Leaders are using culture as a scapegoat.

My upcoming book, Break the Mold, is filled with real-life stories and examples of the principles I write about in these weekly emails. If you enjoy these articles, you'll love the book because it's not just about accounting or running a firm; it's about thinking differently to create differentiated results. Stay tuned... It's coming this fall. Now, onto this week's newsletter.

I've heard enough comments about culture in recent months that I'm noticing a theme...

The comments go like this:

"We don't want to push our people too much and jeopardize our culture."

"We're concerned aggressive growth is going to change our culture."

"We have a strong culture of _________, we don't want to lose that."

Culture is often made out to be the antithesis of performance—as though high performance is GUARANTEED to erode culture.

So if you're a high-performing organization that means you have a bad culture? Not from my experience...

I've been thinking about this concept for months and writing about it in my upcoming book—here’s the reality: 

Culture and results are not mutually exclusive.

During my time at Baker Tilly, the firm tripled in size, and from my perspective (and I believe many of my colleagues would feel the same), our culture was as strong (and attractive) as any firm out there.

Let me share more about HOW.

What's Really Behind "Maintaining Culture"?

I believe culture is often used (unfairly) as a scapegoat.

When firms play the "maintaining culture" card, I see it as a signal that leadership:

• Is fearful of rocking the boat
• Isn't sure what steps to take to grow
• Lacks confidence in their team's ability to achieve more
• Lacks confidence in their ability to lead towards higher results
• Is ok maintaining the status quo

So leaders emphasize ‘maintaining culture’ as though strong culture and differentiated results can’t co-exist.

Frankly, I think that's BS.

If you are ok maintaining the status quo, that's fine! But let's call it what it is and stop pointing to culture as an excuse for not wanting to aim for more. 

So when leaders use culture as an excuse not to grow, I challenge them… 

“What do you think makes a great culture?”

It’s not meant to be a “gotcha” moment, yet it often is. Because when pressed to define it, leaders often struggle to pinpoint specific things. Instead, I get general answers about “being nice” and “being supportive”.

Ok… but is that really the kind of culture that will keep your organization relevant and sustainable for years to come?

I don’t think so. So what makes a great culture? 

What Makes a Great Culture

Great culture isn't about office parties, happy hours, pet insurance, or other benefits. And great culture doesn’t equate to “being nice” or even letting people do what they want and how they want to do it. While I’m not suggesting any of those things are detractors from a strong culture, they are often used as band-aids to hide underlying cultural issues.

And here’s the biggest one of all: 

Making everyone happy ≠ strong culture

In fact, healthy debate, differing viewpoints, and constructive criticism are all positive things that may not always feel "good" in the moment.

From my perspective, a great culture is built from:

• Collaboration - An inclusive environment where people work together.
• Partnership - It's a "we" effort and goals and incentives reflect that.
• Intentional Development - Individual growth is prioritized and invested in.
• Team Atmosphere - Everyone knows their value and their role.
• Responsibility - Team members take ownership of their work.
• Discipline - There's a clear strategy and focus on the most meaningful work.
• Inclusion - People are included and represented in the decision-making process.
• Trust - People are empowered to do their work how, when, and where they want.
• Diversity - The team is made up of people with various backgrounds, beliefs, and skill sets.

What’s your reaction to that list? 

I’m imagining you’re nodding your head along (if not, please send me a reply and let me know where you disagree) and if so, wouldn't these cultural aspects ALSO be supportive of high performance?

I sure think so… Because culture and results can co-exist.

The Real Relationship Between Culture and Results

Culture and results are not mutually exclusive.

High performance does not have to equate to poor culture just as much as great culture does not have to mean lesser performance.

In fact, I see great culture as the foundation and enabler of great results.

Things like inclusion, trust, teamwork, and discipline are necessary ingredients for performance.

And here's where it gets really fun...

Those results start to feed back into the culture.

I mean, who doesn't like winning?

That's where we found ourselves at Baker Tilly. We had a great strategy, a great team, and we built a strong foundation of a culture of collaboration that propelled our growth. That growth fed right back into our culture.

Make no mistake… we worked hard. Sometimes we had to put in longer hours. We pushed ourselves and our teammates to do more and be our best.

And we still had a strong culture because we were aligned to a common goal and everyone was rowing the boat in the same direction. 

So let's stop painting culture as the enemy of high performance. And let's stop assuming that organizations that perform well must have bad cultures.

When done well, great culture and great results go hand in hand.

The Question Leaders Should be Asking

The question every leadership team should be asking is: “What will it take to enable a strong culture that leads to performance and growth in my firm?”

Remember, words matter… notice my intentional use of “enable”. Culture should be continuously enabled, not “maintained” i.e. defended. Cultures change and adapt over time because the environment changes—that’s a good thing. 

So it’s time to take an honest look in the mirror… are you allowing culture to be an excuse not to push your organization toward new heights? 

If so, what’s the fear behind that? And based on what you’ve read, do you think it’s possible that strong culture AND results can co-exist?

If you’re finding yourself stuck, numerous CEOs and leadership teams have found immense value in gaining ongoing access to me as an advisor to help them navigate culture and results in an intentional way.

For example, I've recently been working with a CEO on how to communicate aggressive growth goals in a way that rallies people and inspires action rather than overwhelm.

I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss your unique situation and goals. You can use the link in my bio to book time on my calendar. I look forward to speaking with those of you who are willing to be bold, ask for guidance, and push your organizations to achieve more. 

If you only take away one thing this week, it should be this: Strong culture and differentiated results can absolutely co-exist.

See you next week.

With intention,

Alan D Whitman

I serve as a strategy, transformation, and growth advisor to professional services CEOs and their leadership teams—helping them scale faster by challenging leaders to think differently. If you'd like to discuss your growth goals, send me a message or book time on my calendar using the link in my bio.

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