurate estimations of how much inventory was actually available and was consistently underestimating the amount of waste during production. More production locations, more workers, more machines, more storage locations, and more transportation services all provided opportunities for increased waste.This consistent inaccuracy had implications throughout the organization, production orders were too low and profit projections were too high. This was the business imperative that resulted in the company identifying and implementing a new waste tracking and inventory estimation system. The new system, WasteTracker, would help identify and accurately measure specific points of waste along the production line. Working hand in hand with WasteTracker, the company began to integrate the new system. This was not a simple undertaking, as employees had been using the old system since before the company experienced its rapid growth.
Integrating the new system meant switching from relying on relatively simple overall projections to operating a more sophisticated program which identified waste points along the production line in detail. This meant employees needed to be retrained. Programs needed to be installed. Projections would have to be recalculated. These tasks, however, could be approached intuitively and methodically.
The transition to a new technology system as described above is clearly complicated, but it is not necessarily complex.
The complexity began once the change in systems was introduced to the people that would be using it without clear communication about its purpose. In this case, management did not allocate sufficient time and resources to ensure effective communications as well as a change management process to streamline and accelerate user adoption. Without proactive management, human behavior will often certainly lead to questions without clear answers.
Whenever you introduce new technology, employees face difficulties and challenges. In our example, some employees struggled to learn how to use the system, others were fearful that they would become redundant, and others were simply mistrustful of the technology. This is when and how complexity begins to materialize.
Key questions that arise from this example that we can all learn from.
How might management have helped employees to adopt to the new system, processes, and procedures?
For those employees whose role was changing, how should this have be handled productively and proactively?
In what manner can management enforce the use of the new technology?
What could management have done to address change management issues well in advance of implementation completion?
While these questions may be frustrating and time consuming to deal with in the midst of a large technology implementation, it is far more costly to leave them unanswered or simply hope things will sort themselves out. An employee struggling to learn and use a new system means they are completing work much less efficiently than they are otherwise capable. An employee fearful for their job may become less focused on their work. They might also, unconsciously, or consciously, spread their doubt to others. A worker still completing their work the ‘old way’ will be desynchronized with the rest of their team. Time will have to be spent reconciling their work with the new system. While installing a new system may be a straightforward exercise, getting employees to learn and adapt to a new system can quickly become complex.
Initially, the implementation of the new system was complicated, not complex. This was because there were straightforward processes and tangible goals. Complexity quickly emerged once human behavior was introduced without any mitigation from project leaders and management.
Lesson learned: introducing people problems, unless managed and proactively guided, causes complexity that can derail success.
Does change management exist in your organization and what does it look like?
Our emerging framework for dealing with complexity, based on our research, identifies four components that influence behavior in an organization: Strategy, Decision Rights, Structure, and Communication. Each of these areas impact behaviors, either individually, in teams, or as leaders. Our research indicates that individual behavior is the most important driver of performance and the most consequential obstacle to achieving success. The tenet of individual behavior is embodied in organizational culture.
When you join an organization, there is always a reason. Whether it’s professional or personal, you joined because something or someone in that organization appealed to you and you wanted to be a part of it. That appeal means you felt you identified with the organization, believed you would fit in and that you would both add and get value from the experience.
On the flip side, the reverse is also true and in those circumstances, you didn’t join or you joined for a while and then realized the fit was not a good one and left. Of course, this feeling of “fit” and “belonging” is a two way street between you and the individuals in the organization. So, what is this mystical “thing” that creates belonging and good fit? It is organizational culture.
Culture isn’t the same in every organization and nor should it be. However, there are some key characteristics that are involved and should be established at the onset. Those organization-wide basics (I call them the “ForHs”) are:
How things are done
How people are empowered
How continuous learning happens
How we honor, recognize and support each other
It is critical that these basics are clearly communicated, understood and embraced by all who make up the organization’s ecosystem. It is also critical that these basics should have the flexibility to stretch and flex to stand the test of times of change, growth and crisis.
Right, easy for me to say but if you are still reading, you need me to go beyond this “simplistic” (Blog post “Simple vs Simplistic, July 10, 2020) narrative to something simple, yet effective, and actionable which in turn makes positive change that you can see.
