Change! Or Stop Waving the Culture Banner….

Ask anyone who’s interacted with me professionally over the past decade.  I’m a organizational culture advocate, perhaps a fanatic.  Zappos.  Google.  IBM.  Microsoft.  U. S. Army or Navy.  Each one has a unique culture that drives its progress, and at times, holds it back.  Leadership is all about culture.  We all know that, right?

Well, as we settle into the New Year, once again, the blogosphere seems inundated with articles debating, espousing, attacking, or simply doubting organizational culture as a focus aspect for 2014.  Really, it’s been the same thing for the past half-decade.  Culture.  Culture.  Culture.

So, why is it that most organizations aren’t further down that culture change path?  What’s keeping them from transforming their cultures to drive better processes, to become better employers, or to encourage better innovation?

Sigh…..

Sigh…..

Double Sigh…..

Okay, people….Here it is, the truth, unfettered, unadulterated, and yes, quite possibly unsolicited. (Few people have accused me of conforming to political correctness or of hesitance to offer my perspectives!)

It makes no difference how badly you may want your culture to change….if you don’t change your leadership.  Your own leadership style.  Your leadership team.  Your entire leadership culture!

So, why is this so difficult?

Well, leadership is a habit, and as we all know, habits are hard to kick.  So, you learned how to lead years ago (or perhaps only to manage, but you’re not going to let that get in your way, are you?). Well, what are you doing different now than you did a year ago?  Two years?  I mean, what leadership practices have you fundamentally shifted.  What have you truly eliminated in your leadership practice, and what have you actively adopted, adapted, and developed?

In reality, not many leaders can really finger even two or three things about their leadership that they have fundamentally changed.  And why is that?  Because those are the leadership traits that got them to where they are (or that they BELIEVE got them to a level of success they now enjoy).  That’s WHY start-ups have an advantage over established organizations when it comes to creating and sustaining positive organizational cultures aligned with the direction of the organization.

So, let’s just cut to the chase….

If you’ve not made really fundamental changes in your actual, daily leadership practices, stop waving the culture change banner.  It’s not going to happen.  Let’s not kid ourselves, okay?

Don’t Be Afraid To Mix It Up!

You know what I love most about start-up founders?  The endless possibilities they foresee!  It’s refreshing.  It’s exhilarating.  And it’s imperative…but not just for start-ups.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with several leaders of local start-ups here in Madison.  Each is at a different phase with their respective organizations, but all are prescient enough to understand the challenges on their individual horizons.  And for most, the ultimate goal – growth – means needing to take a look at some of the fundamental human resource approaches.

[Trevor enters stage left.]

Regularly, I’m approached by small business owners looking at the (hopeful) upcoming growth curve in their organizations.  Thanks to this blog, my LinkedIn profile, and a very active network, it’s fairly easy for these leaders to seek me out.  They know my views on traditional HR and the corporate tendencies toward policies that breed mediocrity.  My views are a good fit for what they are seeking…innovative ways to maximize the talents in the workforce to make the meteoric leap to success.

“What are you really trying to develop here?” I always ask.

The answers vary, usually oscillating between the esoteric, “We’re looking to revolutionize the world,” to the more grounded, “We want the best talent money can buy, without spending the bank.”

Now, all organizations (or at least those who are truly seeking top talent) need to be willing to pay a little for that talent.  But it doesn’t have to be as much as one might think.  Often, a decent salary that’s at least approaching the median compensation value for a similar job elsewhere is a good starting place…but it’s JUST the starting point.  Sign-on bonuses, profit-sharing, and/or a truly well-designed bonus system are also helpful, as are genuine commitments to helping the employees grow in whatever direction will fulfill them personally in their career direction (Yes, even if that means knowing that you’ll possibly lose them down the road).

Remember, when you hire someone, you’re only leasing their commitment.  Too many organizations assume they are buying talent, and they certainly might be.  But, a “bought talent” situation is one in which employees are commoditized and, at best, mediocre in talent, innovation, and productivity.

Anyway, as a result of our session, three of these start-ups put together really awesome strategies for finding, landing, and developing talent moving forward.  The fourth opted for a more traditional route, his decision influenced more by the successes of his father, a retired insurance executive.

Now, I can’t predict with certainty which of these four new and exciting companies will survive and thrive.  But I can say that, if top talent is truly a priority for these executives, and if that top talent will make or break the future of their companies, three of the four start-up leaders have put themselves on the right track.  Their futures are indeed bright, but not because of the specifics of the talent management approach they are implementing.  No, they’re bright because their leaders understand that a future predicated on practices of the past may just not be a road to the kind of future that they envision.  And they’re not afraid to “mix it up a little” to get to that future.

And for that, I applaud them!

Embrace Continuous Improvement: A Reminder for the Good

Who here likes models?  Nope, not talking about the leggy, airbrush fashion varieties.  Nor am I referring to the plastic cars, planes, and boats we toiled over as kids (I’ve got a brother who expertly still does this, so it’s clearly not just a hobby for children).  Who here likes frameworks for better understanding the world around us, those kinds of models?

(Silence.)

Oh, come on, I know there are plenty of you out there who live for these graphical representations of work, leadership, learning…You can admit it.  Channel your inner geek!

I like them, too, although I’m typically a bit skeptical (shocking, I know) about their use as end-all, be-alls of what we do.  Too often they are paraded about as “rules” to be followed, rather than frameworks to help align our thoughts (where appropriate) or to influence our perspectives.  But where they succeed only in the latter, they can be wonderful tools!

This fall, I’ll be once again teaching a masters-level course in adult learning, and I’ve spent time this summer reviewing my approach to this class, tweaking bits and pieces, and in some instances, revamping complete portions of the curriculum.  In doing so, I suddenly came to a realization this weekend.  In fact, I’ve been doing just what I despise with a learning model in this course…I’ve set upon a pedestal Knowles’s model of andragogy and I’ve resisted much else.

Dang it!!…Hypocrisy rears its ugly head!

You see, I believe wholeheartedly in the theory of learner-centered education.  Individuals must be self-motivated and self-driven to learn, and it is not the role of the instructor to preach “on high” about the “truth” of a particular topic.  Rather than lecture and “profess” one’s knowledge, the role of the professor is more as a facilitator of learning, particularly when engaging adult learners.  It’s quite the opposite of the “teacher-centered” model that most of us grew up in and continued even through college, in many cases.  In fact, the American educational philosophy has remained overwhelmingly pedagogical for centuries.  And in certain environments (namely, for building foundational skills to children), pedagogy can be very appropriate.

By contrast, andragogy is far better for engaging adults in the learning process.  But adoption of andragogical teaching in schools, higher education, and in organizational settings has been slow.  That’s precisely why I focus so heavily on it in my Adult Learning class.

That said, I realized last week how one-sided my perspective has become.  Specifically, how in emphasizing an andragogical method of learning, I have neglected to promote other complementary frameworks that could actually enhance Knowles’s approach.  A great example of that would be Ginsberg and Wlodkowski’s Motivational Framework for Culturally Relevant Teaching.  Used in conjunction with a traditional theory of andragogy, the framework adds richness by further focusing on building Inclusion, Attitude, Competence, and Meaning to the learning environment.

Now, one could devote many blog posts or an entire book to either of these models alone (in fact, the creators of each DID).  And I won’t bore you with the details of either here.

The point here is that as we move through our work, we each need to explore how our own habits and perspectives sometimes lock us into a particular way of doing things.  While that may be good, if we want even better results, we need to push ourselves to look for ways we can improve upon our “model.”  After all, good should never simply be….good enough!