What Do You Mean, Compost? Toxic Culture, Part II

“The truth is culture work is messy. Compost is . . . , well, you know. The most challenging truth to take as a leader is that it often worsens before it gets better. But if you stay the course, it will get better.”

—Libby Wagner

One of my long-term clients is a great example of a company committed to its culture. As a health care organization, part of its vision is to be “an employer of choice” and a “provider of choice.” Their vision also includes pillars for quality, financial stability, and teamwork, but the first two, especially, are a direct reflection of their intentions around culture. In fact, being a top-notch employer and being seen as the best by their client group directly impacts their financial viability and the quality of their work. These things are not separate but interrelated.

Last month, I talked about my No-Dig analogy. Instead of changing your culture by picking off (or pulling out) negative, invasive elements, I suggested gardener Charles Dowding’s practice of leaving the weeds right where they are and covering the area with compost instead. What? You don’t want me to pull out the weeds? Nope. I don’t.

How does this translate?

In our work, we use the Core Dimensions of Trust as the foundation for shifting and ultimately transforming a culture. An environment where people consistently deliver high levels of respect, empathy, specificity, and genuineness toward each other is a culture in which people, innovation, loyalty, and high performance thrive. The behavioral commitment to the Core Dimensions is the antidote to “disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive [2]” behaviors. When leaders (first) and teams turn toward building each other’s “Trust Bank Accounts” and avoid gossip, interpersonal strife, hoarding information, and not telling the truth, the toxic culture is replaced by an intentional, supportive, and successful culture.

I believe that most answers to most of your organization’s questions and problems exist within the wisdom of your team. It’s not that you don’t know or can’t think of it; it’s that you have so much in the way of genuinely connecting to purpose and powerful commitment that every day people are pulled off course and off-center. Most leaders I know want to have the kind of culture that thrives rather than just survives. One that perseveres rather than veers and has the commitment and wherewithal to roll up the collective sleeves and get to the good work. Here’s the thing: you cannot harvest the prize-winning vegetables if you’re always chasing the weeds.

How long does it take to change a culture?

Often, the smaller the organization, the quicker it’s possible, but not necessarily. Sometimes, yes, it takes a long time to turn a big ship, but little boats can get off course, too. In my experience, deep culture change takes three years. That’s the truth and antithetical to our organizational addiction to speed. There are many good things along the way, many good things you can perceive and experience quickly, but it’s not a quick fix. It’s not a couple of hours picking grass out of your strawberry patch on a Saturday. It’s making a commitment, over and over, to your aspirational intentions. And most of all, it’s staying the course and not giving up when it gets hard. The truth is culture work is messy. Compost is . . . , well, you know. The most challenging truth to take as a leader is that it often worsens before it gets better. But if you stay the course, it will get better. Like many of my clients, you may say, “this place is totally different now,” or “I thought I might quit, but I’m glad I stayed to see this and experience it.”

Here’s the shortest version: 

a. Let go 

b. Listen deeply 

c. Honor your inheritance 

d. Clearly articulate what you want 

e. Take committed action 

f. Stay the course. 

And shorter still: get some help. 

A Master Gardener: Someone who reminds you of your own wisdom and brilliance and how it’s there, just under that thick, rich compost!

[1] Check out last month’s part 1

[2] Donald Sull, Charles Sull, William Cipolli, and Caio Brighenti “Why Every Leader Needs to Know About Toxic Culture: MIT/Sloan Management Review