Recently, I had the opportunity to hear a colleague from another business speak about managing through a crisis. They spoke about anticipating hurdles and planning, they spoke about being laser focused and reviewing your financial statements and cash flow, and they spoke about talking to the team about where the organization was heading. And all of that was very practical and getting back to the basics.
But then they spoke about how culture wasn’t important and that is was just a buzz word organizations throw out around today. And that’s where I think there is a disconnect between the organization and team you want to have they ways to get there.
You see, you won’t have success in the planning, the financial reviews, or even accomplishing the goals of the organization without culture. Whether you have a great positive culture or one brought up in layers of bureaucracy and hidden agendas your culture influences your decisions.
Even your communication is dictated by your culture.
I worked for a manager who was always asking questions, “Why did you do this, How do you think this could be better, Where do you think the next steps are?” He led an environment of asking questions which created very open and positive communication. Heck, I remember, him even asking me if I thought his decision not to take some business was a good idea. Me, just a sales rep, he valued my opinion.
And you know what it was like on that team? It was awesome! I was working 80+ hours 7 days a week but it didn’t bother me quite that much because he was open, positive, and our entire team had his back. Well, he got promoted to an area sales role and a new manager came in.
He took a different approach. Not necessarily wrong, just different. He didn’t ask questions. He only gave answers to what he wanted to see. His philosophy as you are hired to do a job, so do it, and I don’t really care about anything but the numbers. He wasn’t rude about it but no one asked questions anymore within the team and especially not to him. And you know what, those 80 hour weeks really began to suck. Just being a cog in a wheel really began to take its toll on myself and our team. And overall, little by little, our communication completely stopped.
Our culture had changed within the team.
Your communication and your culture go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
I truly appreciate and admire everything my colleague has accomplished and their views but I deeply disagree on their stance with culture.
Culture is king.
Culture gives you community, passion, drive, excellence, support, motivation, communication, leadership, a vision, and so much more.
So what is the culture in your organization right now?
Is it where you want it to be?
Is it where you want your teams to be?
Because, as you can see through my examples, culture can change. It can change, adapt, and grow.
So, our tip for this week is to take a few minutes and review your organization your teams culture. You can do this by asking yourself these questions:
What adjectives would describe my teams culture?
Do I like where my team is heading?
What actions can I do to promote the environment I want to work in?
Whether good or bad these questions allow you to set a starting place for your vision for your team. And even better, ask your team these questions to see the whole picture of your culture. Because, like it or not, your results and the way in which you achieve them are directly related to the culture that you set forth.
Alright, I hope that was helpful! If you haven’t signed up for our weekly videos, please do so below! Talk to you soon!
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