Pizzled is a cross between puzzled and pissed and it’s what people get when forced to work in a Triple A Culture.
RAT culture, on the other hand, leaves employees engaged, motivated and productive.
RAT means rational, authentic and transparent.
Rational actions that make sense to your people and rational communication that doesn’t employ emotion to manipulate them.
Authentic eliminates BS, yours and all those who report to you, and stays consistent, stabilizing everybody
Transparent is saying clearly what you mean, doing what you say and holding everyone to the same standard—no exceptions.
RAT culture is always a top-down function imposed by any manager at any level on those who report directly or indirectly. Sadly, it is almost impossible to enable or enforce RAT culture up through the organization.
Assuming you have RAT MAP, RAT culture is satisfying to build, because it means
doing what comes naturally;
not having to remember what you said or did to stay consistent, because it was the truth;
creating a working environment that’s full of sunshine instead of sh*t where people can grow and excel; and
where fun, happy, productivity and success are the norm.
Finally, propagating RAT culture is profitable—not just for the company, because of high productivity, and your people, because of goals reached and dreams fulfilled, but for you as you’ll see from your reviews, the ease with which you hire and the pleasure you take in what you’ve accomplished.
So forget pizzled and go RAT, you won’t be disappointed.
Most people hear ‘Triple A’ and assume that it is the best something can be, but it depends on what “A” stands for.
In this case they stand for anger, aggression and apathy.
Most managers create AAA cultures by accident and there are those who’s standard management style fosters it, but unintentional or not, the result is the same.
This post isn’t about those who intentionally rely on AAA culture to run their organization, they are destroyers (you can learn more about them here and here, although this one can also be unintentional) and the best thing people who work for them can do is leave.
But for the unintentional it works like this.
Something happens that makes you angry; it may not even be work related but you are angry.
Whether simmering or roiling, it drives you to act out with some kind of aggression making you short-tempered and abrupt or it can show as impatience, sarcasm, contempt, disgust, obnoxiousness, etc.
When your management style becomes erratic the team becomes unsure on how to interact, not just with you, but with each other. Since people don’t know what will set someone off they start keeping their head down and getting the hell out there, breathing a sign of relief if they made it through the day safely.
As time goes by the trepidation settles into apathy—a Triple A culture has formed.
As to the cure, that should be apparent from the cause.
Please join me next Tuesday to see why RAT culture is so great, not to mention a lot more fun and profitable to build.
A few weeks ago I wrote that money isn’t the best motivator, lots of people have written posts with a similar theme and the idea is backed up by solid research.
But I saw a great video on the subject at Feld Thoughts and thought I’d share it with you.
(I’m not sure which I like more, the presentation or the technology that animates the whiteboard:)
Sunday I quoted Colin Powell on this subject and it reminded me of this article. I don’t remember where it was originally used, but it dates back to the dot-bomb recession.
It’s “And” Not “Because”
Last week I attended a quasi-social business function and found myself in conversation with a very knowledgeable and polished executive. When I asked him what he did he said, “I’m not working, I’m looking for my next opportunity.” His answer floored me and I asked again. His initial reaction was to repeat himself, assuming that I hadn’t heard him (it was noisy), but my continued look of inquiry finally brought a second answer, “I’m a CFO.”
It’s sad enough that people choose to define themselves based upon how they earn a living, and very bad when, as in the conversation mentioned above, employment becomes the career validation without which the career ceases to exist. However it’s much worse when people take another step and subconsciously merge their identity with that of their company—I call it ego-merge.
I coined the term in the eighties to describe a state of mind that is not only unhealthy for individuals, but also damaging to the companies for which they work.
Ego-merge is the result of melding “me” and “my company” in the mind of the employee, whether worker or manager. It’s most obvious in tough times and most noticeable in conversation when people use “because” instead of “and,” thereby crediting the company or manager for their skills: “I’m great because my company/manager is great.” instead of, “I’m great and my company/manager is great.”
At first glance ego-merge might actually seem to be a positive for companies, but it’s not. When employees’ egos merge with their company’s, they often blame themselves for the company’s problems even when they have little power and may not have any line responsibility. Worse, it can be a major productivity sapper when times are tough—employees with ego-merge have a difficult time believing that they are good enough to help turn the company around, since in their minds their skills are good because of the company.
