Culture drives Brand

What’s also true is this: problems in corporate culture exist and they could wreak havoc on your operations. Here at Miick, we help brands find solutions to organizational culture problems before they kill productivity and employee morale.

Culture in place is, as often as not, a liability for businesses both small and large. How so?
Culture happens, it simply is. As often as not, Culture is ritual and unconscious! These unconscious habits or norms in a company get modeled more than touted. Culture ends up being an outcome of chance and old habits, more than choice. Headline: Culture is a choice! We need not be creatures of habit, just because the habit exists. We can create “Culture by Choice, Not Chance.” At Miick, we do this constantly with our clients, time and again with success.

Headline: Culture IS a Choice!

I often get asked, “How do I know if my culture’s a liability or an asset?” You can start by keeping an eye out for these five unmistakable signs of bad company culture.

5. A New Hire Gets Told What’s “Really True” 3 Days In…  

The public brand and persona is, “This is a great place to work!”  

Sure enough, the Onboarding and Orientation goes pretty.  New hire inspiration exudes!

At the same time, there are subtle “cracks in the dike” along the way. Yelling, angry faces, aggressive tones of voice, lack of cleanliness or positive feedback are all warning signs of bad company culture.

Sure enough, within the first three days of work, co-workers offer direct comments about what really happens here, here’s what you can really expect. This process is quiet, shared on breaks, on Zoom post meetings, or at the bar after work. Before long, the inspired new hire has gone native. The rock star that began with us, silently slips into the shadow norms of culture. And, worse, the good ones leave.   

4. We’re Better at Catching People Doing Stuff Wrong Than Right

Another common issue in organizational culture is when Trainers, Managers, and Co-workers, coach to the negative.   

Feedback is closer to hand slaps than coaching! Focus is on what didn’t work, or what needs to be edited, or shouldn’t have been done. If your company has listed values or a mission, the values are used as hammers, prefaced with, “you didn’t…”  instead of coaching to the positive.  Instead, find what worked well and build on that!

From Miick:  “Be a coach, not a cop!”

3. Sarcasm is the Humor or “Coaching” of Choice 

Sarcasm is about power, insider information and “othering.” Sarcasm also drives drama and indicates an underlying organizational culture issue. The second you call me out on my sarcastic or sideways comment, I duck and plead, “I was just kidding!” You and I, and your team, know you weren’t.   

Sarcasm is not to be confused with performance feedback.   At the very least, sarcasm sends mixed signals to anyone but the most intimate friend … even then, there’s a tiny cut that need not be there.   At worst, sarcasm is deadly; it is fear-based instead of courageously stating the real story! Beware of sarcasm in the workplace.

2. Finger Pointing with Absolutes, Single Value Reasons, Stories and Excuses 

You know the drill. Here comes a staff member or manager running to you or HR with an issue that’s huge for them!   

As often as not we’ll hear phrasing that includes absolutes like, “everyone” or “no one,” “all the time,” or “never.”   If you have defined values, support to this transgression is typically offered with the use of a single company value.    

First opportunity: Thanks for coming in and sharing.

Second opportunity: Who’s everyone?  Or, when you say “always,” how many times in the last week? 

Third opportunity: What other values apply? Or how would you integrate other values into this issue?

And there’s more…  

1. The Real Meeting is “After the Meeting”

This habit shows up in two ways. 1. The management team, or all staff, or board sits silently in the meeting. When asked, “Do you have any questions?” Silence is the response. Another variation is that one or two people dominate the meeting, with little to no support, pushback, or debate.   

In these two meeting norms, two equally frequent outcomes occur:   

Habit 1: After the meeting, the real meeting happens at the “water cooler,” bar, on Zoom, or in the parking lot: Resistance, debate, and pushback show up in earnest; “he/she”, “they”, and “those guys” and likely as not “f-bombs” (or the equivalent) get thrown around like a hot potato.   

