Perhaps the most awkward
professional situation is inheriting a new team. The second most awkward situation is inheriting a new supervisor! Last
week I shared what happens when there is unhealthy competition in the work
place. But what happens if you inherit the grease fire (i.e. a Hot Mess!) that
a previous supervisor left in terms of such a toxic environment? I have been
thinking out loud about what you can do if you INHERIT such a situation as a
new supervisor or if you CREATED it in the first place and want to make a
change!
Regardless, you are going to
have go in with realistic expectations. Don’t think that your new team will see
you as some kind of unicorn supervisor who will now fill the workplace with
rainbows and candy! They have been burned before by you or someone else and
have little reason to believe that you have changed or that things are going to
be any different just because you are new. They are simply operating on the not
unfair assumption that past behavior (even if it was not yours) will be an
indicator of future behaviors.
So, before you even begin to
implement a culture changing strategy, you are going to have to do several
things regardless whether or not you created or inherited the situation and do
so almost simultaneously.
Listen – you
are going to need to spend a lot of time just asking and listening to your team
about their perceptions of the working environment. This may take some
diligence on your part since a zero-trust environment has been created; thus,
they may be hesitant to do so initially.
Respond – one
of the powerful ways to establish or repair trust with someone is to take them
seriously. If you get tough to hear feedback, you are going to have to just
deal with it and respond with clear and quick changes to policies, practices,
language, etc. that created the toxic environment in the first place.
Recognize – soon
after you have had these frank and open conversations with EACH team member in
your unit or organization, you should hold a full team meeting where you invite
that big elephant in the room as your
special guest to join you. Demonstrating courage in recognizing what has not
working in the past will be a great way to MODEL openness and trust. Leaders go first in these situations.
Restore –
once everyone knows that you know that they know what has been happening in the
past to create a toxic environment, now is the time for actions that
will create and restore the trust and health of the working climate. Keep in
mind, some members of the team may have been perfectly happy with how things
were since they personally or professionally benefitted. Here are 8 ACTION
STEPS that I recommend:
- Recast “Competition” – As I said in my previous blog, I have no issues with competition as a concept, the challenge is to make it work in a way that it is a win-win for everyone on the team. Think about recasting competition where team members are competing against their potential versus each other. Performance goals should be highly customized to the individual so that their success and progress makes BOTH them and the organization better, more productive, profitable, etc.
- Think Organization FIRST – Large organizations are notorious for creating bureaucratic silos where work teams focus primarily on their goals but lose the big picture of the organization. Encourage your unit or units to think organization first and unit second. The premise is that when one unit “wins” we all win. The best organizations understand this and embed the culture of US vs Them.
- Review Incentives and Recognitions – A common leadership maxim is that “You reward what you value” or stated another way, rewards and recognitions are manifestations of the leader’s own values. Do you reward teamwork and innovation or just one person’s individual’s accomplishments? There is nothing wrong with highlighting personal performance, just make sure it is for the right things.
- Check the Language – I once heard that when you are a leader, your words weigh a thousand pounds! With that in mind, I would recommend adopting a practice shared by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great where you distinguish between “soft opinions” which are merely just suggestions or ideas with “hard opinions” which are more absolutes in terms of expectations when speaking to team members. Trust me, based upon their past experience in a toxic culture, team members will consider everything a mandate unless you intentionally make those important differentiations.
- Set Expectations – Setting clear and mutually created expectations has been a staple of my leadership practices and trainings for years. Not only should you set clear expectations about what does and does not constitute a healthy work environment, but it is EQUALLY important that EVERYONE on the team co-creates those expectations with you. People support what they help create so give them every opportunity to do so.
- Pollinate and Marinate – Changing a culture, especially one where damage has been done is never easy. Your transformative and other-centric leadership style will be a significant “shock to the system”. Avoid trying to change everything thing at once. Pick what needs the most attention first and then pollinate changes with definitive actions referenced above. Then let those changes marinate awhile. Give team members the space to “test drive” them for a bit but they will quickly see the value of your efforts. Nothing changes our behaviors and attitudes more quickly than when we think it was our idea all along! Allow some space and time for your culture changes to take hold within the culture.
- Be Patient but Persistent – In light of the above process, therefore, you are going to need to be patient. The toxic culture you created or inherited was not created overnight so it will take some time to change again. With that being said, however, you must be persistent. Maintain a constant but comfortable pressure on the team by talking, challenging, encouraging, and recognizing the changes you desire.
- Don’t panic! – Finally, don’t panic if there is a dip in productivity while you are attempting to transform your organization or team. As Kerry Patterson and their colleagues in their great book, Influencer, point out, when we panic, we allow the more primitive and reactionary parts of our brain to drive our behaviors. Just think about how your driving habits change when you are late for a meeting or trying to catch a flight. In such a scenario we begin to make decisions or take risks that we normally would never consider out of concerns for your own safety or that of others. In the same way, if production slips, do not be tempted to revert back to the former culture of unhealthy competition and other negatives. Allow the learning and changes to catch up with the team and I would wager you will observe not only a quick turnaround but even better results! Don’t allow someone else’s previous bad leadership doubt yours now!
John Collision, co-founder of Stripe,
shares that “Culture is what happens when the CEO is not in the room.” If you
inherited a hot mess, your goal is to ensure that a healthy culture is
maintained by your team even when you are not there. In fact, such self- sustaining
behaviors is a clear metric that your efforts are working!
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching
experiences I offer can provide an impact.
If you want to know more about
Expectation Setting and other culture change strategies, I would direct you to Leading
Out Loud: Strategies for Raising Your Leadership Voice! available on
Amazon.com. I would also be happy to share the full NEXT LEVEL LEADERS training
resources with you or your organization or personally coach you through the
process. Please feel free to contact me for a no obligation inquiry.
Vita Integro,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
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John Maxwell Team, please visit
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