Bad Behaviours.
No one can hide from the internet. It contains countless examples of folks presenting altruistic conduct, but more than a fair share others revealing less than desirable … etiquette.
For example, several workers at a Burger King in Ohio were fired after they took photos of themselves shredding lettuce with their feet and posted them on the Web. It didn’t seem to enter their minds that their bosses might eventually see these photos. Why would staff shred lettuce with their feet anyway?
These workers pale in comparison to those whose actions explode beyond the internet, and the world couldn’t miss, who put their own interests above those of the staff and customers, basic ethics and good behaviour - the likes of Enron, Lehman Bros, etc.
What do these two have in common? They were presenting to the world poor business culture. If staff feel valued would they act like the Burger King employees? If leaders genuinely loved and cared for their staff and customers would they look to make the greatest gains with scant regard for the outcome of their actions?
All your decisions, behaviours and interactions with staff and customers are like a Petri dish - whatever you allow to grow, either through commission or omission, will ultimately become visible as your company culture, a culture which the world can’t miss.
So what sort of culture are you growing?
The easiest way to determine your business culture is by looking at your staff and ask, what are the positive or negative behaviours you can observe in the workplace?
You will find that within your business the majority of employees you observe demonstrate positive, culture-building behaviours. However, the larger the organisation more negative than positive behaviours are observed.
Another issue regarding behaviours is distance - the more senior your position the more likely you are to see your culture as positive; and if leadership fails to notice and deal with the negative attitudes within their business they will perpetuate negative and destructive behaviours.
Below are examples of the top ten bad behaviours you may witness your staff and managers displaying in the workplace which negatively affect your culture:
Cutting corners – 72%
Lying to hide your mistakes – 72%
Badmouthing colleagues – 68%
Passing the buck (when you don’t get your work done) – 67%
Slacking off when no one’s watching – 64%
Lying to hide other people’s mistakes – 63%
Taking credit for other people’s work – 57%
Taking a sickie – 56%
Lying about skills and experience – 54%
Taking low value items from work – 52%
As you know, bad behaviours creates poor business culture which leads to poor business performance. A positive, productive culture needs to be centre-stage in your mind and the mind of your leaders, equally so with the quest for a profitable, growing business.
Culture cannot forced but it is important to keep resistance to a minimum, to create the best possible conditions for your positive, solutions focused culture to grow. As a leader you should be looking for avenues to connect with your staff and customers, and for your people to contribute. By allowing these interactions you will create the environment for something extraordinary to happen.
The easiest way to achieve this is to “get out of your seat” and have “face time” with your stakeholders - visit your stores, trading floors, regional offices, and factories looking for opportunities talk with your staff and customers. Then deliberately create a culture of celebration where you show appreciation for people’s contributions.
The other equally import contribution to a positive culture is that you, your leaders and managers display behaviours which will have a positive impact on culture. Behaviours such as being proactive, maintaining a solutions focused and positive mind-set, modeling positive behaviours and challenging those negative behaviours displayed by others (see Fig 1 below).
When creating your culture remember that it is your non-managers, those who are face to face with your other employees and customers, who will have the greatest impact on the outcome of your culture. Therefore it is vital to have an open dialogue with them, looking for opportunities to celebrate their contribution and good behaviours, impart your business’ vision and to address undesirable behaviours. Of equal importance is that you and your leaders model those good behaviours you desire your business culture to reflect to the world.
Figure 1
Source: Alan Keith and Lindsay Levin., The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, from The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. Copyright © 2002.
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