Blurring the Lines

This week, I had the great opportunity to do a workshop and book signing with leaders from the Maryland suburbs of DC.  The group was a delightful, inquisitive, experienced mix of about 30 leaders from the private sector, government and nonprofits, with a good dash of consultants thrown in for spice.  I was asked what the greatest change is that I’ve seen in nonprofits in my years of helping them perform.  

My response was that thirty or even twenty years ago, the private sector was focused on the bottom line while nonprofits addressed the “gap” needs of various groups in society that were unmet by government and corporations.  The divide between the two sectors was deep and clear cut.  Over the years, I’ve watched the lines get blurred.  Public-private-government partnerships are no longer the exception—they are the norm today, thanks to trailblazers like Shirley Sagawa, the first Executive Director of the Corporation for National Service, home of AmeriCorps.  Corporations are leaders in environmental conservation, social services, and the arts.  Nonprofits are entrepreneurial.  It’s common for a nonprofit to have a for-profit arm or vice-versa.  Philanthropists who make their fortune in the private sector turn around and use their fortunes to address AIDS, childhood obesity, human trafficking, or energy alternatives.

This shift and blurring of lines among sectors was underscored by the participants in the workshop, who represented organizations of every size and from every sector, yet shared a commitment to working collaboratively to make this a better world.  All were involved in more than one sector in one way or another. Some were using the arts to help at-risk kids.  Some were coaching bureaucratic government agencies to become more responsive to the needs of their constituents.  Others were on boards of nonprofits, working to set strategic direction and keep staff engaged in spite of dwindling resources.

Success today requires drawing connections among people and organizations that, on the surface, may not seem to have common interests.  It takes challenging our assumptions and stereotypes, looking through unfamiliar lenses, and being flexible and open.  Our work to build more connective cultures, more connective leaders, and more connective organizational structures results in greater purpose and harmony—often among people and groups who wouldn’t have imagined joining forces.

Connective Culture, Olympic Style

On this blog and with my clients, I often discuss the power of a connective culture and how essential connectivity is to the successful operation of organizations.  Although the concept of culture is often confused with ethnic diversity, what I am referring to is the invisible web that shapes thoughts and actions within an organization.  I have found, in fact, that if you want to do one single thing to improve your organization, you should improve its culture.  And for an example of how inspiring a connective culture can be, look no further than the Olympic athletes.

It's difficult to deny how compelling the winter Olympics have been over the last several days, even if you aren't a sports enthusiast.  The stories of the athletes can be shockingly dramatic.  After years of disciplined practice and training, a speed skater catches her skate during the first few paces and falls out of her final race.  An ice dancing couple achieves their peak performance together just in time for the gold medal competition.  And did you see Bode Miller interviewed about how the loss of his brother this past year inspired him to medal?  Competition on the Olympic stage can mirror a lifetime of highs and lows in just minutes, making it easy for spectators to connect with the athletes' common human experiences.

Yet, beyond the drama, it's the magic of the Olympic spirit that compels us.  It's motivating and inspiring to observe how the connective culture of Olympic athletes can transcend even the fiercest competitions and keep the level of sportsmanship at it's highest level.  Take, for example, the Canadian ski coach who rushed over to a Russian athlete, Anton Gafarov, who had fallen and broken his ski mid-race.  The coach, Justin Wadsworth, immediately came to his aid with a replacement ski and helped the Olympian fasten it so he could finish his race. The Globe and Mail reports that Wadsworth explained during an interview, "It was about giving Gafarov some dignity so he didn't have to walk to the finish area.[ ]We help because we know everyone works so hard in our sport."  Wadsworth treated an opponent with dignity and respect by reaching out to assist him and, in doing so, elevated the morale of the other athletes and spectators while ensuring that Gafarov could finish his attempt, the other athletes could finish the race and the medals could be properly awarded. 

In this sense, the Olympic spirit as we all know and recognize it is a prime example of how a connective culture within an organization seeking a common purpose encourages it's participants, compels the highest level of integrity, and motivates peak performance.  Just imagine how a connective culture could inspire change within your own organization.  

