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Culture defined: (biology) “the cultivation of bacteria, tissue cells, etc., in an artificial medium containing nutrients”

Too frequently that defines the culture inside our organizations. It’s like a bacteria-filled petri dish. Not like a sports team locker room where everybody is doing their part so the entire team can hoist the championship trophy!

We’re going to use this definition of culture, “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.” Let’s cut to the chase and call it what it is. Your business has a culture. It’s what your company believes! Belief drives people to behave in ways that are either congruent with what you want. Or not. 

So let’s start with YOU since you own the joint. What do you believe? 

Do you believe honesty and integrity are so important, that even when it may cost your company some revenue (a’hem, profits) you insist your people do the right thing? No matter what?

Do you believe that innovation and creativity are so important that attempts should be celebrated rather than penalized?

Do you believe that collaboration is so important you reward it?

There are countless things you can choose to believe. Those beliefs drive your actions. As the top leader, they also set the tone for everybody else in your organization. 

It necessarily has to begin with YOU. Let’s consider some questions that may help.

How negotiable are your beliefs about how your business should operate? Are there circumstances where your beliefs would be suspended? If honesty is a critical value to you – one you deeply believe in – if an employee behaves dishonestly, but it results in a big sale, what will you do? The crux of this question is really this – will there be consequences for violating these beliefs? If not, then they’re really not beliefs. They’re more feeble. Kind of like moderate wishes. 

Do you hire people based largely on how well they’ll fit in with what you and your company believe? Or do you hope the talent you hire will fall in line with your beliefs after the fact? If people don’t believe what you believe, do you really think you’ll convince them once you hire them? How many Republicans do you know who have converted to the Democratic party? Or vice versa. Oh, it can happen. And blind pigs can find acorns, too. 

Do you think you can mandate beliefs? Many small business owners seem to think they’ll just impose their will. Reminds me of parenting. When our children are small we can impose our will. Then one day, we realize we’ve got a teenager in our house and suddenly that ability is lost. They have a mind of their own and oftentimes, they rebel. Your employees will, too. Unless they also believe what you do.

Culture is non-negotiable beliefs held by the entire organization. It’s the place from which you operate. Everybody makes choices congruent with the culture. It establishes not just what’s expected, but how to meet those expectations. Culture is the heartbeat of your company’s operating system. It’s just how things work around your place.

Since 1984 I’ve been an Apple Mac guy. The Mac operating system is different than the Windows or Linux platform. It just works differently. I’d argue it’s better, but that’s admittedly my bias. It’s a non-negotiable operating system just like the other operating systems. Each is different. They don’t mix or mingle. I’ve got programs on my Mac that are only made for Mac. There are other programs that aren’t made for Mac at all. Apple made that decision a long time ago. So did Windows. It’s not so much a judgment thing as it is a choice. A belief. 

What have you decided to believe? And follow, unapologetically? Without hesitation or negotiation? 

People need to know the reason. They crave knowing why. 

Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup winning coach, Ken Hitchcock, retired last season from coaching at the NHL level. Over 3 decades of coaching professional hockey players taught him a thing or two. Last year he remarked the changes he’s seen in players since he began his career. There was a time, he said, when you could simply ask a player to do something and they’d follow the instruction. Today’s player, he remarked, wants to know why he’s doing it. Welcome to the culture dilemma that too many business leaders fail to solve. 

Step 1: Know what you believe. Make sure it’s a non-negotiable standard. That means, failure to comply will cost people the opportunity to remain on your team. 

Step 2: Evangelize the beliefs. Don’t just preach about them. Put rewards and consequences in place to reinforce them. 

Step 3: Hire for fit. Get the talent and skills you need, but if the candidate doesn’t believe what you do, kick them to the curb. Find somebody who shares your beliefs. 

Step 4: Go back and repeat each step constantly. Your work is never done. Culture (beliefs) can erode over time, or be disturbed by replacement beliefs. Be intolerant of movement away from what you believe and value. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:47 — 6.6MB)

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I was listening to a conversation between some folks the other day. Smart people. 

