Great Morning Team,
Recently, the universe has been providing me some rather intriguing examples of company culture, expressed by observable behaviors in my travels. Perhaps on my growth journey, I am leaning in more to listen, and becoming more curious, and fascinated by even the smallest of details and expression in everyday human interactions. Cases in point:
On my recent trip to Hawaii, the hotel we resided in for most of our stay was rather transient. Airline crews from all over the world were coming in and leaving the hotel like a revolving door. While waiting for my husband and son to meet me in the lobby, a Delta crew had just arrived and were waiting to check in. All were in uniform, dressed the same, and even seemed to behave the same: all pleasant, quiet and reserved; all, except for one individual. A tall woman dressed in uniform, who adorned herself with plumeria flowers in all colors on top of her head and around her neck. Additionally, she exuded an abundance of energy. It was magnetic. She radiated joy while conversing with her crew mates. Like a fly heading toward the light, I was mesmerized. I approached her and shared my appreciation for her energy and complimented her on her array of decorative flowers. She was delighted to meet me and thanked me. What fascinated me even more was the response that came next. “I love wearing the flowers, but Senior Management doesn’t like it when I do this, but the customers LOVE it, so I do it anyway.”
Another example, slightly…ok, more than slightly disturbing: a few weeks ago, I needed to go in for a planned same day procedure at a hospital I had been to several times in the past. While one of the nurses was prepping me, I noticed that the bed was different. I was curious and asked why the usual lounger wasn’t there. The nurse stated that for the procedure I was having, they don’t have the patient walk into the O/R room like they do if it were a surgery, instead, they “roll” you in. When I inquired, “Why?” The nurse simply stated with a sigh, “I don’t know…That’s just the way it is. It’s easier to ‘just do’, than to ask ‘why?’”. I was stunned, and at the same time sad. My mind instantly flashed back to the book, “The Fearless Organization” by Amy Edmondson, (click here to view), and the example of a tragedy involving patient care, due to a nurse’s fear of speaking up because of the lack of Psychological Safety in her workplace culture.
Both situations left me reflective and in a state of gratitude. They were examples that served as a clear reminder that not every culture is like ours. We have A LOT going for us in the right direction. Here at E&I, we are incredibly generous, benevolent, and care a great deal about our people. We get to bring our whole selves to work; the fun, the unique, the good, the great, and the messy, and we are accepted and embraced for who we are. We are welcomed warmly by our community of our colleagues who want to help us and support us in our growth to become 1% better each day in all our endeavors. All mistakes are valued, especially when we learn from them. Finally, we are increasingly creating safe spaces for each other to speak up, voice our ideas, lead with curiosity, and engage in respectful candor freely, so we can learn, grow and continue to innovate.
In these two examples I shared, our culture would have allowed us to freely ask “Why?” and to engage in collaborative discussion with respectful candor. In the airline scenario, we would have been able to play “Devil’s Advocate”, questioning and deliberating if a policy like the same uniform for all without any “fun accessories” was the right choice, especially if customer feedback told us they loved something unique, fun and different. In the hospital scenario, our culture would have welcomed all inquiry and transparent discussion about any policy or process to any member of the organization, regardless of rank or hierarchy, and without fear of repercussions. Comments like “It’s easier to just do then to ask why” would likely not exist. Lastly, our culture would have allowed for “Do-Over’s”, providing the ability for us to make changes and learn from our mistakes.
Enclosed is a terrific article, written by Clare Hastwell, of greatplacetowork.com: “The 8 Elements of Great Company Culture” (Click here), Clare shares with us the 8 differentiators that make cultures great. Interesting to note that “Innovation” is discussed with a direct correlation to Managers creating a safe environment for all. As a reminder, asking “Why?” here at E&I, is never frowned upon, and finally, if anyone decides to wear plumeria flowers in their hair and around their neck at their next team call, I say, “Go for it!” 😊
What have you observed about other company cultures? We would love to learn from you about what worked and what didn’t and the impact it created. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Lori Beth
