Culture Shock: How Community Eats Culture (and Strategy) For Breakfast
Welcome to Seeds 4 Growth issue #19!
In each issue, I will use the “Higher Power of 4’s” to provide 4 “seeds” within a particular topic designed to inspire individuals, teams, and organizations to find purpose in fulfilling their true growth potential. And by doing so, grow leaders into living legacy builders who can make a positive, lasting impact in the world.
Within my #1 Best-Selling book, The Purposeful Growth Revolution: 4 Ways to Grow from Leader to Legacy Builder, I outline a holistic model for purposeful growth that features a LEAF as a natural symbol of growth as well as an acronym (Leadership, Engagement, Accountability, and Fulfillment) to help grow you 4-ward at work. As found in nature as well as in life, we go through various seasons of growth, transformation, harvest and regeneration.
What is the Culture Shock theory?
Anthropologist Kalervo Oberg initially theorized the idea of "Culture Shock" in 1954. Culture Shock is?a feeling of uncertainty or anxiety that affects people that are immersed in a culture that is different or new. It occurs in four stages: excitement, irritation, adjustment, and adaption.
We’ve all been there whether it was acclimating to a new school, new town, new job, new neighborhood. After the initial excitement wears off, we can become irritated by trying to get the hang of things in an attempt to fit in. Over time, we figure out what adjustments we’ll have to make to successfully adapt to our new cultural environment.
Culture is defined as the “ideas, customs, and social behaviors of a particular people or society.” In a workplace setting, it covers how people communicate, dress, arrive at work late or on time, collaborate, and generate ideas.
As marketing guru, Peter Drucker famously stated, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast!” His point was to emphasize the importance of building a strong culture as the foundation for the alignment of strategy and execution to achieve desired results.
I don’t have a problem with the word, culture; however, I feel in the workplace it is often overused and misunderstood. According to Gallup, employee engagement reflects the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace. Within the millions of responses to their annual State of the Global Workplace studies, they found that engaged business teams drive positive outcomes within organizations. On the other hand, companies who experience low employee engagement are leaving money on the table.
Lots (and lots) of it!
Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy US$8.9 trillion, or 9% of global GDP.
Yikes! Are you kidding me?!
As a result, we clearly need to “shock” the word, culture like an EMT worker uses paddles to shock the heart of a patient to get it beating again. In essence, we need a new form of Culture Shock to significantly alter the ineffective status quo and help individuals, teams and organizations find purpose in achieving their true growth potential. And by doing so, help create a positive, lasting impact within all of the stakeholder communities we serve—Team Members, Customers, Business Partners & Community.
For the reasons I will share with you in this newsletter, instead of culture, I prefer the term, community.
To me, a culture is a place someone feels merely a part of; whereas a community is a place someone feels they belong in. Notice the difference? And notice the fact that I emphasized the word feels in both places? Regardless of what business or industry sector we may work in, we are ALL in the people business. And, if we are in the people business, that means we must also be in the feelings business.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
When considering the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), think about it this way—Diversity just gets us in the door, Equity grants us an equal voice and Inclusion offers us a seat at the table. However, if we do not feel we Belong, we are likely not going feel psychologically safe enough to be vulnerable and give our very best for fear of possible negative reaction or even retribution.
Simply put, we will DIE without the B . . .
But don’t just take my word for it, here are some similar takes from others.
In her book, The Art of Relevance, Nina Simon writes, “Communities are people. They are not abstractions. They are not rhetoric. They are human beings. A community is a group of people who share something in common. You can define a community?by the shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. You need a bunch of people who are alike in some way, who feel some sense of belonging or interpersonal connection.”
Another resource suggests, "Community, in its most basic definition, can be defined as?individuals who share a common interest, background or purpose that gives them a sense of cohesion."
And finally, I found this quote by Irish business leader, Paul O’Neill to be particularly relevant and pithy.
“A good community is?a cohesive, safe, confident, prosperous and happy place.”
The key words that link each of these definitions of community together are the same ones that would signify any good relationship:
People
Purpose
Common Interests
Shared Attributes
Interpersonal Connections
Trust
Belonging
Cohesion
Safe
Confident
Prosperous
Happy Place
Sounds like the recipe for a high-performing team, doesn’t it? That’s why I also prefer the word, Team Member as opposed to Employee. To me, an Employee feels like a disposable commodity—someone who gets paid to merely do a job; whereas a Team Member is a valued performer--someone who feels important enough to play a key role to help achieve a shared purpose or goal.
