“We first make our habits, then our habits make us.” ~ John Dryden

Actions that bring good things often become habits. For instance morning affirmations, meditation or physical stretching. Habits that aren’t bringing you the good stuff, you try to let go of because they get in the way of your work success, better health and more fulfillment. How about group habits? Have you thought about ways of working at your company that have become an ingrained group practice but are getting in the way of the good stuff? One of those habits may be superficial thinking.

An Explanation Please

I recently wrote about a tech manufacturer that was guided by laissez-faire leadership. This organization, because it didn’t have rules in place to counter it, was affected by a spread of superficial thinking and the judgment that went along with it. (Superficial thinking is when you make a conscious choice to limit information to a tiny fragment out of a complete explanation. You then rush to make a judgement about that fragment and hold that as your truth.) As an example, at the tech company, one person’s inability to view a few words as a snippet within a larger conversation, amplified the force of the few words she heard. She spread her own story around those group of words using poor judgement until the situation ballooned into something much greater. Her action caused bullying, fighting, and a decrease in productivity throughout the business.

This business was the perfect environment for the group habit of superficial thinking to get out of hand. The founder of this tech manufacturer operated under the belief young professionals thrive only when they have no boundaries or rules on how to act. He assumed this would make them more empowered and independent. Except it also gave them no direction. Without a strong culture and company rules, the business was vulnerable to miscommunications, and disruptions from employees and customers. So, it was the perfect environment for employees to practice superficial thinking and cause problems as nobody was held accountable for their actions born out of frustrations and grievances.

While you could say the employee was at fault for taking a few words out of context and using them to shame a colleague, then spreading rumors. The culture was also at fault for not fostering respect among colleagues, having good role models in leadership and not setting the ground rules for respect and communication.

Solution

When I was brought in as the problem solver to limit the damage, I had conversations with each group separately: the founder, senior leadership, each department. The culture (and its communication) was the culprit and the solution to the company’s challenges (bad habits).

In order for anything to change it was clear I needed the founder’s buy-in. We discussed why the problem happened and what might cause it to keep happening, disrupting his business each time. I gave him insights from the group conversations. Then we looked at the history of the organization, how it had grown and how earlier ways of operation were no longer possible or realistic. Once he was able to grasp this, we could work together on the next step or he could bless the handing off of the next step to the Heads of HR, legal, staff and me. The next step was developing the new culture of values, behavior, and attitudes and weaving it into employee guidelines and rules for operating. Then using the same handbook, we could infuse it into hiring and firing.

Tips For You

To prevent or change a habit of superficial thinking and rapid judgements from wreaking havoc among or around your team and employees, what can you do? Here are some general suggestions toward a healthy culture:

• As a leader, be a visible role model.
• Instill the importance of respect in working together, collaborating and supporting one another so that work is safe and satisfying for everyone.
• Explain a healthy culture starts with each individual. This includes each individual has the responsibility to read communication and listen to each other fully: not how they choose – picking out things they like and discarding things they don’t.
• Cultivate an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions.
• Caution against comparing or judging anyone; nobody has the right to do that. Nobody can be aware of anyone’s whole story.
• If people are not sure what to do in a situation, tell them follow Fabio Dorian Mattiussi’s advice (Fabio is an acclaimed therapist and author): “What would the person I want to be do? And do that.” Opinions are fine except when they hurt someone.
• Encourage autonomy in a good way, create a policy for employees to speak with each other if there is a misunderstanding or a question so they aren’t coming to you with every issue; they have the power and knowhow to solve it themselves.
• If there is one person who keeps alienating people, and have been told each time it happens, you have a choice to provide them with personal training if you value their other qualities or to fire them. Having an employee handbook and/or professional rules of conduct holds people accountable for their actions.

Additionally, as with any personal situation, be patient, compassionate and understanding. Changing habits and thoughts takes time. It’s a process. And if you are looking for creative solutions to break bad habits in your organization, let’s talk: susan@susangoldbergleadership.com

 

Are there challenges within a team you lead? And, solutions you’ve used before aren’t cutting it for today’s issues? We can work together to gather the information and formulate the inspiration so you and your team can become more productive and fulfilled. Your bottom line will feel the results.  There are three levels of service options within Golden Monocle™. To learn more and discover which services suit your needs, contact me, Susan@SusanGoldbergLeadership.com .

My work as a leadership and communication expert has me go into organizations, as an outside unbiased view to look at the information gaps. Using proprietary and trademarked solutions including a team mapping tool, Collaboration Beyond Words™, I identify what an organization is missing that’s holding it back from thriving and continuing to stay relevant.  Have practices become entrenched or no longer fit your plans for today’s workplace and goals? Contact me: Susan@SusanGoldbergLeadership.com Let’s talk.