Company Culture "The way we do things round here"

Outcomes:

• Understand the importance of a positive, collaborative company culture
• Understand how mentorship can repair culture and increase professionalism

Professionalism is about a polished, predictable way in which any executive behaves. Examples of professionalism include beliefs like 'I will do what I agree to do' and undertakings such as 'If I am running late I will inform someone who may be waiting for me'.

Things like respect, accountability, collaboration, and shared goals, all fall under the same umbrella as professionalism and company culture. 

Logical, cooperative, collaborative behaviours happen when a person feels confident and capable of dealing with any given situation.

Examining human behaviour for a few moments will help us understand this better.

Here is a model of the human mind, with its three main 'sources of thought- the Ego, Intellect and Center- leading to three main styles of decision:

So when stressed or under pressure, or when not encouraged or rewarded for thinking with their finer judgment, people tend to resort to their emotions- the Ego- where the more impulsive, rash, emotional styles of thinking reside.

To understand where feelings come from, imagine all the instincts that primitive tribes have:

• Insecurity about status and importance.
• Self-preservation rather than spreading goodness
• Anger and aggression rather than discussion and understanding
• Seeking to win rather than sharing and collaborating
• Avoiding change rather than innovating and improving
• Suspicion rather than trust
• Self-doubt rather than self-belief
• Greed and instant gratification rather than patience and higher beliefs.
• Blaming others rather than taking responsibility

...and so on.

Mentoring systems work. They are part of the healthy 'hygiene factors' that help make sure that people in the company are polished and professional in the way they behave.n companies that are new to mentoring, starting such a system helps correct many of the issues that arise as part of rapid growth or poor management. Communication breakdowns, people stuck in their ways, inflexibility, poor morale, higher rates of stress, incidents of bullying or intolerance, these things are part and parcel of every environment but when they are not handled properly or they become too frequent, then the signs are there. Culture needs to be improved.

If people are not given the chance to reflect on their manner, to constantly think about refining how to be at work, then they start losing professionalism, and culture starts to slip. Signs include:

• Losing confidence and self belief in oneself because of the size and scope of one's new or expanding role.
• Reluctance to adapt. New systems, greater standardisation, more policies and procedures are necessary to manage a bigger system, but some people reject them
• Micro-management, threatening, shouting etc. Previously solo operators become inflexible or intolerant.
• Feeling unable to influence things. Feeling anonymous, unheard, or unable to control a much more complex world, some people just do the bare minimum and lose their sense of purpose.
• Indifference. People are adjusting to constant change, without the time to spare for helping new arrivals. So new hires feel overlooked and unsupported.
• Minimum effort. Skilled people get frustrated and wait for a new place to go to. Even if the pay is good, the conditions are poor and satisfaction is lost.

Bad behaviours can be transmitted downwards or sideways. Bosses who behave irrationally or rudely are, without knowing it, giving permission for their subordinates to pass this on down the line.

If people lose a sense of being worthy or effective in their job, it brings out their inner defensive attitudes and unhelpful behaviours. Being heard, valued and encouraged is a powerful antidote to this.

Why does mentoring help?

It invites, within its very practice, the better qualities of human nature.

From a mentee's perspective, being with a senior person as a mentee, and learning things from them not directly to do with your performance, gives you the space to see them as human, fallible, and inspires you to believe in both them and yourself more.

From a mentor's perspective, hearing about a junior person's issues and hopes reminds you of your own story, and makes them appear more understandable. You learn to respect them if you see yourself in their shoes, and you grow to become interested in their growth because they come to you for your wisdom, which makes you feel that you are more than just another operative with targets and tasks. You too feel there is more to life than the everyday. You see the journey.

Mentoring relies on the compassion and interest that we have for one another as human beings. The result of a good mentoring process is a slow and steady reversal of negative culture, because being heard and helped as a human being has a contagious effect on both the person being helped and the one giving the help. Openness and fairness come to the fore, rather than defensiveness and blame. 

Human beings are more effective when we share ideas and work together with consideration, respect and encouragement rather than harshness, threats and disrespect. Sense and wisdom come when we start to pause our feelings (the Ego) and instead look to the Intellect and Center for ways forward. Collaboration, wisdom and compassion is perhaps our most distinctive advantage as a species; it is the edge that helped us succeed. Notice how those things are central to good culture. 

We are not yet fully there though; human beings are dominated by emotions, especially when we are stressed, rushed or uncertain. One important point of professionalism is that it's not about being perfect or free from error; it is quite the opposite. It is how we can keep reflecting on what we have done, being sympathetic to our mistakes and our failures, and continuing to try to move forward because we are, above all, human. 

Reflection Assignments (think about these things, discuss them with your classmates, or make some notes for yourself):

1. Consider the 3-part model of the mind as presented. Does negative behaviour map onto one specific part more than the others? How can the other parts help?

2. It is said that you shouldn't take your Ego (your emotions) to work. Do you think this is good advice? What are the plusses and minuses of this approach?