Warning Signals Of Impending Doom
How would you rate your team culture?
Do you have your finger on the pulse of your team's vibe?
How soon would you know if your culture was turning bad?
Many people like to think their culture is good and that they would know if it was going bad. Those who have found themselves drowning in a bad culture will know that it develops with an insidious creep. It can feel like it happened “overnight” but, much like many success stories, there is a traceable cause and effect. In this article I want to shine the light like a lighthouse - an early warning signal to pay attention and avoid steering into the rocks of despair.
Cultures always exist when people spend time with each other. They can be created and moulded or they can develop organically. Either way people develop a set of rules and understandings (often unspoken) about expected behaviour and norms. Over time this is what we call ‘culture’. It is “the way we do things around here”. Many companies attempt to mould this by having clearly stated values. Done well, this is an excellent way of crafting culture. Done mediocre or badly and you usually end up with ‘expensive wallpaper’ - printed values stuck up on walls that no one pays any attention to.
In my experience there are always signs of a culture going sour. Sometimes it can be the introduction of a new employee who is a bad fit, sometimes it is a newly appointed manager who lacks skills or support, sometimes it is caused by leaders not living the values. Inevitably these scenarios, when not addressed, sow seeds of discontent. Astute leaders see these weeds early and pluck them up.
The seeds of discontent grow up into the vines of resentment, factions and disharmony. People often only notice when they are choking on the toxic atmosphere. Reclaiming your culture is possible at this point but requires a lot of hard work. Far easier to pull up the weeds when they are small.
So what do these budding seeds of discontent look like? How can you spot them? How do you address them and stop them spreading?
The first signs are mutterings and complaints. If these are not addressed they manifest and fertilise further seeds. This is evidenced in an emerging blame culture. People do not feel safe, seen or heard and they stop taking ownership. They deflect responsibility and sidestep any attempts at accountability. This environment is a toxic breeding ground. You get more of what you focus on and this encourages people to focus on fault finding, blame shifting and avoidance.
The cure is clear: mission, values and standards with regular honest feedback. Catching people doing things right and addressing any concerns immediately - remembering to attack problems not people. When we are clear on the behaviour we want more of and we focus on that then we steer clear of the rocks of despair.
Do you need to be clearer, set standards and have an honest conversations today?