Habit 2: The people that did take the risk to speak up did so out of habit, likely as not, and allowed other folks to stay silent. Then in the meeting after the meeting they’re as easily blamed for lack of movement as the leaders themselves, OR, are left as either heroes or victims “trying their best!” and failing again… 

Here are some options:

Action 1: Have the real meeting in the meeting. Listen as much as speak. Instead of asking, “Do you have any questions?”, change the frame and expect/invite questions by asking, “What questions do you have?” 

Action 2: Name the elephant in the room (I call it the “moose in the room”) as fast as possible. As appropriate, consider beginning a meeting with this: Who’s got a moose?   

(Heck, name your animal of choice: Elephant, 800 lb. gorilla). Have fun with this exploration of a deeper truth that really needs to get addressed! Sooner the better!

This list could as easily be the top 10 list, or top 20 list. These five points will get you started on building a company or corporate culture by choice not chance!   

For more on the “how to” of healthy, dynamic Corporate Culture, visit: miick.com

Call: 303-413-0400.

The post The 5 Warning Signs of Bad Company Culture appeared first on The Miick Companies.

To recap, there are eight elements of the Miick Safe Space® System, and each one stands alone. At the same time, each one integrates with the others to make a potent guide for effective dialogue, feedback, coaching, and conflict resolution.

Let’s take a detailed look at the next four elements of the Miick Safe Space® System for Conscious Communication:

5) 7-45-48

These three numbers come from one of two global studies that were very close in outcomes. The data is: In the translation of what we say and do, the people with whom we interact make meaning or translate meaning in the following ways:

• 7% from words spoken

• 45% from body language (there are at least 3000 facial expressions that mean exactly the same thing globally)

• 48% from tone of voice (what’s sincere verses sarcastic, honest or not, a sideways jab? Where is the voice “placed” in tone to make these valuations on meaning?)

This means that body language and tone make up 93% of the translation:

• If I want to ensure my effectiveness in communication, I had better work to have my tone of voice and body language actually match my words. (This alignment of 7 – 45 – 48 supports effective intention – impact)

• There is a paradox: My word choice is very important, not less important. And words mean less than body language and tone when the body language and tone don’t match the words I use.

Tools:

• Pay attention to sarcasm… it’s funny until its not… it’s clear but not.

• Be kind and courageous enough to actually speak the truth, instead of “hiding behind” sarcasm.

• Watch out for pronouns: he, she, it, they, that.

6) Moose in the Room

To name a “moose” is a courageous act.

Most of us know the phrase, there’s an “elephant in the room,” or “wow, that’s an 800-pound gorilla.” Notice the impact in a meeting or training when it seems that “everyone” is holding back some dialogue about an issue that needs to be addressed, yet “no one” is willing to name it.

Often times, one person has the courage to name the issue and then gets in trouble. An alternative, our alternative choice, is to immediately name the moose in the room, the unspoken issue. Our expectation is that we lead meetings with naming any moose that causes drama or gets in the way of our individual or collective success.

Naming “the moose” is far more than simply having an “open door” policy. Being celebrated for naming a moose, that we expect the moose to be named in support of our collective success, is a powerful and potent action. Fear of speaking the unspoken slows us down and impedes our success through the use of Purpose and Values. The most potent way to mature your company or family system is to name “the moose”.

Moose start out small and grow exponentially the longer they remain un-named. Naming any moose allows each of us to laugh at the humanness of making meaning, making up stories instead of checking our story. Moose can easily show up on a daily basis. Name it, shoo the moose away, and stay present!

You know there’s a moose, when the real meeting happens after the meeting; or when someone says, “Oh, don’t talk about that…”; or “Yes, but… “

Tool:

Name the moose.

“I wonder if this is a moose?” or “I have what feels like a moose.”

Start a meeting with a check-in with each person naming a moose. If more than two people have the same moose, we’d better deal with it.

