MAP = CC
by Miki SaxonI ended last week by saying that the solution to retention was a function of CC (culture & communication) and the question that I’m always asked is which comes first, culture or communication?
It’s a good question and may seem similar to the chicken and the egg. Without a culture that insists on, and supports, open, honest, complete communication I doubt that anyone’s going to say much. However, it takes that kind of communication to create and implement that kind of culture. So, what really comes first—or is it also a conundrum?
What comes first is the founder/CEO/department head/etc. It’s what’s in your head that sets the culture and defines the kind of communications the company will have. And that, as I’m fond of saying, is a function of your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™).
The way you communicate is a mindset, grounded in your attitude towards others, which, in turn, is based on your personal philosophy.
Since MAP is learned, not innate, it changes, either passively, through the influence of those around you, or actively, in ways that you consciously choose. Being very opinionated on this subject (well, it is my blog:), I consider that good MAP is (in no particular order) positive, open, flexible, honest, secure, interested, enthusiastic, patient, sincere, encouraging, caring and loves creativity (its own or others).
MAP is everywhere and affects everything—that’s why salespeople familiar with their customers’ MAP sell more. So it’s to your advantage to understand your colleagues’ MAP, no matter your position or theirs. Managers and candidates should evaluate each others’ MAP to be sure, at the least, they’re synergistic; and the best managers not only know their people’s MAP, but also their own.
In the high stakes employee retention game MAP is worth more than money.