Which term feels more appealing to you?
Unfortunately, there are too many team members who feel like employees and they are not happy about it. Employee satisfaction dipped to its all-time low, according to research from Bamboo HR, which does a quarterly gauge called the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS).
And if you aren’t familiar with eNPS, here’s a quick definition: A metric to assess employee satisfaction and loyalty. It’s the percentage of unhappy employees subtracted from happy employees, determined by their answer to this question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely would you be to recommend this company to a friend or colleague as a place to work?”
The employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) many surveyed companies received from their own team members, less than one-fifth of organizations—only around 17%—are excelling at the “Employee Experience.”
Ouch!
Why are team members so unhappy?
According to Bamboo HR, researchers found these were the most frequent issues—the things that made team members feel less-than-happy with their company or boss.
Lack of feedback: Team members want to know how they’re doing and where they stand. So they’d like more regular reviews and consistent one-on-ones with managers. And they’d like to make that 360-degree feedback, getting opportunities to provide feedback on peers and leadership.
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Lack of organizational transparency: Not only do team members want to know how they’re doing, they want to know what and how their employers are doing. They’d prefer to see organizational goals and a clear roadmap for the future. Meanwhile, they’d also like standard processes as the basis for workflows with some flexibility to deliver value quickly.
Money: Yep, they want more money. More specifically, they’d like to see competitive pay; clear and transparent structure for raises, promotions and bonuses; improved incentive programs; and improved amenities where they work.
Lack of team and career support: Team members often want more help in their work and for their careers than their companies offer. Many would like to have more in-person team-building activities and skills training, access to online learning resources and ways to strengthen team camaraderie.
Uncertainty sparked by AI and other emerging technology: While AI caused team member concerns mostly in the tech industry, it’s a point of contention for a larger group of team members across industries. What bothers them most: Executives say their companies needed to get a jump on AI to stay ahead of competitors — but they aren’t giving employees the plans on how it’ll happen.
What are the signs leaders should be alert to??
According to the Gallup 2023 State of the Workplace Survey, 23% of employees are considered engaged; whereas 16% are considered actively disengaged. That leaves the remaining 62% in the “mushy middle” where they could go either way. The engagement elements that declined the most from the pre-pandemic levels were:
This resulted in a decline by -6% of employees who claim to be satisfied with their employer. And Gallup states that over 52% of employees are actively looking for another job.
Why is that?
The new world of work is changing… on purpose.
There is solid evidence that connecting individuals to their higher purpose helps increase job satisfaction, productivity, longevity/loyalty, and outer directedness that benefits others.
According to a recent Deloitte study, nearly 90% of Millennials and Gen Zers stated a strong desire to find purpose and meaning at work. And folding in the importance of flexibility, mental health and wellbeing within a growth environment emphasizing diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging, this has given rise to the broader concept of “Human Sustainability” or what the HR firm, primepay refers to as the “Employee Experience.”
If these are main reasons cited for unhappiness that leads to disengagement, there may not be clear and obvious tell-tales signs; especially given the meteoric rise in remote or hybrid work environments. Here are some things to look for whether in person or remote electronically that could reflect an impending job change:
What should we do when we see these signs??
So often, we hear about people who leave a company for another opportunity, and we wonder how it got to that point. They were considered “high potential” talent and very much respected for their contribution to the team/organization. Why did they decide to leave?
To answer these questions, human resources will set up an Exit Interview. Well, if we can’t change their mind, we may as well learn something from the situation. This is a noble and important practice since learning from past experiences helps improve our future. But when I served as SVP/CMO for The Cheesecake Factory, they developed an innovative technique for understanding where team members are before they ever start thinking about bailing.
They call it a “Stay Interview.” That’s right, human resource representatives set up periodic meetings with team members to check in on them, listening to ensure they are fulfilled in their role and have everything they need to be successful and grow within the organization. This helps to align behind its mission, “to create an environment where absolute guest satisfaction is our highest priority.”
