7 culture killers and how to stop them

It takes around 30 seconds for us to form our first impression of someone and up to 8 hours to undo a bad one, writes Chris Smith.

It’s no different with our organisations. Staff will form their impression of a company or leader quickly and decisively, and if it’s not good it takes something or someone very special to fix it. Most of the time it isn’t fixed at all. It’s better to not go there in the first place. Now even if we don’t know how to build a good culture, at the very least let’s avoid destroying any chance we have of creating one, or what we may have altogether, by not doing things that are guaranteed to do so – and here’s the list.

1. Trying to make a ‘team’ when there isn’t one

‘I just delete them.’ How often have I heard that? Lots. Staff won’t tell you though that they’re deleting them. What are they deleting? Falsity – falsity in the form of emails that start with, ‘Hi team,’ when in fact they don’t feel part of a team at all. That is what they are deleting – the emotion, a negative one. They just don’t want to hear it, read it or feel it. We cannot force a team. There may be circumstances when a so-called ‘team’ has to be, such as with sporting teams.

There are times when we have to work together, such as in a crew. There are times when we call them teams but they’re not. They are teams in name only. The word is a platitude. The worst situation is when management is trying to create a team by calling it one. Intelligent people will see it as immature and insulting. So often, staff are just ‘teamed out’.

There is a big difference between a ‘business’ team and a team in which people have a sense of belonging and commitment, but achieve it and there is no downside and a huge upside. Please ensure you have a real team before you call it one. Build a community, the ultimate team.

2. The 10 per cent solution

This approach nearly always fails. A new guard arrives. The business isn’t going well. A quick turnaround is necessary; even critical. A (nominal) 10 per cent staff cut across the board is instituted without truly understanding the medium-term consequences, or for that matter, how the business or department operates or how it came to be in the position it’s in.

In the short term, some good results can be made to happen as costs reduce, and the share price may rise. It often only lasts a couple of years, however, and then quality drops. Morale declines, along with productivity. When that happens, it’s very hard to recover. This isn’t to say cuts aren’t required. They very often are but they need to be targeted with extreme care and enacted transparently. Face the music, personally, and listen, honestly. It can be rough but don’t think you have all the answers.

Remember the adage: 90 per cent of the quality is in the last 10 per cent. Be careful cutting the 10 per cent. Oh, and be extremely careful about discarding experience. There’s no substitute. These are the ‘go-to’ people; the ones who make companies tick. They know why we’re in the position we’re in. Lose them and we’ll end up right back where we started.

3. Rumours

These are potentially very dangerous, both for corporate culture and, more seriously, for the individuals involved, including managers. Address rumours immediately. To do this, to even be aware of them, there is no alternative but to be in there with your staff. On becoming aware of them, there’s often a natural tendency to blame. Avoid this. Ask and correct. Do so in front of everyone, not just a few. People can't walk out of a staff meeting and, with credibility, further spread rumours if the manager works with the staff.

The amazing thing is that when someone is confronted with the fact that they’re spreading rumours, they usually express distaste for those who do it, so either they don’t realise they’re doing it or they’re denying it. Why would anyone spread rumours at all? For some, it’s habitual and normal. Others use rumours as a weapon to damage people or an organisation deliberately. Perhaps they’re bitter. Some are simply mischievous.

What is very common, however, is the person who does it to be ‘accepted’. These are very sad cases. They think that others want to hear these things and that it will make them popular. They want to belong to a particular group.

4. Breaking confidentiality

How does this happen? It can be as simple as a facial expression. ‘How’s Tina going with her training?’ The response was simply a raising of the eyebrows. Immediately, confidentiality is gone, and potentially along with it, Tina’s reputation. This is both immoral and unprofessional (not to mention any potential legal ramifications). Does the person need to know how Tina is going? Why? Do they have the right to know? Will it harm or benefit Tina? Of course, it also happens when people talk inappropriately.

5. Groupthink

What is it? As the name implies, it’s about broadly held views. These views though are often irrational and are sometimes destructive. People will often hold them due to a desire for acceptance or to conform. It’s a stereotypical view: ‘Managers of this company are all the same. They have no idea what’s going on. They couldn’t care less.’ Furthermore, though, there is often an intolerance of those who don’t conform to the consensus view, and at times the response to those people can be quite aggressive. This happens often in significant industrial disputes.

We will commonly find people appointing themselves to address others who don’t conform – to pull them back into the pack. At the extreme, groups lose perspective and hold an unquestioned belief that they are morally right, along with developing a sense of invulnerability – strength in belonging to the group. They have just entered the danger zone. Individuals lose control and lives can start to fall apart right then and there. How then do we combat groupthink?

Let me preface this by saying that if it’s entrenched, and if cynicism is rife, things may not change initially. Keep going. Don’t stop. It can change. Success can also depend on individuals. Are they strong enough to go against the crowd? Are there enough of them? Support them. It is vitally important nevertheless to confront groupthink overtly, consistently and constantly. It can take time. Remember these few points – they are important:

• Confront issues openly. Don’t shy away.
• Provide the facts. This still doesn’t guarantee change. People still find it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
• Do encourage open dialogue. Do encourage expression of opinion.
• Be there. Be available for anyone to speak to.
• A leader must have respect to be influential. Do you have respect? Respect will empower a dissenter to disagree with the masses.

I admire the way many Japanese companies conduct their meetings. They will allow the most junior to speak and provide their views first. They will then work upwards in seniority or status. This way, staff members aren’t afraid to differ with a view expressed by a more senior person.

6. Ice breakers

Ditch them. Most people just detest them. Just introduce people.

7. Triangulation

This happens all the time, both in our personal and professional lives, and it’s incredibly destructive. Triangulation is unnecessarily involving a third party in a problem – such as a colleague or a manager, a relative or a friend – and it invariably inflames an issue. It’s like throwing a hand grenade into the conflict. Once it’s happened, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to negate. Often the third party holds their own biases or agendas, and it inevitably leads to a worsening of the situation.

Make a start today. Remove these and watch the results. Much of what we deal with in leadership roles relates to people. They are people just like you and me and of all sorts. Believe me, working with people is not straightforward. Trying to pigeonhole them and manage them all the same doesn’t work. Sometimes, there’s just, well, grey … but we can learn to respect and appreciate that colour.

Chris Smith is an author, senior airline captain and manager, lecturer and counsellor.