I recently experienced a bad attitude from a young mechanic at my local auto repair shop.
Jim CastigliaI had noticed some sloppy work during a trip pre-check order. I told Rick, the service writer, that this young man had an attitude problem and said, “Strike one.”
He said the kid was lazy sometimes. I said, “Strike two. Three strikes… you’re out.” I said I’d fire him. Rick was surprised that I “would be that tough.”
One of my business mentors (who built a $200M business empire) said most of his mistakes (losses) came from tolerating an inferior team/culture that didn’t execute consistently. He got what he tolerated.
Do Not Tolerate Poor Behavior
So, are you tolerating:
- Excuses
- Blaming
- Gossip
- Politicking
- Missed deadlines
- Showing up late
- Mediocrity
- Doing just enough to get by?
Why would you tolerate poor behavior, a lack of results, or bad attitudes? Is it because you don’t have the guts to confront this stuff? Do you have the emotional fortitude (from the Latin fortis, ‘strong ’—i.e., courage in pain or adversity) to give honest feedback and either withhold a reward or penalize your people?
These negative behavioral norms become the company's culture, and your employees know it. They learn the “rules of the game” very quickly. They know what’s acceptable in terms of performance. If the rules aren’t clear, employees will create their own.
Note that we all learned this as kids. We needed to know what the boundaries were so we could operate just inside and at the edge of them.
There is No Disrespect to Bosses and Customers
The young mechanic above knows that he can do just enough to get by. He knows he can disrespect his bosses and customers, and get away with it. He fully understands the company's culture.
What do we mean by culture? Larry Bossidy, the former chairman of Honeywell International and co-author of the book Execution—The Discipline of Getting Things Done, demystifies and describes an organization’s culture as the sum of its 1) shared values, 2) beliefs, and 3) norms of behavior.
Step One: What’s valued in your company? What does the organization stand for? Are these values clearly expressed from the get-go? Does each employee uphold those values? How can you reinforce them? If I walked into a lunchroom or meeting space and sat down with an employee, could they confidently tell me what the organization's top five values are?
Bossidy says “hire values; change beliefs.” In other words, values like trust, honesty, respect, and integrity rarely need changing. They need reinforcement, if anything. And when basic values are violated, the organization should condemn it publicly. If you don’t reprimand these violations, it’s interpreted as a lack of emotional fortitude.
Assessing values for clarity is a great place to start.
Creating a world-class culture is not a one-off initiative with plaques on the wall. It’s an ongoing but critical effort.
Step Two: What are the belief systems of the company? Do they believe it’s okay to gossip (i.e., give information to someone who can do nothing about it), make excuses, or underperform in their roles? Do they believe it’s acceptable to show up late or treat others badly?
Step Three: behaviors are beliefs turned into action. Bossidy says that behaviors deliver the results. They’re where the rubber meets the road. Norms of behavior are the accepted, expected ways groups of people behave in a corporate setting—the “rules of engagement.” The norms are about how people work together. He says that they’re critical to a company’s ability to create a competitive advantage.
Assess Your Company’s Culture
Take the opportunity to assess your company’s culture and make needed changes in values, beliefs, and/or the norms of behavior.
If you’d like help with this project, let me know.
Creating a world-class culture is not a one-off initiative with plaques on the wall. It’s an ongoing but critical effort. It helps you keep good people, let go of the bad ones, and make the business a great place to work.
Jim Castiglia is the founder of Business Street Fighter Consulting, supporting entrepreneurial business owners as they work to grow and maximize their businesses’ value. Contact Jim at JimC@BSF.consulting or his personal email, jvcastiglia@icloud.com, or text him at 949-338-7141.
