You Can't Cancel Culture
You Can't Cancel Culture
You Can't Cancel Culture
You Can't Cancel Culture
You can’t cancel culture. You can’t change culture. You can only make new culture. As Andy Crouch says, “The only way to change culture is to create more of it.”
Audio Transcript
Every company has a culture and not all company cultures are created equally. Some enable their employees to flourish, while others inhibit flourishing.
In this podcast Howard, Brantley, and Dan discuss what company culture is and how we can transform it for the good of others.
Brantley: In our previous podcast we talked about business models and how Christians are called to innovate business models — instead of just accepting the status quo.
Dan: Yes, and when we blindly follow those industry standards and culture, we find ourselves in places we do not want to be.
Howard: Every business model is deployed within a workplace culture. When blindly followed, profit can blindly drive the mission of the company. When we keep telling ourselves, and others, that we must continue doing things the way things have been done — that are not essential to the mission — we get stuck, tricked, and the mission goes nowhere.
Defining Culture
Brantley: That helps transition into today’s topic, which is culture. So, to kick it off, how do we define workplace culture?
Howard: Workplace culture is how it is received by other people. At the end of the day, it is the ethos of a place — the way you interact. If you have a culture where people look out for each other, people know. If you have a competitive workplace, which is really common, you can begin to think the competition is each other. Even at top financial institutions you see executives who think it is a great idea to literally pit other executives against each other.
Brantley: Dan, what do you think are some of the biggest problems in workplace culture today?
Dan: Some big problems in workplace culture are a lack of vision, clarity, and direction. Where are you going? Who are you? What are your core values? Howard, in your example about pitting executives against each other there is clearly something off about the core values in that ecosystem.
Then you take it down another trail and it leads to employee engagement. What kind? How much? That’s what you call the lagging indicators — employee engagement. The leading indicators are the lack of vision and mission that guide where you are going and how to treat each other.
Howard: I mentioned this a minute ago, but I think when the focus of workplace culture is ourselves — instead of those who we serve: the community and general public — the culture eats itself.
Brantley: What do you mean by that?
Howard: Just about anyone who has worked in corporate America has seen this phenomenon in workplace culture. If I am here to make gains for myself and the company, the focus becomes just getting the work done — instead of loving and caring for those we are working with and serving. If a company exists to externally benefit others, the executives must create a culture that genuinely benefits the internal workforce. Otherwise, the people who work for the company won’t be able to serve them well. You must care for your employees well, so that they can care for others.
Brantley: Yeah, Dan, you were starting to touch on this. In my own life, I’ve been a part of a number of workplace cultures — including those I’ve observed because they were clients. As an agency, the client cultures impacted us. If the client had a good culture, you could see the positive impact that had on teams in the agency. On the other hand, the agency had trouble influencing the client culture, even when everything was above board. I say all this because if a company doesn’t really have their core values defined — where those core values map back onto what the vision is as a company — and those core values actually have to mean something for the types of people who are hired to the types of day to day activities people engage in, the clarity and accountability that core values bring to things like hiring, firing, and the day to day is amazing.
Specifically, you can appeal to your core values when you encounter new situations. Remote work is a great example. Ask yourself, “How do our company values align with remote work? Do they align at all?”
Howard: And, if you know the mission, ask, “How can we achieve our mission in today’s environment?” Research is showing that there is no better time to change culture than right now. At the end of the day, people really care about flexibility. Personal flexibility is important for just about any job you are in.
To follow up on what you were saying, Brantley, in the agency world the client culture mattered so much because at the very top of our organization it was a culture driven by accounting. Every big decision was made through the lens of accounting. So we had to create a subculture that complemented the larger company culture so that we could help our people succeed.
Brantley: Yeah, and don’t get me started on how getting bad clients and what effects that can have on your company culture. The same can happen when you hire someone who does not fit your company culture. How do you know when someone will not fit your company culture? It has to be defined; it must be clear. Culture is one of those things that can be defined and be top of mind throughout an organization. People may disagree with some of it, but at least it is clear.
Howard: Yeah, and in a consulting or selling culture, you have the opportunity to have that up front.
Changing Culture
Brantley: Howard, a second ago you touched on that there has never been a better time to assess culture and change it. Based on why you think that is, how do you suggest we go about changing company culture?
Howard: Here it is, and we’ve hinted at it already. The good news is this: you can change culture, you cannot cancel culture, and you can only make it new. What have we learned about that, Dan?
Dan: Well, Andy Crouch tells us the only way to change culture is to create more of it. Doing new things in ways that people will consistently follow — that’s what we are trying to do.
Howard: Have you seen that?