I found myself making mental notes of phrases, acronyms, and other terms that just seemed overly complicated. I’m watching facial expressions and body language. Looking for signs of any engagement, which is impossible if you’re unclear what’s being communicated.

At some point I know I broke out in a smile. I was trying to suppress it somewhat. I was thinking of some old books by famed newsman Edwin Newman. He was a language guy, really bent on clear communication. I’m sure his books are out of print, but they’re worth finding. I’ve got my copies of Strictly Speaking: Will America be the Death of English? and A Civil Tongue. I’m watching, listening, but thinking of what Edwin Newman would say about all this jargon and jibberish. That’s when I smiled. 

Nobody caught me. Smiling. If they did, I’m sure they thought I was amused by their intellect. Likely thinking, “This moron just wishes he were as smart as me.”

Some time ago I was describing a person to a friend of mine as “word proud.” I said, “You know the type. He’ll use 200 words when 20 would do.” Some weeks later, after an encounter with this person I had accurately described, my buddy called. “Boy, did you have that right.” He went on to describe a rambling monologue delivered by said word proud guy. 

Business-speak exists in every industry. We have terms that we’re familiar with that those outside our industry may not be. Some of these are quite meaningful. To us. 

But there’s another form of business-speak that is vague, unclear and confusing. 

In a Forbes’ article from 2012 you can find this piece of gold…

“Jargon masks real meaning,” says Jennifer Chatman, management professor at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. “People use it as a substitute for thinking hard and clearly about their goals and the direction that they want to give others.”

The title of the article is The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon. The article lists a few but links you to a more extensive list of 45 annoying, pretentious and useless words or phrases. 

I’ve concluded that mostly this problem stems from people wanting to appear smart. Or smarter. 

Turn that goal on its head. Better yet, lose that goal altogether. Instead, adopt a better goal. To be understood. And to understand.

I don’t remember when I first heard the term “tiger team,” but I do remember the situation. I looked around the room, figuring I may be the only person without a clue what it meant, so I asked, “What’s a tiger team?” The earth didn’t stop rotating. The person who used the term appeared to struggle a bit to help me understand. Finally, he said, “Well, it’s a just a smaller group of people assigned to tackle a problem.” I was far more embarrassed for him than myself…since the definition didn’t just trip off his tongue easily. I joked with the room, “I started to just Google it, but figured I’d ask.” Later I did Google it. People shouldn’t have to Google words or phrases you use in order to understand.

Who do we think we’re going to impress when we speak in ways that are hard to understand? 

It reminds me of the preacher who would hold forth for over an hour each sermon. The congregation had no idea what he had preached, but after services most would comment, “He sure is smart. I wasn’t able to follow much of that.” To which an old-timer replied, “Everybody thinks muddy water is deep.” True story. And it’s a true adage among some. I don’t understand what he’s talking about so he must be smarter than me. Is that what we’re going for? Convince me of the profit in that strategy!

Listen, I realize I’m in Dallas, Texas and I know our clocks don’t operate using New York seconds, but man alive, can we just say what we mean and mean what we say? 

I speak with people every week from all over the world. Folks who are more educated than me. Folks who have subject matter expertise I don’t have. People who have very different experiences than I’ve had. It doesn’t mean me inferior to them. Nor does it make me superior. What it does do is compel me to work harder to make sure I can understand them (and I’m not talking about their ability to speak English), and to make sure I can be understood. If we lack mutual understanding, then we’ve got big, big problems. 

Sometimes in our businesses, we’ve got big, big problems for the same reason. 

If you were to list all the jibberish business jargon that has crept into your organization…how long would that list be? Forbes’ list is up to 45, but it’s also 6 years old. But in that same year, the same magazine – Forbes – published another article entitled, 89 Business Cliches That Will Get Any MBA Promoted And Make Them Totally Useless. I confess I didn’t compare the two lists. I’m not that interested. But plain speech isn’t hard for me. 

