Brett Mckay had Daniel Coyle on his Art of Manliness Podcst #388 to talk about his new book, The Culture Code. This interview resonated with me and my experience working in corporate HR jobs over the past 20 years. Can’t wait to read the book, it’s next on my Kindle queue.

What is a super culture?

  • Places where people and organizations are doing something that seems powerful and curious.
  • Where they consistently have the knack for being and doing way more than the sum of their parts.

Why are they important?

  • You know it as soon as you walk into a place.
  • People spend more time doing and less time watching or waiting to see what happens.
  • There is more collaboration and less intergroup competition, gossip, or backstabbing.

Good cultures have and promote:

  • A close, physical connection and proximity to others
  • People working together to solve difficult problems
  • A sense of safety, security, and connection

Bad cultures, have, don’t have, or promote:

  • No shared vision or future
  • People that do not interact with or are physically isolated from one another
  • Constant checks or tests where people are severly punished if they do not meet strict standards

How can we change or improve the culture where we work?

  • As an individual contributor: - You probably can’t. Best thing to do is leave if it is a toxic culture.

As a leader: - Figure out where you are and where you want to be,

  • Meet with everybody and start by listening to why things are they way they are,
  • Identify the behaviors that will help you get there,
  • Constantly communicate them and recognize and reward the right behaviors when they occur,
  • Lastly, be human, own mistakes and shortcomings.
  • Hold after action reviews and be transparent and truthful as to why things failed. Empower the owner to fix his or her own mistakes.