When a moose is named, its power and size is diminished; use purpose, values and Conscious Communication tools to discuss any moose, any time.

7) Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a potent part of Conscious Communication. Honoring confidentiality builds TRUST exponentially. Confidentiality simply means: That what’s said in the room stays in the room.

Tool:

Share the energy and learning from a meeting; share excitement or challenge.

In training, in meetings, in one-on-one conversations, we do not share the name of individuals named as examples. We share that people did or do profound work, or challenging work within themselves taking the risk to use conscious communication, or to name their truth, then dishonoring confidentiality. We do not share what they shared in confidentiality.

Yes:

“As a group we used our Purpose and Values to discuss budgets and decisions that have impacted our team and our members. We had a really honest conversation and used Safe Space to build our power as a team… the experience was great!”

No:

“Michelle went on about frustrated parents impacted by our budget cuts with the child care.”

8) Make “I” Statements

There are two parts to making “I” statements: “Singular I” and the “Collective I.”

Part 1 “Singular I”:

I speak for myself, based on data, my truth or experience, sharing my intention, sharing my inside out, naming the unspoken or my truth.

Yes:

“I have a real concern about how we’re making budget cutting decisions.”

No:

“Everyone’s really upset with the budget cuts.”

Part 1 continued, I own my attitude and actions:

Yes:

I am conscious of not making I/you statements.

No:

“I am so hurt by what you’ve said to me.” “You make me so angry.” “I feel like you’re really being a jerk.”

Yes:

“I can feel myself hurt from our discussion.” “I can feel anger building up inside me from what I’ve heard.” “I realize that when we talk I end up feeling really judgmental.

Part 2: “Collective I” Statements

Making “”I statements at the group level is more challenging. I need to pay attention to my intention! Do I INTEND to be part of the group? Is my intention to be “outside the group”? Is my goal to build the energy of the group? I need to pay attention: to be conscious of my choice in language!

Most important with collective “I” statements is to not worry too much about getting “it right.” Practice is what will move the skills each of us has in making effective collective “I” statements.

Making “Collective I” Statements

From the model above, at the group level: What follows are examples of making “I” statements at various levels of system within a group.

At the personal level:

“I do my best to make I statements whenever I speak” “I consciously do my best to make I statements when ever I speak.” “I own my decisions and my actions.”

At the collective level, or the group level, that is, when I am part of the group:

“Its my wish that each of us makes I statements whenever any one of us (or each of us) speaks.” “Each of us makes I statements when ever any one of us speaks.” “Each of us needs to own our actions.”

At the group level, as a group action:

“I’d like each of us to do our best consciously, to make “I statements.” “We all need to consciously use I statements” “At work, we each own our actions.”

As leader outside the group:

“I need you all to make I statements.” “I need each of you to make I statements” “I need you to own your actions.” “I invite you to own your actions.”

As the leader “inside the group:

“Each of us needs to make I statements” “I need each of us to make I statements.”

Two pointers to pay attention to in our discussions, coaching, and feedback:

1. Watch out for “But”

The word “but” tends to negate all that’s said before it.

“You’re doing a good job but, ______.”

Instead try: At the same time; or As an alternative.

For example, “But” can easily negate anything and all that’s been said previously. “But” tends to stop “energy.” Instead practice using phrases like “at the same time” or “as an alternative.”

With but: “You’re a good person but you are not doing your five-step greetings.”

Lose the but: “You’re a good person, and I know you can do more with your five-step greetings.” “You’re a good person, and to take your positive impact further, I know you can do more with your five-step greeting.”

2. And… Watch out for “Why”

The word “Why” can tend to make one shut down (a little or a lot). Two examples of “why”:

Why did you do that? Why are you doing that?

Some alternative possibilities are:

I’m interested in your choice _______. What’s motivating you to ______.

How could you do that differently? What could you do instead?

Safe Space® for Conscious Communication can make our relationships more successful both in business and in life. Schedule 30 minutes with Miick to get the basics on how these elements work in real life applications.

