Recently I met with a great professional friend who I’ve
known and worked with for many years. There are several things about our
friendship that I value. One of them is
that when I’m talking with him and he tells me of the organization he works
for, it’s a reminder of why I’m so thankful I left the corporate world to start
my own business 30 years ago. Back then I wanted to escape the corporate
politics and the nonsense that goes on inside almost all companies. Those destructive
behaviors witnessed back then, as they are today, are simply amazing to me. I
ask my self “how can these companies who have value statements hanging on their walls be so cruel
and unkind? How can they be so “hypocritical” in their daily behavior?
My friend, like many I’ve met over the years, is stuck in an
unhealthy work setting unable to move from it because of financial
considerations or because they are paralyzed by the prospect of change should
they leave or get fired. Consequently, they spend their working days, keeping
their heads down, trying not to draw attention to themselves and hoping for the
best. What a way to live!
Often consultants or other so-called experts talk or write
about the “steps” to creating a winning culture in an organization or
developing effective habits you should follow for success. The steps vary, but
most often it’s a matter of word smith-ing on the part of the author delivering
the same concepts by adding or subtracting some phrases in an effort to
demonstrate uniqueness in their opinions. Books sell and consulting firms
flourish because people are looking for the magic bullet to become a winner or
build successful companies. I my self-have
a 7-point description of the “Characteristics of Dynamic Organization.”
Seldom does anyone
discuss the pitfalls of negative human behavior, which must be considered or avoided
if you truly desire to discipline yourself for success. Neither is their discussion on the virtues of
behavior awareness and modification and behavior adjustment. When I began writing
on this subject, I was torn on what the title should be. I wanted to be
positive in my title, but was not sure what would grab you the reader. Here
were some options I pondered.
Leadership Unkindness
The Hypocrisy In
Corporate Value Statements
The Destroyers Of A
Healthy Company Culture
The Behaviors Of A
Healthy Company Culture
Healthy Behaviors For
Success
For me, there are at least 10 human behaviors that will
contribute to corporate and individual success. Focusing on improvement in
these behaviors will elevate you and your company. However, if bad behavior is allowed
to go unchecked, they will become a cancer in your business. This list is kind
of like the 10 commandments, there are some “thou shall not’s” and some “Thou
shall’s” among the list of 10. No mortal person or organization will master
them all, but they are an excellent target for believers and non-believers. And yes, I to have preached this list to
myself first!
So here they are in no particular order. I will cover one or
two of them briefly over the next few weeks in this blog post format. Not only
will I describe them and make application, I will give you some tips on how to
improve in each area.
Be gut honest.
Do your JOB and hold
everyone else accountable.
Don’t lie or shade the
truth.
Get rid of those who spread dissension.
Don’t be un-kind.
Eliminate gossip.
Don’t let pride or positions
ruin you or your organization, show humility.
Be principled.
Don’t let
disappointments or failures affect others.
Control Censoriousness.
Let’s begin with the last one on the list.
Censorious is an adjective which describes people who are so critical; they find something wrong in
everything. Having or showing a tendency to criticize someone or something;
harshly critical; faultfinding.
These are glass half-empty people. They wake up every
morning looking at what isn’t, rather than looking at what is. In the DiSC
behavior model, they are high “C’s” or D/C combination. (If you’ve been in my
DiSC behavior classes you will understand the above. If not, but want to
understand, contact me) They look at the world with a very negative and
suspicious view. They will tell you why it won’t work before giving much
consideration to the positive. When dealing with people they are often ‘sizing’
them up questioning motives and perceived worth or value. Sadly, they are often
extremely critical of people close to them i.e. spouse, family and sometimes colleagues
. The term “hurt the ones you love” is applicable.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking with a
critical eye on occasion. Quality control, scam artists and charlatans can run a
muck if not kept in check. Those individuals who naturally look from a
judgmental perspective can and do serve a valuable service in organizations.
And of course you don’t want a bunch of “Yes” men. You want people who can
punch holes in crazy ideas, and those who know how to cross every “T” and dot
every “ i ” and insure a counter balance to those impetuous bosses or teams.
But the “habit” of being critical and suspicious can destroy
the positive environment you are trying to create in your business. I’m sure
you have been in business where the critical nature becomes the way the
operation performs daily. I worked with
a firm on the east coast where the culture of censorious was so pervasive that
it permeated throughout every department in this large organization. It had
become accepted behavior to spend your day looking for things that were wrong
and then “punish” the offenders. They did not have “brain storming” sessions to
solve problems, instead they had “blame storming” (who can we blame) sessions. The
result? Massive labor turnover and a union to represent the employees.
So what can you do to insure that the habit of censorious
does not get an ugly foothold in your business? There are many, but here are a
few.
1.
Take an honest assessment about your business in
this area.
2.
Begin your meetings with your team with the
positive things that happened since you last met. Starting with the “good”
things you do well sets the tone for the meeting.
3.
Establish ground rules about critical
statements. (I have several if you’re
interested in knowing more)
4.
When discussing problems, take the “people” out
of the process. Most problems are a result of inadequate training, poor
instructions, lack of necessary equipment, etc.
5.
Make the issue of censorious known to everyone
in the organization and intolerance for those who make a habit of this
destructive behavior.
6.
Counsel and work with those who have this
natural tendency. Help them to channel their behavior as a benefit rather than negative effect on the group.
There are many other things you can do but this will help
you get started. We will continue next time on Behaviors as we strive together
to Finish Well.
