Uncategorized

My business career has spanned three decades. It began as an employee before transitioning to business ownership. In the beginning, I had no concept of organizational culture.

The irony was that I worked at Cummins Engine Company as a manufacturing engineer. Cummins’s interesting culture resulted from the Diesel Workers Union versus “Exempt” (salaried) employees. I got into trouble a lot in the beginning because I had not been indoctrinated into the culture. It was counter to my “Get Stuff Done” nature. I was young, full of energy, and resistant. At some point, I came across a book by Daniel Goleman called “Working with Emotional Intelligence.” Dr. Goleman’s book transformed how I saw my coworkers, especially the “Union” guys. I would not trade that experience for anything. Cummins was and still is a great place to work. My point is that I was swimming in culture but did not have the experience or vocabulary to describe it.

I am reminded of a cartoon that features two young fish swimming by an old fish. The old fish asks the young fish, “How is the water today, boys?” One of the young fish looks at the other and asks, “What the hell is water?” Culture surrounds us, but most are oblivious to it or fail to realize they can change it. The result is an accidental culture.

How to Build an Intentional Culture:

Step One: Define the culture you want in your business.

The fundamentals include a clear vision of how team members treat each other and how it will show up for customers. Core values are the immutable qualities of the organization. The values become the filter for every decision from hiring to customer support. Why does the organization exist? The “Why” is the aspirational component of culture. The stronger the “Why,” the more committed the team.

Step Two: Leadership must walk the talk.

What does that mean? Live the values and never compromise the vision. The most common culture failure is a breach of integrity from leadership. If you are a leader, it is critically important that you realize your team is ALWAYS watching. Your team is continuously on the lookout for behavioral incongruence. They can’t help it because of human nature. We have evolved in community. Every person in the tribe was keenly aware of every action the leader took. Children are always observing their parents’ verbal and non-verbal cues. The bottom line is that the leaders determine the culture, and their actions must be aligned with the vision and values.

Step Three: Cultural alignment.

Getting rid of cultural mismatches sends a clear message to everyone: If you aren’t on board with our values, we will off-board you. One bad apple spoils the bunch. I have seen this several times in my career. The bad apple slowly poisons any that will listen. They are culture killers and should be exited no matter the cost. Even if they are the number one producer, make a plan and get rid of them. Building a self-managing company is impossible when there is an undercurrent of resentment or righteousness. Your #1 priority is acting as the company culture’s guardian. The right culture will protect the future of the organization. Watch over it as vigilantly as the checkbook.

Step Four: Memorialize stories that exemplify your culture.

Herb Kelleher, the legendary founder of Southwest Airlines, received a letter from a disgruntled customer. Within 60 seconds, he wrote back, “Dear Mrs. Crabapple, we will miss you. Love, Herb.” The customer complained about the Southwest team’s unorthodox approach when doing the flight safety briefing. One of Southwest’s core values is fun. Herb’s response reinforced the value and is now a part of the company folklore. You can apply this by immediately recognizing when a team member has exemplified a company value. Share the story with the entire organization. Create and present awards for team members who have been excellent examples of living the company’s core values.

Note: There will be resistance at the beginning of a cultural transformation. Don’t fight it. Recognize and acknowledge it for what it is: Change! Stay focused on the long-term benefits of building an intentional culture.

Lastly, it is important to assess your organization’s culture from an outside perspective regularly. “It is impossible to read the label from inside the jar.” Step back and observe the culture from an outsider’s perspective. How do team members treat each other, and is that okay? How does your company see customers, and is that okay? How does your company treat suppliers, and is that okay? It is easy to get faked out. If you want a culture where team members treat each other like adults, you must ask: Do we treat each other like adults? What does that mean, and what behaviors would a culture of adulting demonstrate? Are the leaders in the organization living the company’s values in their daily interactions? If not, why not? These are the types of questions we must ask regularly to check ourselves.

Bottom line: Your organization has a culture. Is it a culture that will thrive in good and bad times? Have the leaders defined the values, behaviors, and standards that are expected to be lived out?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Russ Sorrells loves to free fellow entrepreneurs from the burden of chaos that results from a lack of systems that keep the team focused on keeping the main thing the main thing.