Don’t make it hard on yourself. Or the people with whom you’re communicating. It’s like telling a joke. If you must explain it, it ain’t funny. If people have to ask you to explain what you mean, then you failed. Work on it.

It slows things down. And speed it your friend. Business jibberish is the enemy. The smart folks are unimpressed. The rest of us are just plain confused.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Yesterday we talked about avoiding being stupid. Let’s stick with this theme of avoidance. Today, let’s figure out better alternatives – and a way to avoid playing the blame game.

William James McAuley III is better known as Bleu. He should likely be a household name. He’s a musician, artist, songwriter and producer from Boston living in L.A. In 2009 he released a song, “The Blame Game.” He sings, “We all get good use from a bad excuse. All of us need somebody to blame.”

Two great lines. One universal truth. Everybody blames somebody or something. Sometimes.

I love Bleu’s music and find the lines rather brilliant, but I don’t agree with them. Not from a practical or helpful point of view anyway.

Relying on an excuse is a very bad, destructive habit. And we don’t need excuses. We enjoy them though. We can even crave them. 

They make us feel better because it helps us with our delusion to think we’re not responsible. Or accountable. 

Culture and society train all of us to embrace being victims. Yes, I fully understand that bad things happen to people. Often beyond our control. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about our sometimes (I hope it’s not frequent) reliance on excuses when we’d be better served to face the reality that it’s our own fault. 

Today’s message is short, simple, but powerful. Avoid the blame game completely. Even if you really lean toward feeling like somebody or something did it to you. Try the rest of this week to develop the habit (that will hopefully live with you beyond this week) of accepting responsibility for everything that happens in your life. 

I should qualify that this is NOT about beating yourself up. Or complaining.

It’s about building a bridge without excuses and getting over it. Moving past whatever hurdles you’ve got with a thought, and belief that you need to learn, make adjustments, and fix what ails you. Take control of your own life. 

That includes what you think, how you feel and how you choose to behave. It’s all on you. And only you. 

If that last marketing campaign didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped, quit trying to figure out who to blame. Step up, as the owner, and accept it yourself. That’ll protect your troops from becoming too bashful to try anything innovative. It’ll show everybody that you’ve got their backs, too. Besides, what difference does it make even if you were to assign blame? That’s a culture killer!

Instead, play a different game. Play the LEARNING game. What did we learn? Blame is often championed when things don’t go as planned. That means, it didn’t work. No better time to figure out what you can learn. Why waste the entire experience? Instead, focus your employees on the question that will push things forward, “What did we learn that we can now use?”

That’s a much more productive game to play. Infinitely more fun, too.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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On Saturday at Bonnaroo in Tennessee rap artist, Eminem ended his show with sound effects of realistic gunshots. As you’d imagine, panic rolled through the crowd. 

It’s just another example of something that I guess seemed like a good idea to somebody, at some point. But turned out to be pretty foolish. 

As we begin this new week, let’s consider how we can better protect ourselves from foolish decisions. The day is young and I’m sure within the next few hours we’re going to be blitzed with new reports of one foolish thing after another. And it doesn’t matter when you’re listening to this. The date, the day and the time aren’t going to matter. Within a short time frame after you listen to this short episode you’ll become aware of some foolishness you didn’t know earlier. Foolishness abounds. There’s a limitless supply!

We want to avoid it being part of our lives. How?

Don’t expect me to give you a list of 10 things you can do. Or avoid doing. Instead, I’d like to offer you something a bit more practical, thoughtful and challenging. 

Artists sign their paintings declaring authenticity and the facts of their having created it. 

Authors have their names emblazoned on the covers of their books. 

Writers have their byline, their names, giving them attribution for their work.

Every day that you open your business, your name is on the line. As the business owner, it’s your name. Maybe the business bears your actual name, but even if it doesn’t, your name and reputation are still on the line. Well, that’s not likely a bunch of help. Eminem’s performance was totally his own. It was still a rather foolish choice. 