Dan: That’s a great question and I think it goes back to what we were talking about earlier. I’ve got some friends in tech and the number one thing employees in tech are asking for is flexibility. You hit on it just a minute ago. Locally, Hilton is a great example. They did a survey with three options: work from home, work hybrid, or work in person. The results were evenly distributed between each category. That’s pretty telling. A third never wants to come back. A third only want to come back to the office. And, a third want to have the flexibility to do either. So I think Hilton is a great example of listening to employees and creating a schedule that allows them to reduce their footprint in the office and actually listen to what they employees need. This helps them have higher retention and helps their employees thrive.
Brantley: My thought on culture is this: the biggest destroyer of culture is lack of accountability. Which, to me, means lack of clarity. That may be a bold statement, but I am saying it because I like your example with Hilton. They are clearly evolving and adapting to the times by creating a new culture for their organization and they are providing clarity for how it can be done. It’s clear: here are the parameters you are playing within. They have values and behaviors they want their employees to exhibit regardless. However, the dimensions of the sandbox are well defined.
Dan: To your point, the question is, “How can we stay inclusive for those who want to stay, want to go, or want flexibility?” You want to make sure you don’t lose those relationships.
Howard: Yes, because culture won’t be how we work, it will be how we work together better. You cannot have accountability without clarity. For example, you cannot rebuke your child for something you never communicated as being wrong. You have to tell your child they are not supposed to play in the drapes before you go about punishing them for playing in the drapes without ever telling them not to play in the drapes.
People want flexibility, that much is clear, but we still have to come together as a team. The way we work together will drive how effective we are.
Dan: Absolutely.
Brantley: So all this is good news, and I think we all agree now is the best time to create or change company culture.
Howard: During the pandemic, people have learned what they really care about. Their values have changed, their needs have changed, and they’ve figured out they can make the soccer game, care for their child, and still get their job done. Workplaces are recognizing this and redefining what they care about. And, the fact that culture only comes from the top to the bottom is not true. Every person impacts the culture. Whether you are a 3 month intern or the CEO, you can have an impact and now is the time to do it.
Dan: In saying all that do you think the CEO has the biggest impact in this culture piece?
Brantley: As someone who is not a CEO, I would like to say yes, the CEO does significantly impact the culture — it is top-down. It starts at the top, but everyone has some level of influence.
Culture Drives Performance
Howard: CEO’s and middle managers can learn from everybody. It gets down to organizational health. Patrick Lencioni, in his book The Advantage, says, “Organizational health drives everything else.” The culture of the place matters more than everything.
Patrick lists four things. First you have to pick the players right. Second, help everyone understand what you are about. Third, create systems to do that. Fourth, over communicate organizational clarity.
To this end here are six questions Patrick asks:
- Why do we exist?
- How do we behave?
- What do we do?
- How will we succeed?
- What’s most important, right now?
- What must we do?
When we can answer these six questions as an organization, we know how we are supposed to act. And, what I like about this is how Christianity informs these questions. Why you exist at work is not separate from why you exist in your personal life. From the top of an organization all the way to the bottom, how you answer these questions and live them every day will impact others.
Dan: How does knowing why we exist contribute to a healthy workplace culture?
Howard: We are all witnesses to something. If we know we are here not to make money or for selfish gain, and instead know we are here to be witnesses to Jesus, that changes everything.
Brantley: A couple of months ago we talked about purpose at work and redefined that. As we think through culture as Christians from a big picture perspective, the purpose across all areas of our life should be the same. Joshua 1:8-9 answers the success question by redefining what success really is. This maps directly onto purpose. Good company culture will clearly define what success is.
Howard: God’s word defines it for us!
Dan: And, it frees you up. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. God will be with you wherever you go. We can continue making decisions and moving forward because God’s got us.
Brantley: How do these six questions play out at your work?
Dan: I love the one that asks, “What do you do?” The great commission is our guidepost for this. As a teenager I remember having managers and leaders who loved and cared for people. These people really inspired me to be a leader that cares for people. Love can sometimes mean firing people and helping them get another job. Love can mean stopping and listening even when you have somewhere to be. But, most importantly, love is being a witness as a disciple for Christ.
Howard: Dan you are so right. Those two things are intimately connected. In our fallen way of thinking we separate making disciples from the way we run our organizations. Another way to think about it is like this: If we are witnesses, how can we underpay our workers? The two are at odds. Treat them as well as you want to be treated.
The other one I like is, “How do you behave?” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says this is how we should act, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” This really helps us think about how we should behave. We have to treat all people with high amounts of dignity and respect because they are made in the image of God.
Dan: Over and over again in my career I’ve seen the importance of love.
Howard: Love means not always seeing yourself at the top.
Brantley: I like the behavior question because behavior flows directly out of your mission and values. And, we can do the best value diagram, refine our behaviors perfectly, know exactly how we want to behave, and yet the Christian is free in knowing that you are not going to behave perfectly — and that’s why you need Jesus.