The ForHs make up a universe of possible rules, values, and behaviors. Let’s scenario plan how a refresh and reset of corporate culture could be actioned. I would suggest getting a cross functional but small group of highly motivated individuals together. These individuals should also be a mix in terms of ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, generation, experience and seniority. Let’s include skeptics at the table too and an added bonus: if the CEO is at the table and participates with enthusiasm and openness.
Think about kids who are handed paint and paper and told to have fun painting. The possibilities are endless!
Getting started is always the hardest part so to make it easy, the very first goal should be to chronicle the Culture ForHs of the organization. It doesn’t have to be a science project or end with a fancy presentation. It’s literally everyone contributing to capture the current state. It helps to think about the framework of the ForHs in two buckets for each category, tangible and intangible. Start with the tangibles as those are concrete and therefore somewhat easier to tackle.
An example of the tangible bucket in “How things are done”, include the rules, expectations and policies often codified in official documents such as employee manuals. Examples include safety and security standards, code of employee conduct, training, recruiting practices, on-boarding practices, reward and recognition, career development, etc. After capturing the current state the next step is to debate and align around. Are these still the right rules, are the consequences for straying from these tangible norms relevant today and how are they enforced? It is so important to not only say that as an organization we are committed to the fairness, protection and well being of our people, it has to be shown in action. So as you can see tangible policies and actually following them equally to and for everyone matters deeply.
The intangible bucket for each of the ForHs is harder because this is where magic happens. It’s the really impactful and empowering piece. This is where a huge shift can be made in the enhancement of an organization’s culture and empowerment of its people.
One way to start the process is to ask people to transparently articulate what they believe the organization stands for. Basically, what are our beliefs, values, and attitudes? What are we all about as an organization? Then have everyone put what they feel is their “elephant in the room” on the table. It’s important to encourage this because it is in the unspoken that the real nuggets of change exist. I love working with senior executives who are honest, open and can laugh at themselves and tell stories about when they stumbled. Be vulnerable in this process and the outcome will be spectacular! I always enjoy the sessions when I share my “stories”. The reactions veer from “I can’t believe she just shared that” to “Now, I know I can become a senior leader in the firm too”…..the latter being the outcome I am always seeking for when working with and mentoring others.
Once the tone is set it’s important to also have uncomfortable discussions. Let’s just dive into one scenario dealing with diversity and inclusion: The company just wrote a big check to support ending racism and to provide opportunities to the under-privileged. Yeah for us! But what are we actually doing about it? Not everyone is supportive and the ecosystem of all organizations have many dissenting views. How do we do the right thing, yet also arrive there by having the tough and open discussions? Yes, it is all about allowing people to be themselves and it is every individual’s responsibility to become more open to learning about differences, respecting those differences and understanding how to work together collegially. That’s what diversity and inclusion is about. People make that happen. Policies and actions that actually and visibly support and empower individuals who are doing the right thing allow inclusive behaviors to thrive and in the process the organization thrives.
Hopefully these examples are good catalysts to start addressing the ForHs of your organization’s culture. Once this effort is complete, share the outcome and decisions all around the organization. This effort should have been a very visible effort and hopefully the rest of the organization was anticipating the outcome and their opportunity to comment with enthusiasm or at the very least, with interest. Of course there will be the skeptics. Such a powerful group of individuals. When you show skeptics that you hear them and then show them that change is happening, they become the most empowered and energized supporters and advocates.
Today, because of COVID-19 we are all part of a huge global social and work experiment. Therefore engaging and reshaping organizational culture needs to be done. For example, it’s simply not enough to have people working at home and to hire diverse candidates. Even in the virtual scenario, there has to be empowerment to allow individuals to speak up, contribute and be heard. They should be able to take risks, fail and learn and grow from those risks and mistakes. That has to be a part of the new normal because people are still the most vital asset of any organization and culture allows them each to grow into leaders and change agents not only in the organization but in their communities.
Finally, culture is a living breathing thing. Think of it as a garden. If left alone you end up with a tangled mess of weeds and dying plants and trees. So like any good gardener who constantly nurtures and cares for a garden, organizational culture needs constant attention and reinvention to stay relevant and powerful.
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