Context matters.

Context includes time, place and circumstance. 

Realistic gunshot sound effects are commonly found in video games where players know they’re participating in a game. Judge that all you want. That’s not my point. I’m not a gamer, but I’ll let others debate the topic. My point is that if shooting weapons is part of the game, then the appropriate sound effects make sense. It fits.

Realistic gunshot sound effects are commonly found in TV shows and movies depicting those things. We’d be puzzled if the character in The Godfather fired a weapon and we heard the sound of a trumpet. Gunshot sound effects are congruent with what we’re watching. 

Realistic gunshot sound effects are not expected at a concert. We expect to hear musicians. Not gunfire.

And given the sniper shooting during a concert in Las Veags last October – that killed 59 people – and given the number of public shootings we’ve seen around the world – it would be reasonable to expect people to be caught off-guard and not even know it’s a sound effect. 

Two simple things may have prevented this – and will hopefully prevent us from making an equally (or worse) decision.

Ask yourself (and your team), “What purpose will this serve?”

I have no idea what purpose Eminem or his people thought that sound effect would serve. I doubt they asked the question. If they had, that alone may have stopped it. Maybe not. 

Maybe they thought everybody would know it was just an effect. For all I know, it’s all one big publicity stunt aimed at putting Eminem in the news. If so, well done. It worked. I’m not so naive to believe that some bad publicity isn’t created and carefully crafted. We’re manipulated daily by such things. You can certainly play the game that way and succeed. Many people have. I won’t judge you if that’s your choice. But I’m clearly working from the assumption that you don’t likely roll that way. 😉 

What purpose will this decision serve? We’re running a business. It should serve a purpose that moves our company forward. Since we’re aiming to hit the trifecta of business building (speaking of horse racing – since “trifecta” is a horse racing term – congrats to Justify, 13th Triple Crown winner), our objectives are heavily focused on our customers. Getting them and serving them better are two thirds of the trifecta. So as you wrestle with this question think about the impact on your customers.

If Eminem had thought about his audience, he may have made a different choice. We’ll often get into more trouble when we start focusing too much on ourselves and take our eyes off our customers. It’s going to be difficult to make too foolish a choice if your intentions toward your customers are always on point. 

Next, ask yourself if this decision will make you and your team proud. If we do this, will we step up and be the first to own it because it’s such a spectacularly good idea. Or, if we’re caught, are we going to deny it? Or blame somebody else?

You and your team know the things you’re hiding. I’m going to suggest you behave with complete honor and integrity 100% of the time. I know that’s hard. And I know why. Greed. 

Business owners who teach, train or condone taking advantage of suppliers and customers are foolish for thinking their employees won’t take advantage of them, too. But I’m hopeful that you’ve got a culture based on high integrity. If not, then get busy changing it. Yes, it’ll cost you in the short-term, but you’ll make up for it in multiples over the long haul. And you’ll be able to sleep better, too.

If we do this thing we’re proposing to do, are we going to be willing to step forward and fully own it. “Yes, we did that. And we’re proud of that decision.” 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Angela Maiers is leading a charge in education. Her mantra is simple but profoundly powerful. Just two words: You Matter!

I know Angela and like her. She won’t mind me using her 2-word tagline to make today’s point. Pushing her message forward is just a side benefit to today’s brief. I hope you’ll check out her work. But my main reason for today’s brief are the two most news notable suicides that have occurred – Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Accomplished and successful by most visible standards, these two mature people (Spade was 55, Bourdain 61) figured ending their life was the option they’d take. 

This week wasn’t extraordinary. Desperate people – people others don’t think are desperate – do desperate things every single day. While the names may not always make national or global news, loneliness and despair overpower people. Some, like Spade and Bourdain, take the most drastic step. Others embrace destructive behaviors grasping for something to hang onto. 