Ego-merge is often the by-product of the best companies/managers, where people are very involved, have high esprit de corps, and are passionate about their mission and success. It also happens with more Machiavellian managers who try and foster this attitude within their organization as a retention tool. Ego-merge does, in fact, encourage people to stay, but it also cripples them and reduces their long term value to the company.
It’s every company’s/manager’s responsibility to help their people grow and become stronger, not to subtly cripple them in the hopes that they won’t leave. Better, it’s in both the manager’s and the company’s best interest to become people-builders.
Why? Because reputation, both the manager’s and the company’s, is everything when hiring, and being known for your great G&S (grow and strengthen) policies will help you attract, develop and keep the best and brightest. Sure, you’ll lose them now and then when they’re ready for the next challenge and you can’t provide it, but the benefits resulting from their ultra-high productivity and creativeness during the time they’re with you will far outweigh the loss when they do leave.
How? Through some simple actions. G&S isn’t rocket science, nor does it have to be costly.
Treat everyone on your team and in your company with the same level of respect you want.
Listen to your people. Encourage and assist them as much as possible in developing the skills they need to take their next step—even when it makes your life a bit more difficult.
Always remind them that for all their successes, challenges, and failures it’s “and” not “because.”
But what if you’re a manager pushing G&S down while your own manager is either blind to it or the type who sees ego-merge as a plus? What can you do as just a worker with no control or leverage?
Awareness is the best protection against ego-merge. Recognize that it exists, understand what it is, know its symptoms and whether you’re prone to it, then monitor yourself, always remembering that the opposite of ego-merge is not arrogance.
Post a watch for the first symptom of ego-merge: when your glow of accomplishment for an exemplary project you did is quickly quenched by negative internal news or media coverage. The greater the offset the greater the ego-merge.
Listen to yourself. When describing a project (successful or not) or coup (large or small), listen to how you describe it and where and how you attribute its success or failure. Adjust accordingly.
Offset and reduce ego-merge in others by publicly giving full credit to those around you at all levels up and down for their contributions.
Companies are pushing managers to do more with fewer resources than ever before.
Managers are searching for ways to motivate their people in a world where bonus money has dried up.
But for many employees it isn’t about money. Today’s workforce is far savvier and as long as they see that management, especially executive management is taking a similar hit, relatively speaking, they are willing to push through if their primary desires are satisfied.
In my 20+ years as a recruiter I found that people want to
make a difference;
be treated fairly; and
matter [to boss and colleagues].
There are other things you can do to show your appreciation and motivate your people without killing the budget, but they are worthless if you don’t supply the three on the list.
Assuming they are functional in your organization, what else can you do to tangibly show your appreciation, reward effort, lighten deadline-induced stress and just have fun?
Here’s a starter list to get you thinking
Chocolate—in any form.
Beyond chocolate use any/all kinds of food, fruit, cheese, etc.
Coupons for iTunes.
Buy stuff that can be taken apart so that each part becomes a prize. People can trade and swap parts with each other to complete their thing faster. (Small fountains, gadgets, etc.)
Buy annual family memberships to various museums, zoos, etc. (several to each). Most offer special visitation nights to member-only exhibits and holiday showings. (The memberships may even be tax deductible.) Use the specials as rewards along with loaning out the regular memberships.
Create company money worth $X that can be added together and redeemed for cash to use as they choose. You can have different denominations that add up over time with a max of ten bucks. Remember, it’s not about money it’s about fun.
Take the team to lunch for hitting deadlines.
Have one or more daily hero awards with a special trophy or cap to wear the following day.
Give annual Hero Awards (like the Oscars) at an awards dinner (maybe combine with your Holiday party). Projects and sales worked on could be like movies with various categories. Employees do the voting. This balances the instant gratification with longer term rewards.
Whatever you do, don’t forget your admin and support staff. They usually get left out of rewards/motivation programs, but they shouldn’t—they are the oil that keeps that machinery humming and things won’t run smoothly without them!
What do you do, or would like your manager to do in the line of motivation? Please take a moment and share your ideas with other readers.
Pizzled is a cross between puzzled and pissed and it’s what people get when forced to work in a Triple A Culture.
Here’s a starter list to get you thinking
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