Are you in control of your company / team culture?

Larry Bossidy is a world-famous Strategy Consultant and, in his book, Execution, he defines culture as, “The behaviors leaders exhibit and the behaviors leaders tolerate.”

I've always loved this quote – but the longer I've sat with it, the more I've come to believe it's missing something important. Tolerating bad behavior is only half of what shapes a culture. The other half is what leaders actively promote and encourage. So here's my update to Bossidy's definition:

Culture equals what leaders promote and encourage, and what leaders tolerate.

Why does this addition matter so much? Because wanting good behavior isn't the same as building it. Take listening skills as an example – ask almost any leader if they want their team to be great listeners, and nearly all of them will say yes. But how many of those leaders actually train their people on how to listen better? How many talk about it often enough, coach it consistently enough, and model it themselves enough that it becomes a real part of how the team operates? Probably not too many.

That gap – between what leaders want and what leaders promote – is where culture quietly gets decided. If you don't actively encourage and reinforce the behaviors you want, don't be surprised when they never show up. And by default, you've let the absence of that effort – not a deliberate choice – define your culture instead.

Now let's talk about the other half of the definition – tolerance. I love this part of the quote because nearly every manager has experienced people who have acted or behaved in ways that were not consistent with the values or mission of their company – and too often that behavior was tolerated. Think about your team...are there folks whose behavior is not where you want it? Is it tolerated? Are some of these folks top performers? Did it seem easy to overlook this behavior because they achieved results? What impact does this negative behavior have on your team's culture?

Important questions to ponder for sure. It's my opinion this behavior was tolerated because your team or company hasn't fully activated your company Vision, Mission and Values – and hasn't fully committed to promoting the behaviors that bring them to life. Your firm may have these “guidance” statements, but are they activated? Are you actively encouraging the behaviors they call for, or just hoping people figure it out on their own? PLEASE don't assume that just because you have these statements, that they define your culture. They don't, on their own – and if you're not promoting them, you're likely tolerating behavior you shouldn't.

We define leadership as the following 3 obligations: 1) Culture: executing your company's Vision, Mission and Values, 2) Drive top level performance: winning and, 3) Develop people's capabilities. Most managers naturally gravitate to #2, Managing Performance. Since most senior executives typically focus on the latest results, that becomes your culture. Don't let that happen (or change it immediately if that's what is happening)!!

Notice how closely #3 – developing people's capabilities – connects to the “promote and encourage” half of our definition. You can't develop a capability you never talk about. If you want better listeners, better coaches, better collaborators, that has to show up as real investment: training, frequent conversation, and visible reinforcement – not just an expectation you assume everyone shares.

It requires significant effort to change or shape your culture to equal what your Vision, Mission and Values demand. The only way I know how to start this important process is to communicate (2-way) these guidance statements to every member of the team...and do it FREQUENTLY. Involve your team in this discussion. Ask them the following questions:

A.   Why do you think we have a Vision, Mission and Values?

B.   What words in our Vision, Mission, and Values stand out to you? Why do you think those words were chosen?

C.   What would it look like for us to “live” this internally and externally?

D.   Can you buy into these statements?

E.   Last (and most important), can you see yourself living this?

The amount of exposure and communication of your Vision, Mission and Values to your team needs to be frequent and inter-active. Only then will you have a fighting chance each team member understands their role. Plus, they'll understand that your ongoing coaching is purposely focused on developing their capabilities / behavior to meet these high standards. Coaching and correcting behavior won't be emotional or stressful, it will be expected by your team and understood. Plus, you'll see positive momentum in terms of results.

So, here's a final question worth asking yourself, alongside the ones about tolerance: What are you actively promoting and encouraging on your team right now? Not what you hope happens, not what you assume people know – what are you actually doing, this week, to reinforce it?

Begin NOW and don't tolerate anything less – and don't just hope for the behaviors you want, either. Promote them. Encourage them. Your culture depends on both.