Culture: Why is it so hard to get right?

Tom Peters (co-author of In Search of Excellence and author of his latest book Excellence Now - Extreme Humanism) getting the culture right is a “bedrock” to having a thriving and sustainable business for the future.  Interestingly, a report by Deloitte showed that in 2016 only 12 percent of companies believed they understood their work culture. Why is it so difficult to understand? And more so, why is getting the culture right so hard?

We used to think of people skills, culture, and relationships as soft work or soft skills. Nice to have but not necessary. Because culture is a bedrock, it has become the opposite of soft. Culturing is hard. It's messy. It can be misunderstood.

Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do. (Daniel Coyle, The Culture Code).

This may be the piece we are missing when we think of culture. Culture is not a noun. It’s a verb. Culture is not the nice sayings you have on your wall in the office. As Daniel Coyle wrote, culture is “… a never-ending process of learning, trying, failing, reflecting, and above all, learning.”

You and your employees are the physical embodiment of your culture. The brand.

And as the leader, culture begins and ends with you. You must be "Chief Culture Officer". You and they are the brand and your behaviors and actions define and are the proof of what you and they believe.

Your customers and clients assign value to your firm and your brand based on what they observe about how your people interact with them and one another. And the same is true within your firm. Everyone is watching for cues on what’s acceptable and not acceptable behavior.

Culture is values-based. It reflects what you and your employees value most. It reflects what you believe. Through observable actions, everyone can see what those values are. You can set the bar high for your culture by focusing on what matters most and making it clear and simple.

One of the easiest ways to do this is by acknowledging someone in the organization whose actions exemplify one or more of the core values. Tom Peters wrote that acknowledgment is “the most powerful tool in the leader’s kit.” I call it the Power of Acknowledgment.

Put another way, conversely, you can set the bar low by letting slide those behaviors that are not in sync with the company’s values. It doesn't take much to erode your culture down to something you can't live with. This you do not want to happen. How do you avoid a collapse of your culture?

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. - Ed Schein, MIT

Your culture is the glue that holds it all together.  Achieving clarity on what defines it and consistently reinforcing the culture through consistent and frequent communication is the foundation for taking your organization to new heights.

One of the best ways to clearly define the culture is to engage in a process to identify the behaviors and actions that best describe the values you hold most dear. It's best if you can align Culture with Purpose and Vision. (Check out earlier editions of The Art of Leadership Mastery™.)

Culture is borne of past successes and failures, and how the people in your company responded to these events. What are the stories about your company that have been handed down through the years and that define what is most important? The past helps frame the actions of the present and the future.

Culture can change. It's not easy. Maybe it just needs a little adjusting and not a wholesale transformation.

But to change it, you first have to change the beliefs that your employees have. No, these are not Jedi mind tricks at work here.

You change culture by creating new experiences that demonstrate new behaviors and actions that align with the core values. Not an easy task but necessary.

Once your team has a shared experience and sees new ways in which to work together, new possibilities open up and old habits and behaviors become weaker.

Additionally, how you as the leader and the rest of your leadership team responds and reacts can either bolster the new way of getting the job done or do irreparable harm to your business. Well, maybe not irreparable, but certainly, it will make life much more difficult to repair or fix miscues and unintended consequences. TIP: Have extreme alignment within the leadership team.

Over time, your culture may change as your business and market conditions dictate; however, clearly identified core values likely will not. If they do, then maybe they weren't core values.

The application of these values in context with current conditions may look different, but the core values should hold constant. One thing is certain, though. accountability at all levels is a must-have.

As a final thought, remember you must communicate, communicate, communicate. People forget easily so you have to remind them on a regular and frequent basis.

P.S. Want to explore ways to enhance your culture? Schedule a confidential call with me here. No B.S. Just some straightforward advice and insights in 30 minutes.

Until next time!