Links
Audio Transcript
Every company has a culture and not all company cultures are created equally. Some enable their employees to flourish, while others inhibit flourishing.
In this podcast Howard, Brantley, and Dan discuss what company culture is and how we can transform it for the good of others.
Brantley: In our previous podcast we talked about business models and how Christians are called to innovate business models — instead of just accepting the status quo.
Dan: Yes, and when we blindly follow those industry standards and culture, we find ourselves in places we do not want to be.
Howard: Every business model is deployed within a workplace culture. When blindly followed, profit can blindly drive the mission of the company. When we keep telling ourselves, and others, that we must continue doing things the way things have been done — that are not essential to the mission — we get stuck, tricked, and the mission goes nowhere.
Defining Culture
Brantley: That helps transition into today’s topic, which is culture. So, to kick it off, how do we define workplace culture?
Howard: Workplace culture is how it is received by other people. At the end of the day, it is the ethos of a place — the way you interact. If you have a culture where people look out for each other, people know. If you have a competitive workplace, which is really common, you can begin to think the competition is each other. Even at top financial institutions you see executives who think it is a great idea to literally pit other executives against each other.
Brantley: Dan, what do you think are some of the biggest problems in workplace culture today?
Dan: Some big problems in workplace culture are a lack of vision, clarity, and direction. Where are you going? Who are you? What are your core values? Howard, in your example about pitting executives against each other there is clearly something off about the core values in that ecosystem.
Then you take it down another trail and it leads to employee engagement. What kind? How much? That’s what you call the lagging indicators — employee engagement. The leading indicators are the lack of vision and mission that guide where you are going and how to treat each other.
Howard: I mentioned this a minute ago, but I think when the focus of workplace culture is ourselves — instead of those who we serve: the community and general public — the culture eats itself.
Brantley: What do you mean by that?
Howard: Just about anyone who has worked in corporate America has seen this phenomenon in workplace culture. If I am here to make gains for myself and the company, the focus becomes just getting the work done — instead of loving and caring for those we are working with and serving. If a company exists to externally benefit others, the executives must create a culture that genuinely benefits the internal workforce. Otherwise, the people who work for the company won’t be able to serve them well. You must care for your employees well, so that they can care for others.
Brantley: Yeah, Dan, you were starting to touch on this. In my own life, I’ve been a part of a number of workplace cultures — including those I’ve observed because they were clients. As an agency, the client cultures impacted us. If the client had a good culture, you could see the positive impact that had on teams in the agency. On the other hand, the agency had trouble influencing the client culture, even when everything was above board. I say all this because if a company doesn’t really have their core values defined — where those core values map back onto what the vision is as a company — and those core values actually have to mean something for the types of people who are hired to the types of day to day activities people engage in, the clarity and accountability that core values bring to things like hiring, firing, and the day to day is amazing.
Specifically, you can appeal to your core values when you encounter new situations. Remote work is a great example. Ask yourself, “How do our company values align with remote work? Do they align at all?”
Howard: And, if you know the mission, ask, “How can we achieve our mission in today’s environment?” Research is showing that there is no better time to change culture than right now. At the end of the day, people really care about flexibility. Personal flexibility is important for just about any job you are in.
To follow up on what you were saying, Brantley, in the agency world the client culture mattered so much because at the very top of our organization it was a culture driven by accounting. Every big decision was made through the lens of accounting. So we had to create a subculture that complemented the larger company culture so that we could help our people succeed.
Brantley: Yeah, and don’t get me started on how getting bad clients and what effects that can have on your company culture. The same can happen when you hire someone who does not fit your company culture. How do you know when someone will not fit your company culture? It has to be defined; it must be clear. Culture is one of those things that can be defined and be top of mind throughout an organization. People may disagree with some of it, but at least it is clear.
Howard: Yeah, and in a consulting or selling culture, you have the opportunity to have that up front.
Changing Culture
Brantley: Howard, a second ago you touched on that there has never been a better time to assess culture and change it. Based on why you think that is, how do you suggest we go about changing company culture?
Howard: Here it is, and we’ve hinted at it already. The good news is this: you can change culture, you cannot cancel culture, and you can only make it new. What have we learned about that, Dan?
Dan: Well, Andy Crouch tells us the only way to change culture is to create more of it. Doing new things in ways that people will consistently follow — that’s what we are trying to do.
Howard: Have you seen that?
