Communicating Culture
How do you get your culture to ‘stick’?
How do you ensure common understanding around interpretations of your stated values?
Is it clear how your values apply across your whole team?
Values are stated guidelines intended to communicate “how we do things around here”. Often times merely stating your values is not enough. You need to experience them, woven into the fabric of your culture. Clarifying what you want for culture is first step. Having worked with many organisations I have seen clear stated values diluted and even lost in translation to the point of being no more than wallpaper. In exploring why this happens I have been inspired by organisations that seem to consistently ‘get it right.’
“The Advantage” by Patrick Lencioni helps organisations create a playbook which is an excellent start in communicating clarity. Southwest Airlines have applied this and taken it a step further – making a ‘culture video’ for incoming team members to show them what living the values looks like from perspective of the end customer and the internal team. Telling stories quickly connects people, especially when told from two different perspectives. I find that it helps having stories that reinforce the living of your values – things that people have actually done. Reading internal and external examples of how others have demonstrated the practical application of living by stated values shows all of team the principles behind the value.
When people take ownership and start to live by principles, they release a freedom often encapsulated in the statement “Living by the spirit of a ‘law’ rather than being trapped in the letter of the law”. This is exceptionally well articulated in the book “Legacy” written by James Kerr as he explored the All Blacks journey from quarter final knock out in France to World Cup victory four years later.
In redefining and reinventing the All Blacks back into a world class winning team, the leadership team went a step further than reinforcing values. They described what living these values looked like in everyday actions, summarised in pithy memorable statements. For example the core value of humility is reflected in the principle “Sweep the sheds.” With the explainer “Never be too big to do the small things that need to be done. – Before leaving the dressing room at the end of a game, all the players stop and tidy up. They literally and figuratively ‘sweep the sheds’, an example of personal humility, a cardinal All Black value.”
How clear are your values? Do all team members understand what living the values ‘looks like’ in your organisation? Can team members catch other team members living the values and give them affirmative praise? When a culture exists where team members are looking to ‘shout-out’ the positive actions, behaviours and attitudes of their peers it shows that
They know what positive behaviour looks like and
They seek to encourage more of it by focusing on these special attributes and actions. Clarity = action.
If you are not there yet – start today!
Here’s to your success!
