"I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are so loud."
-- Louis A. Raspino, President and CEO, Pride International Inc., November 2, 2007 speech at Jones Graduate School of Management, Rice University, Houston, Texas.
When you are attempting to lead a change in your organization's culture, what you say has little power. What you DO is everything. Here are some thoughts about how to make your actions speak loudly in service of the change you are trying to bring about.
Believe it in the change, or forget it!
First, and most important, is to be sure you really want to make the change you are contemplating. Workplace culture change is tremendously hard, and it takes a long time. You can't fake it. For example, I deeply believe in the importance of safety in the workplace. Without that deep belief, none of the following would have been possible.
Set high personal standards for yourself
Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." Before you ask others to change, be sure you make the change yourself. When I wanted to eliminate injuries in manufacturing operations, I began by setting the following standards for myself:
- I will always wear appropriate personal protective equipment, whether at work, in the car, or at home mowing the lawn.
- I will always use the right tools. For example, if I need to change a light bulb at home, I will use a ladder rather than climb on top of the dining room table.
- When I fly, I will actually pay attention to the safety announcements.
Set and communicate boundaries for others
And then never walk past it when someone violates a boundary. Some examples of how I applied that to creating a safety culture:
- Set the boundary that all employees must wear appropriate protective gear. When I noticed someone without hearing protection, I immediately spoke with her about it, saw that she put the protection on, and then spoke with her supervisor about it.
- Set the boundary that all spills would be immediately cleaned up, in order to prevent slips. When I encountered a spill in the plant, I would call for the relevant supervisor to get it taken care of immediately and would stand by until the area was safe again.
- Make clear to your direct reports how you expect them to behave and lead. Ask them if they will agree to follow those expectations. Quickly replace anyone who will not.
Design how you spend your time
How you allocate your time tells your folks volumes about what you consider important. If you say that safety is of prime importance and then let email keep you from getting out on the factory floor what does that say about your priorities? If you have a choice between investigating a potential safety problem or a potential production problem, your choice will either reinforce or weaken the cultural change.
Strategically align your behavior with the change you wish to create
When set out to change a workplace culture, think through in detail how you will behave. How will you spend your time? Where? With whom? What questions will you ask? What will cause you to lose your temper? What will you ignore? What will you stop doing?
Test your behavior occasionally
Want to know what your actions are telling folks? Ask 'em! On occasion, ask, "Based on what you see me doing and how you see me doing it, what do you think is really important to me?" If you are trying to drive safety, and the answer folks give you is "cost" then I submit you need to rethink your behavior. On the other hand, if they tell you "a safe workplace," then congratulations!
