The Monster You Created

Shawnee Love   •
July 26, 2018

Many entrepreneurs joke they had to start their own business, because no one else would employ them.  They don’t know how true that is.

When it comes to entrepreneurs,  the qualities that make them great initiators of businesses (willingness to accept risk, ability to see things differently, impulsiveness, high energy, ability to switch gears [oh look a shiny new idea]) are also what makes them difficult bosses.  These qualities which are entrepreneurial strengths can be managerial weaknesses.

Willingness to accept risk and impulsiveness enable them to jump on an idea long before others and at the same time can lead to instability and a roller coaster of change without the time to focus or finish assigned work.

Ability to see things differently creates vision but also may be hard for others to follow because while entrepreneurs are passionate, they don’t always follow through on the details required to help bring everyone along let alone communicate thoroughly.

Moreover, those with entrepreneurial high energy and ability to switch gears on a dime can be intolerant of people who don’t move as fast, focus on details, worry about risks, or like to complete tasks before starting new ones.

Now, I absolutely love the culture building part of my work.

It is challenging to move culture, yet it makes a real difference to the business and the people in it when the culture improves and fits the business needs.

When I dive into an organizational culture problem, I often find the problem is leader-created, either by directly instigating it, or by simply taking no action and therefore condoning it.

Here’s 3 examples:

  • A leader wonders why no one is accountable, but she never follows through on her commitments or asks her staff to follow theirs.
  • A leader who vents that he’s constantly firefighting, but no employee has authority to make a decision without his permission.
  • A leader who wants employees to get along, but she often asks different people to accomplish the same task- ostensibly to ensure it gets done, but in practice it creates unhealthy competition with disputes over resources and who is supposed to do what.

The culture of an organization reflects the leadership.  Good workplace cultures are characterized by:

  • Effective honest communication (and dispute resolution);
  • Accountability;
  • Mutual respect and trust;
  • Openness to new ideas, ways of doing things, and change;
  • Positive values, and
  • Focus on and commitment to achieving the right results.

A good culture for your organization is one that has all these things AND enables the organization to achieve its vision and goals.  (I mention this, because you can have a lovely place to work but if you aren’t getting results, the culture is not a good one for you.)

If you realize your culture isn’t helping your organization, then its time to take action on culture change.  Just remember, the change will likely have to start with you.