The post The Next Four Elements of the Miick Safe Space System® for Conscious Communication™ appeared first on The Miick Companies.

There are eight elements of the Miick Safe Space® System, and each one stands alone. At the same time, each one integrates with the others to make a potent guide for effective dialogue, feedback, coaching, and conflict resolution.

Let’s review the first four elements of the Miick Safe Space® System for Conscious Communication:

1) Track data, and be aware of meaning making.

Data is simply non-debatable. It’s the information we can see, hear, touch, and experience. For example, if the data shows that Steve has been late to work for each of the last three days, there are different ways to approach this.

Meaning making: Steve doesn’t care about work. He is having real problems in his life.

If I simply make some sweeping statement about Steve, I will be less successful in my coaching, my management, and in modeling effective leadership. For example, to call Steve out as always being late will likely result in an argument or at least a hassle.

Data-based approach: “Steve, I am aware you’ve been late the last three days to work. What needs to change to not have this behavior happen again?”

2) My truth, my experience.

Each of us is unique, and because of our unique background, education, faith, and life experience, each of us is likely to have a different experience when listening, seeing, feeling, or watching an event. The differences may vary from only slightly different to extremely different.

Another way differences show up is in experience. Your truth about the difficulty or challenge with work after three years of experience may be very different than someone in their first day of work. Think about a different frame of reference, a different size “lens” to view the world. Simply ask, “How is your experience different than mine? What is your experience with this?”

Based on my experience (in life), I carry different truths than someone with different experiences. My truth, my life experience creates or least impacts the meaning making I hold about any given situation. All the more potent then to track data and share my truth of THAT data.

How can I own my own stories without creating a fight or conflict? These are some examples of what can be said to gain clarity instead of conflict or a fight:

“The story I make up is ______. Am I close?”

“My experience is ________. What’s yours?”

“What’s your experience of __________?”

Lastly, what’s our truth or our experience? As a company, as a team, we’ll get more richness in our decisions, actions, and growth by having, hearing, and honoring different truths then to the best of our ability holding all as potential truth.

And know that truths can be true until they’re not:

“Six months ago, we couldn’t actually trust what was said.”

“I trust what is being said, based on data (and supported by our purpose and values).”

3) Intention and impact

Did what I intend to have happen, happen? What did happen as an outcome of my actions? If there is a miss on the intention and the impact:

1. If there’s a miss with what I intended and the impact created, acknowledge the “miss.”

2. Back up; try again.

3. A very powerful action is to DEFINE my intention at the outset, to myself and to others.

Tools:

Actually say, “My intention here is ___________.” Then check in and reinforce to determine if your intention was effective or not.

4) Inside out, outside in

Based on my intention and the impact I want to create, I choose one of two options.

Inside out:

I share my inside thoughts vocally or with explicit non-verbal actions externally to the person or to the group with whom I am interacting.

Outside in:

1. Being aware that I am dominating a conversation, I choose to silence myself.

2. Being aware that I am cutting someone else off, interrupting someone’s comment, I can wait five to 10 seconds before speaking.

3. Being aware of consistent patterns:

– If one specific person speaks, another specific person speaks to maintain an order.

– Pay attention to see if you can break your own habits. Yes.

– Does one particular person rarely if ever speak? If so, ask to hear their voice! The person’s inside voice when heard will impact the group. Let it! Work to hear that unheard person.

– Do people have to raise their hands to get their voice heard? If so, slow down the pace or name the person. Consider using favorite phrases like “I am aware we haven’t heard from ______ since we began” or “Let’s hear from those who haven’t spoken yet.”

Safe Space® for Conscious Communication can make our relationships more successful both in business and in life. Schedule 30 minutes with Miick to get the basics on how these elements work in real life applications.

The post The First Four Elements of the Miick Safe Space® System for Conscious Communication™ appeared first on The Miick Companies.