Leadership & Culture Are the Same Dang Thing!
When I was a kid, I always knew which parent was the cool parent. It was Dad. Mom was the law. She was the one that would exact justice when the gavel needed to fall. Dad was the one that would let us watch the Simpsons. Looking back on the experiences that I had with them, I realized that managers are like parents. Not in the sense that they are there to take care of you. But they are like parents because they have the ability to set the culture of the company. My parents set the culture for my family. What really made us successful was a good balance between good cop and bad cop. My memories are full of great experiences sprinkled with the occasional memory of me getting chased around the house by mother with her teeth grit, while kicking at me in the hopes of connecting her “size 8’s” with my He-man decorated butt. (That’s a reference to my character underwear, of course.) But I needed that. I wasn’t always “a good listener”.
Culture and leadership are the same friggin’ thing! In a business, you can’t have just a bad cop. Likewise, you cannot have just the good cop because chaos will ensue. You have to have balance. As a young adult, I remember having jobs where I had a “cool manager”. It was fun! But after some time, I realized that I was not productive. I didn’t have anyone to answer to. I knew that I was not going to get in trouble from my cool boss. But I also didn’t feel accomplished. One of the signs of a great company culture is when I get to feel like I am a part of something. Something that’s making a difference. It was fun to go hang out in the backroom and just chit-chat, but after a while, my conscience started to kick in and I realized that I wanted to earn the money that I was paid.
The issue was not that I was a bad worker. I needed direction. I needed someone to help me to see a bigger picture, but the person in charge was someone that didn’t want to be the leader. They wanted to fit in. They would “chill” with us. They would play games with us. They would tell lots of “Dad Jokes”. In many occasions, you’re team doesn’t want a “cool boss”. They want someone that they can respect. Someone that will hold them accountable. Employees, just like children, occasionally need discipline.
Of course, there is the other side of that. Think of one movie. JUST ONE…where the boss or someone’s manager isn’t a real “chugger nut”. It’s almost impossible. Truth be told, the majority of films will actually have the “boss” as the villain of the plot. Either they are trying to prevent them from promotion, or they’re making them work Saturdays, amongst other terrible scenarios. Overall, you as the manager have the ability to set the tone for the culture, just as my parents set the tone for my siblings and me.
Your company may have some amazing benefits. But if you are a tyrant leader, you will prevent your employees from enjoying those benefits. They can’t see past you and your reign of terror! Let’s say that your company enjoys the benefit of Unlimited PTO, but every time I mention to that I would like to take some time off, you give me the impression that I’m causing you heartache and distress! Pretty soon…I stop asking. Maybe that’s what you want. But benefits are put into place for a reason. They are meant to attract candidates and retain those working for your company. If you make me feel guilty for trying to use something that is clearly available to me and you, then you are the problem. People don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses. You can be the crack in the windshield that prevents me from seeing down the road.
Look around and you will find companies that offer the same, if not better, benefits than you do. Your people, in reality, your best people, will find those companies. They’ll leave and you’ll be left trying to find replacements. Pretty soon, you become a thing of the past. People will start to realize that yours is a culture of being oppressed and not being able to enjoy those things that have been set in place for me to enjoy. In previous companies in which I have worked, I saw a common occurrence. People looked at where they worked based on their manager. I’ve done the same thing. I remember one horrible boss in particular that constantly made me feel like an idiot. In my mind the entire company was represented by that one image of that terrible boss. Nothing could change my mind.
When people apply at your company, they see you as the culture. How do you represent yourself and the company? Do you play Good Cop/Bad Cop? Is your goal to intimidate or to inspire? As the late Michael Jackson once said “If you wanna make the world, a better place, take a look in the mirror and then make a change.”
