There’s an old saying that “wherever you go, there you are.” Indeed. At work, at home, at the gym, at the grocery store, in your community: it’s all you. You’re the same person in each of those spaces – and all others. Wherever we go, we’re the same person. Which means we need to learn how to manage ourselves to …
A group is not a team
I’ve said it for years: a group of people in a room (or a Zoom meeting or a Slack workspace) is not a team. It’s just a group of people. It takes more than sticking them together under the auspices of a manager or team lead for them to become a team. And I trust you’ve read enough of my …
Got conflict?
If you’re trying to remove all tension and conflict within your team, you’re doing it wrong. Any attempt to create a bubble in which no one disagrees with anyone else never works. As General George Patton said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” Squashing disagreement means squashing creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. It means potentially disastrous (and certainly …
Who has a voice?
Who, What, When. Who can say something; What they can say; and When they can say it. This is a cornerstone of culture, whether good or bad. (Note that I didn’t say a cornerstone of corporate culture. It is that, but it’s much broader; it’s a cornerstone of all culture, whether that’s family, community, corporate, or country.) Who has a voice? …
Culture as Perpetual Soup
I heard a great metaphor the other day about culture: “You cannot microwave culture. It takes a crockpot approach.” (From Charlie Malouf, the CEO of BroadRiver, on Simon Sinek’s podcast “A Bit of Optimism.”) I love how that points to the reality that culture isn’t something you can fix or do quickly. But I also think the metaphor falls apart …
The foundation for successful change
If you’re planning a change initiative, take a long hard look first at your company culture, because that’s the foundation from which you’re starting. If your culture isn’t strong and stable, your change leaders will have an uphill battle. Trust is a key factor – maybe the key factor – in company culture and readiness for change. As someone commented …
The Amazing, Astounding Power of Words
If you know ancient myths and fairy tales at all, you know that knowing someone’s “true name” gives you power over them. This isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine. Words form identity, and identity is at the root of culture, in organizations, teams, communities, and families. Culture change starts by identifying where you are so you know what needs …
Culture, identity, and change
All change is culture change. And all culture includes identity. Two simple statements with a lot to consider. Let’s unpack them. All change is culture change This one is fairly simple to explain, though not so simple in practice. Any time you change how something is done – whether it’s a systems change, a process change, a reorganization, new technology, …
Looking at Trust (a little differently)
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am: trust is essential for a good culture. (I know. Obvious, once it’s down in print, right?) And this is true whether we’re talking about a company, a team, a family, a community – anywhere where there’s more than one person. (Hmm. More than one person? Maybe trust within and …
Trust, Change, and Timing
“Trust is the mechanism that absorbs uncertainty.” That quote – which I heard on David Lancefield’s excellent leadership podcast Lancefield on the Line, the episode in which he interviewed Dr. Marcus Collins – kinda blew my mind. It expresses so much, so simply. In fact, I’m seriously tempted to just stop this article right here (is it an article if …