Humor Me.

Culture, Culture, Culture

Someone asked me recently why I place so much emphasis on organizational culture.  The simple answer is that it is the most potent and yet most overlooked variable in organizational performance.  If you have a connective culture, you have organizational alignment of your programs, processes, and structures with your purpose.  Most organizational leaders cannot look in a mirror and see where their organizations are misaligned.  In order to be as productive as possible, you need alignment, but this is impossible without a constructive culture in which people can communicate openly with trust; where they all know their roles, and believe they have the tools, authority, and skills to excel; and where they respect their leaders for fairness and dedication.  

I don’t make a practice of sharing negative examples on my blog, but this past week I experienced such a powerful example of a non-constructive culture that I feel compelled to share it.  A dear friend moved to DC last year to work for a highly respected federal agency.  Having spent his career in the private sector, where his work won many awards, he was eager to bring his talents and experience to serve our country.  

Hired at a very low grade level, he was promised that he would be boosted up two grades as quickly as possible.  When this didn’t happen, and it was obvious to all that he was working at a much higher level than his pay grade, he was told to, “Work at grade, and not any better.”  

Devastated, he is now wondering how long he can remain in this agency, in spite of the accomplishments he’s achieved for them.  He was born and probably hard wired to “work above grade.”  He’s now recognizing that, in spite of his achievements and the guidance he’s provided many colleagues during the last year, he may decide to leave if his only choice is to fit into a passive defensive culture where people are punished for doing more than they are paid for—and where his salary doesn’t cover his monthly rent for a studio apartment.

Please look at the signals you may be sending to your family or work group about what you expect of them.  As a leader, you are creating a culture by what and how you communicate as well as what you do or don’t do.  Look at yourself through the eyes of others and discover ways you can promote a more connective culture—one that will benefit the group as well as every member.

Help Explore Rob's Observation about Teams

At the recent launch of my new book, HUM, I invited participants to raise questions they would like to see addressed by me and blog followers in the coming weeks.  One friend, Rob, wrote in a follow up email:

With the best team on which I ever had the privilege to serve, my biggest concern was that I would let my teammates down. There was an inherent understanding that everyone supported a common purpose, as well as each other. However, it seems that is becoming increasingly rare. It seems that over time we value organizations/teams/communities less and less.  The sense of common purpose, community, and mutual responsibility to each other seems to be eroding in favor of individual performance and accomplishment.  In our neighborhoods, we know our neighbors less than previous generations did.  In our professional careers, we move from company to company vs. established careers with a single company.  How do we instill that common purpose to make our organizations "hum" if some partners simply weren't raised in an environment that emphasized shared purpose (or at least not to the same extent as others)?

Boy, Rob, you identify a really deep issue. It does seem that our parents and grandparents lived in a world where relationships lasted a very long time, including those with employers.  My own grandfather was able to raise a family and retire comfortably after 50 years of service with Ford Motor Company. 

One of the reasons I felt driven to write HUM is because we no longer live in that world of long-term relationships in which loyalty and trust develop over time.  Although we still yearn for that feeling of connectivity, we find it missing in our work, social, and personal relationships.  Why should we be loyal to an employer who would let us go without a moment’s thought if they needed to, regardless of how well we had performed for them?  Why should we pick up the pile of mail from the steps of a vacationing neighbor when we don’t even know him?  The world around us discourages connectivity while we continue to naturally crave it. 

Look around your workplace and among those your business touches for “kindred spirits,” then find ways to build connections with and among these individuals.  We have to be intentional about building these connections, not counting on them to develop naturally over long periods of time.  In fact, isn't this why Friday happy hours were invented?

Ideally, trust and respect are modeled by the leaders of an organization or team, creating a connective culture. If that is not the case where you work, then build a support network of people with whom you can feel that sense of mutual trust and loyalty.  Not only will you feel better about your work, but your team’s performance will dramatically improve.

Let’s hear from others about Rob’s observation that organizations don’t inspire long-term loyalty.  What are your thoughts about how to increase connectivity in an increasingly disjunctive world?