Stop Your Excuses. You are the Culture. Now What?
When I tell people what Fierce does, the topic of culture comes up a lot. And let's be honest - it's juicy. From Google, Tesla, and Yahoo to work-life balance, paid time off, and unlimited perks, company culture is in business news regularly. On top of that, research continues to be released stating that culture impacts (both positively and negatively) an organization’s bottom lines.
Although people cerebrally understand culture's importance, people tend to talk about culture as something external. For instance, a statement I often encounter when we are discussing fierce is: “My culture doesn't encourage transparent, direct communication, so I can't have those kinds of conversations with my executive team right now.” Sometimes that also sounds like, “If my company's culture was different, I would be different.” Or “If other people modeled those behaviors, I could do them too.” What I hear is “Look at those other people over there - no, not me, not here.”
Newsflash: Culture doesn't live outside of you. That's not how it works. You are the culture. You choose what it looks like every day. You choose it in the conversations you have. And even more so if you lead people, you model and reinforce those choices each time you interact with others.
As Talent Management and HR leaders, it is of upmost importance for you to exemplify the kind of environment you work to create. Here are a few tips to
- Have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself: What kind of culture do I want to be a part of? What does that require of me? What can you do to make the culture a better place on a personal level – outside of your current role and responsibilities?
- Get real with your teams. Schedules team meetings to learn how aligned the teams feel as a whole and individually to your culture and initiatives. We call this an Integrity Scan. Ask the team where they see gaps in what the company says they want culturally and how they truly act. Then go deeper and have each individual reflect on where they see gaps for themselves.
3.Create an accountability partner or partners. Create accountability partners inside your teams, so that peers can talk about issues they face. At Fierce, our culture committee sets up new accountability partners every quarter to help bridge departments and help people really own where they want and need support. If it is not possible for you to create a program like this, then find an accountability partner for yourself – someone who can keep you honest in respect to your attitude and the impact you have on the culture.
So yes, it is time to take responsibility for your impact on the organization's culture. Do you have any other tips for leaders to take ownership of the culture?