Does Your Business Suffer from an “Astroturf Culture?”
Why genuine authenticity is built in the trenches
It’s easy to love, help, reach out, and even persist when nothing is on the line. Real authentic relationship, and ultimately connection, happens when it costs us something.
The real test in business, and in life, is how do we respond when the circumstances bring about the unforeseen. When the world around us seems to be going to pieces, how do we respond? What are the values or culture we’ve already set in place that will see us through the crisis and carry us to the other side.
I ran into this first hand on one of my largest sales ten years ago and the lesson I learned from a seasoned vet has never left me. When panic set in on a huge million-dollar sale and no one could figure out why the customer was having reservations, one person righted the ship with one question.
“What’s going on?”
That was all it took to get the customer to bring to the table a need that wasn’t being met and for my team to get it fixed.
In my 20 years in business and management that one question has always remained my go-to. The best part of keeping that in the forefront of my mind is that it keeps me in the trenches. “What’s going on?” No matter the answer, you can no longer ignore the problem you asked about in the first place. Never fail to ask that one essential question. We’ll get back to that in just a minute.
The Birth of (Astro) Turf
Back in the eighties and nineties (maybe even earlier) there was a growing phenomenon in professional sports. Athletes were getting bigger and stronger and breaking records. A while a growing number of gruesome injuries occurred on the field. Now some might say, “of course they were.” Bigger stronger dudes mean harder hits and faster runs, so naturally more injuries.
There’s some truth in that, but this was something different.
In a rush to modernize and cultivate a better fan experience, many organizations had turned to using synthetic or artificial turf so they could maintain a better-looking facility with less maintenance. Spend the money elsewhere, right?
Artificial turf has been a huge part of the game now for about forty years. Interesting to note, AP News posted an article in October of 2023 with the following conclusion regarding non-contact injuries and the use of artificial turf.
“…research found 16% more injuries per play on artificial turf compared to grass. The authors concluded that if all games had been played on grass during that period there would have been 319 fewer foot and leg injuries. Looking only at non-contact injuries the risk was even higher, about 20% more injuries per play.” (Johnson, 2023)
So, the synthetic surface, or fake grass, was actually causing more problems than it was solving. If you can’t keep your best players on the field, then you can’t keep your best customers in the stands. In short, this wasn’t a corner worth cutting. So how then do we make decisions when it comes to cutting costs or navigation difficult times?
Let’s look a little deeper.
The gridiron offers an interesting glimpse into something we can see across many industries. When times get tough, organizations trim costs and stockpile money in the hopes of hedging their bet for a better tomorrow.
They sell it as “creating space” to improve an aging team, or “moving in a different direction in terms of personnel. If we’re honest, it just sounds like poor initial spending that now needs an apology or defense. The hard truth is that some teams just manage their core values better and as a result don’t have to make that kind of sacrifice when things get hard.
One NFL franchise in particular, represents this more than any other.
Now, I have no connection to nor am I a homer fan of this franchise in any way, but I noticed something that stands out in our “what have you done for me lately” culture like a pay phone on a deserted island. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had 3 coaches over the last 50 plus years. Read that again, THREE in over fifty years. In that same span they have won 6 of eight Super Bowls, which is the highest percentage of wins in the championship game of any team.
They’ve reached the playoffs 30 times, won their division 22 times, and played in the AFC championship game 16 times. That’s almost a lock to play for a trophy every other year. All that success between only 3 different coaches. What gives?
For the record, The NFL has had 522 coaches in its 103-year history, including this year. Since the 1970 merger season there have been 268 head coaches totaling 11,030 total wins. The Three Steelers coaches have 512 between them (one of Chuck Noll’s wins came from the ’69 season). That means 0.5% of the coaching population in that time frame accounts for 4.6% of the win total.
That’s staggering.
Now, we can sit here and twist numbers all day and talk about different eras and all the things but it’s hard to argue with that kind of success and consistency and not come to the conclusion that there must be something to the formula used to run the franchise. Success here and there, even in large numbers for short bursts, is often about understanding the times. Consistent winning, spread evenly over decades is understanding the culture and culture carries you through crisis.
I’ll take it one step further.
The Steelers seem to exude consistency as a core value. Would it surprise you to know they’ve never played a home game on a synthetic surface? (OK, I slipped that one in there, but the point remains).
They don’t cut corners and move every piece on the board when things aren’t going the way they should. They stick to what they believe about how to run their organization and the trust that the valleys of business won’t define the legacy of their culture.
When you look at your current business, what is the defining characteristic of your culture? Are you a group that’s fun to be around? Are you a group that celebrates ideas? Are you a group that gives beyond your ability to do so? Maybe you’re a small company that’s achieved giant success.
Whatever you see as your core identity, what are the obstacles that keep you from maintaining that in difficult times? This brings us back to the essential question.
What’s going on?
In your family, in your faith, in your business, when you experience the most difficult of times, what becomes your defining characteristic? What’s going on when things aren’t going right? Do you or your business still look like you did when times were good and it was easier to give, to reach out, to persist? Do you foster a culture that truly wants to know “what’s going on?” Do you have the fortitude to not just ask the question but maintain the discipline to live in the answer even if it’s difficult?
If the answer to those questions are no, then you may have an AstroTurf culture.
Remember, natural grass is more than just the surface you see on game day. It’s held together by roots beneath the surface that require care but provide for the safety of your greatest asset, your players (employees). Simply tending to those roots will always keep you focused on and understanding what’s really going on. What is sitting just below the surface in your business?
Are you constantly trying to understand the times? Do you move and sway with the changing business environment thinking it better to be nimble and able to adapt? That may work for a while but it’s an exhausting way to operate.
You may avoid cost issues, but you will always have culture issues and as the Pittsburgh Steelers have demonstrated in the last fifty years, it is culture that carries us through crises.
1. Carla K. Johnson — “What does the science say about the grass vs. turf debate in sports?” Oct 9, 2023. APNews.com