Dan: That’s a great question and I think it goes back to what we were talking about earlier. I’ve got some friends in tech and the number one thing employees in tech are asking for is flexibility. You hit on it just a minute ago. Locally, Hilton is a great example. They did a survey with three options: work from home, work hybrid, or work in person. The results were evenly distributed between each category. That’s pretty telling. A third never wants to come back. A third only want to come back to the office. And, a third want to have the flexibility to do either. So I think Hilton is a great example of listening to employees and creating a schedule that allows them to reduce their footprint in the office and actually listen to what they employees need. This helps them have higher retention and helps their employees thrive.
Brantley: My thought on culture is this: the biggest destroyer of culture is lack of accountability. Which, to me, means lack of clarity. That may be a bold statement, but I am saying it because I like your example with Hilton. They are clearly evolving and adapting to the times by creating a new culture for their organization and they are providing clarity for how it can be done. It’s clear: here are the parameters you are playing within. They have values and behaviors they want their employees to exhibit regardless. However, the dimensions of the sandbox are well defined.
Dan: To your point, the question is, “How can we stay inclusive for those who want to stay, want to go, or want flexibility?” You want to make sure you don’t lose those relationships.
Howard: Yes, because culture won’t be how we work, it will be how we work together better. You cannot have accountability without clarity. For example, you cannot rebuke your child for something you never communicated as being wrong. You have to tell your child they are not supposed to play in the drapes before you go about punishing them for playing in the drapes without ever telling them not to play in the drapes.
People want flexibility, that much is clear, but we still have to come together as a team. The way we work together will drive how effective we are.
Dan: Absolutely.
Brantley: So all this is good news, and I think we all agree now is the best time to create or change company culture.
Howard: During the pandemic, people have learned what they really care about. Their values have changed, their needs have changed, and they’ve figured out they can make the soccer game, care for their child, and still get their job done. Workplaces are recognizing this and redefining what they care about. And, the fact that culture only comes from the top to the bottom is not true. Every person impacts the culture. Whether you are a 3 month intern or the CEO, you can have an impact and now is the time to do it.
Dan: In saying all that do you think the CEO has the biggest impact in this culture piece?
Brantley: As someone who is not a CEO, I would like to say yes, the CEO does significantly impact the culture — it is top-down. It starts at the top, but everyone has some level of influence.
Culture Drives Performance
Howard: CEO’s and middle managers can learn from everybody. It gets down to organizational health. Patrick Lencioni, in his book The Advantage, says, “Organizational health drives everything else.” The culture of the place matters more than everything.
Patrick lists four things. First you have to pick the players right. Second, help everyone understand what you are about. Third, create systems to do that. Fourth, over communicate organizational clarity.
To this end here are six questions Patrick asks:
- Why do we exist?
- How do we behave?
- What do we do?
- How will we succeed?
- What’s most important, right now?
- What must we do?
When we can answer these six questions as an organization, we know how we are supposed to act. And, what I like about this is how Christianity informs these questions. Why you exist at work is not separate from why you exist in your personal life. From the top of an organization all the way to the bottom, how you answer these questions and live them every day will impact others.
Dan: How does knowing why we exist contribute to a healthy workplace culture?
Howard: We are all witnesses to something. If we know we are here not to make money or for selfish gain, and instead know we are here to be witnesses to Jesus, that changes everything.
Brantley: A couple of months ago we talked about purpose at work and redefined that. As we think through culture as Christians from a big picture perspective, the purpose across all areas of our life should be the same. Joshua 1:8-9 answers the success question by redefining what success really is. This maps directly onto purpose. Good company culture will clearly define what success is.
Howard: God’s word defines it for us!
Dan: And, it frees you up. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. God will be with you wherever you go. We can continue making decisions and moving forward because God’s got us.
Brantley: How do these six questions play out at your work?
Dan: I love the one that asks, “What do you do?” The great commission is our guidepost for this. As a teenager I remember having managers and leaders who loved and cared for people. These people really inspired me to be a leader that cares for people. Love can sometimes mean firing people and helping them get another job. Love can mean stopping and listening even when you have somewhere to be. But, most importantly, love is being a witness as a disciple for Christ.
Howard: Dan you are so right. Those two things are intimately connected. In our fallen way of thinking we separate making disciples from the way we run our organizations. Another way to think about it is like this: If we are witnesses, how can we underpay our workers? The two are at odds. Treat them as well as you want to be treated.
The other one I like is, “How do you behave?” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says this is how we should act, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” This really helps us think about how we should behave. We have to treat all people with high amounts of dignity and respect because they are made in the image of God.
Dan: Over and over again in my career I’ve seen the importance of love.
Howard: Love means not always seeing yourself at the top.
Brantley: I like the behavior question because behavior flows directly out of your mission and values. And, we can do the best value diagram, refine our behaviors perfectly, know exactly how we want to behave, and yet the Christian is free in knowing that you are not going to behave perfectly — and that’s why you need Jesus.
Links