I’m not a mental health professional. I do know it’s not one of those “it’s just in your head” kind of deals though. Mental health must be taken as seriously as physical health. When you stop to think of the people who suffer some physical ailment undiagnosed – like cancer or a heart condition – remember, there are also many people (likely people you know) suffering undiagnosed mental health issues. 

Loneliness and feeling lack of connection with others – deep enough connections that make you feel safe, heard and loved – is often a culprit according to professionals. Business owners and CEOs have to live up to an ideal. Resilient, tenacious, unfazed. Those are the qualities we feel we must display. 100% of the time. Vulnerability is hard. But so stinking powerful. Which is why I preach it every single day to business owners and leaders. 

Find somebody or a few somebodies with whom you can be completely safe. As Dr. Henry Cloud (I’m such a fan) says…someone with whom you can be “careless.” Not in the sense of being reckless, but in the sense that you trust them so much you know they won’t use anything you say or do against you. They’ll be there to help you. Not judge your every decision. 

Sadly, many high achieving business leaders don’t have somebody like that. What they do have is pressure-filled relationships. People who want something from them. People who need something from them. Eyes and ears always focused on them. I get it. We exist in a world where outwardly we have to put our best face on. Covering up anything that may be bugging us. Certainly hiding our pain and worry. Nobody wants to buy from a business owned by a person with problems, right? 

It’s not hypocrisy. It’s professionalism. And it’s our privacy. We protect it. Way more when it comes to our actual personal presence than our online presence…sometimes. Scroll through Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter and you see us all putting our best foot forward. Sure, some people are faking it all, but that’s not us. You and me, we’re focused on making ourselves and our businesses attractive to prospects. We have honorable intentions. We deeply believe in our services and products. We know we can serve people well. Solving problems our prospects face. Helping make our customers’ lives better!

Yes, we want to hit the trifecta of business building. We all want and need new customers. We all need to find ways to serve our existing customers better. Customer demands continue to go higher and we’ve got to match those demands or our businesses become irrelevant. And the last leg of the trifecta is not going crazy in the process. We’d like to achieve killer business success without losing ourselves.

Money. Success. Stuff. They won’t help us hit the last leg of the trifecta. Wealthy, successful and high achieving people fall off the ledge daily. For a variety of reasons. We don’t have to obsess about each individual problem. But we do need to focus on the general remedy for every single person – deeper, safe, trusting, caring, compassionate connections with other people. It begins with thinking and then really believing that YOU MATTER!

Consider the impact you’re making on the world. Even if it’s just your little corner of the world, it’s a big impact. And here’s the real rub — it’s not predicated on your being some high achieving, successful business owner. It’s predicated on you being YOU. 

My parents. My wife. My kids. My grandkids. My close friends.  

They’re not important to me and I’m not important to them because of any financial accomplishments. My love for them and their love for me isn’t nearly that shallow! These people have seen me fail. They’ve seen me weep. They love me and I love them because of who and what we all are as people. Supportive. Encouraging. Serving.

Don’t confuse yourself with your business. Your company is a reflection of you, but it’s not you. And I’m not saying your business doesn’t matter, but I am saying it doesn’t 100% define you – unless you let it. Don’t. Let it. 

Today is Saturday. Think about the value YOU – as a person – provide. Not your business. It’s fine to consider your value in the context of your business. You should. But that’s just one element of your life. I come home to my wife. I come home to my family. Not my business.

YOU MATTER!

Let’s wrap up this week with one final idea that I’d ask you to think about. Really think about it. Think about the people who matter to you! A great remedy for our own fretfulness, worry and anxiety is service. It begins with being thankful. Thankful for the blessings in our life. For the people who matter. Then it goes to finding ways you can help each of them through their struggles. This isn’t check writing stuff. It’s human touch stuff. It’s you being encouraged and doing some encouraging. It’s you being accountable and holding others accountable. It’s you listening. And you sharing. It’s learning from their experiences. And you willing to share your experiences with them. It’s all that stuff that drives deeper human connections. It’s the stuff that helps us fend off the demons that will cripple us, make us less than all we can be, or worse yet — destroy us. 