Even with its ridiculously large menu and extremely high performance standards, The Cheesecake Factory has been on the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work For? list ten consecutive years. 87%?of employees at?The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated?say it is a great place to work compared to?57%?of employees at a typical?U.S.-based company. Some key themes emerged:
·??92% said, “I can be myself around here.”
·??92% said, “When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome.”
·??91% said, “People celebrate special events around here.”
·??90% said, “I am treated as a full team member here regardless of my position.”
What steps can we take to enhance our leadership communication?
Whether in person, remote, or some form of hybrid arrangement, establishing an open and frequent line of two-way interactive communication is essential to keeping a finger on the pulse of a team member. In doing so, it is vitally important for leaders to cultivate a sense of belonging that will allow all team members a safe, mutually respectful community to help fulfill their purpose in alignment with shared team and organizational goals.
Simply put, we must learn to LOVE our team members as “whole” people in ways that—like any great relationship—can build an unbreakable bond of trust that leads to higher levels of engagement, performance and tenure. Offering more money for a valued team member to stay when they don’t feel valued has not proven effective.
“A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than fear.”
— Herb Kelleher
Seeds 4 Growth
Based upon over 20 years of C-level leadership and corroborated by several scientific research studies (just a few cited here) and supported by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I have developed a leadership communication model featuring 4 integrated components that build upon one another to help team members feel the LOVE:
Leaders (someone you want to follow) can learn how to grow into “living” Legacy Builders (someone you want to emulate) by implementing some very basic and simple human characteristics to help them LOVE their team members:
L isten – Graciously. Means “Pleasantly kind, benevolent and curious.” A leader must listen deeply to each team member’s “story;” seeking to understand Who they “serve” (Spiritual, Relational, Personal, Professional), Why they exist (their unique purpose/motivations), How they are gifted (their “Super Power”), and What role they play on the team to contribute to its success.
Ask good questions and don’t just hear, but actively listen to the answers. Listen on a deeper, more empathetic level to not only what is said, but possibly what is not being said. You never know what may be going on in a team member’s personal life that could impact their performance at work.
O bserve – Generously. Means investing a generous portion of one’s time, talents, resources and experiences to coach, mentor and encourage a team member in “real-time.” Don’t wait for the dreaded Annual Performance Appraisal which nobody likes nor does very well. And the word "Appraisal” sounds like someone is a piece of real estate or something, right?
A leader must make each team member feel “seen”—providing not only clear direction/expectations on the front-end, but checking in frequently by providing relevant coaching, encouragement and feedback to ensure they are on track throughout the process.
V alue – Gratefully. Means feeling or showing appreciation, expressing a sense of gratitude and thankfulness. A leader must value the “whole” person—emphasizing the importance of both Outward Diversity (background/experiences) and Inward Diversity (curiosity/ideas)—while celebrating their contributions to the team both privately and publicly.
They must also invest in their team members by providing learning and growth opportunities. Beyond the desire for fair and competitive compensation, work hour/place flexibility and reward/recognition, this creates a deep sense of self-worth in your team members for the role they play on the team for shared success.
E mpower – Generatively. Means providing the power or function of generating, originating or producing. A leader inspires full engagement of each team member’s heart, head, hands and habits; empowering them to play their role to the best of their abilities, take calculated risks, and provide support and resources when requested.
When someone feels empowered, it’s like the feeling we all had when we first learned to ride a bike. Such confidence boosting energy with a new-found sense of freedom and fulfillment!
The new world of work is changing... on purpose.
Let’s put the “Human” back in Human Resources. All we need is LOVE!
“Love is about seeing people in their highest potential. It can make demands or requests to see people become their highest selves."
— John Mackey
If you are interested in learning how you, your team, or your organization can find purpose in fulfilling your true growth potential, I would be delighted to work with you. Please visit my website at https://www.MarkAMears.com and start by taking the free Purposeful Growth Self-Assessment.
What are you waiting for? Let’s get GROWING!
The Purposeful Growth Revolution is ON!
Are you IN?
Executive mentor to the food manufacturing industry, Board Member, SCORE mentor
3 个月Well spoken. Team member engagement and sense of belonging are critical to the success of most any organization.
Accelerate YOUR Success with Peak Performance
4 个月Recently completed reading The Purposeful Growth Revolution. Outstanding read and highly recommend to those who what to reach life fulfillment. Great work Mark.