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:45 — 6.6MB)

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In the neverending debate between head and heart, I declare, “No contest!” Well, to be fair…I declare there is no debate or fight. They can’t be separated.

Mostly we think of heart representing feelings and emotions. Those reside in your head. Your brain. They’re formed based on what you think and believe. Debate over!

To assume that logical and rational thought are disconnected from emotions and feelings is to assume you can have Spock-like qualities. You’re neither completely logical or emotional. You’re a confluence of them both. Sometimes one tips heavier on the scales than the other. It happens. 

As a small business owner, you serve your employees. First and foremost, they’re the “customers” you must effectively serve. They’ve got feelings, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and ambitions. Which is why you must lead with your heart.

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. First, it’s understanding. Second, it’s sharing (based on understanding).

Think about the last time you were angry, frustrated or annoyed. Maybe it was 5 seconds ago. Maybe 5 minutes ago. Doesn’t matter. Remember what happened? Think about it. Hold that thought. 

Did it impact your behavior in any way? Of course, it did. Maybe you snapped at somebody who hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Maybe you closed your door and threw papers. You reacted by doing or saying something. Or, you sat there stewing about it. It affected your performance. 

But feelings and emotions don’t matter, right? 

You own the place and thoughts, feelings and emotions drive your performance. Don’t you think they drive the performance of your employees? 

Question: What are the professional and personal goals of your top 3 employees?

Most business owners may say, “I have no idea. It doesn’t matter.” But it does matter. 

Convince yourself that the only thing that matters is what YOU need those employees to do, and you’re blowing it as a leader. Miserably. You’re making sure your people know you don’t really care about them. It’s not about them. It’s about you. Yet you expect them to perform at the highest levels possible. You’ve lost your mind. Now you’re working on losing your employees. 

Try leading with your heart. Let me give you a specific action you can take today. Yep, today’s Friday. It’ll be a great way to wind down the week. Don’t put it off. Don’t wait until next week. 

Got a conference room or someplace private where you can meet employees one-on-one? Unless you’ve got an office where you can sit by the employee without your desk being between you, then avoid your office. Sit side by side with the employee. Like two friends having a conversation. 

Got 20 employees? 50? 100? The more employees you’ve got the longer this is gonna take. Schedule accordingly. 

Map out a strategy that is least disruptive to the work. Carve out 10 minutes with each employee. Just you and the employee. 

They’ll panic if you’ve never done this before. That’s normal. Don’t sweat it. They’ll realize what’s going on within the first few seconds. 

Schedule as many as you can. Twenty employees will take you a little over 3 hours. Easily done in a day. Figure it out.

Greet them when they walk in as you would a friend. Stand up, shake their hand and welcome them. 

Tell them you’ve decided to periodically spend a few minutes with every employee to find out more about them. Don’t make this time about you. It’s about them. You’re their servant. You want what’s best for them. You must get that across if this is going to be impactful. 

Over the course of the next few minutes, you’re hoping to find out how they’re doing. What’s their goal? What do they want to achieve over the rest of the year? Are their things happening that frustrate them? Are these things you can remedy? You must make them know how much you care, and how dedicated you are to help them succeed.

Stay on time. As they leave, remind them they can contact you at will. Encourage them. Cheer them on. THANK them. 

Make leading with your heart a habit and you’ll improve quickly. You’ll also become quickly convinced that you should have done this a long time ago because you’ll notice a positive difference in performance.

If you called me up right now and shared your frustrations, aspirations and dreams…we’d have a productive conversation about it. I’d ask you some questions. You’d share more. I’d ask a few more questions. You’d be figuring some things out during our talk. I’d challenge you in the best ways to achieve what you want. Not what I want because it’s your life, not mine. You’d leave our conversation energized, uplifted and more firmly believing in yourself. I’d make sure of it. It’s what I do with CEOs, business owners and leaders. 

You need to start making sure you’re doing that for your employees.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

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