In an earlier article, I spoke about loyalty being the #1 issue facing corporate leaders today. In it, I explained that “fear of conflict” often lies at the root of loyalty issues because when employees don’t know how to handle conflict, loyalty erodes faster than a sandbag in a tidal wave.

In another article called “Corporate Cultural Death Spiral,” I explained that what leaders think their Corporate Culture is and what it actually is are often two very different things! As different as apples and hamburgers!

So now I’d like to jump a bit deeper into this whole thing…

What is Corporate Culture, and how does it relate to dealing with conflict and creating loyalty?

Corporate Culture is many things. However, at its core, it is how people think and act in relation to the organization.

Yes, it is set of a spoken or unspoken rules, or a code of conduct.

It’s what will get you chastised or applauded, promoted or fired, praised or damned.

Self expression and trust

I’m sorry, but your corporate culture falls apart when the people involved do NOT have a safe place to express who they are.  Sadly, this in turn erodes trust, and as you may or may not know, trust is one of the primary elements of high productivity.

Just think about it, and you’ll see it make perfect sense: When the members of your team don’t feel safe to speak their truth, they are not safe to explore new or innovative ideas.

When there is no safe place for vulnerability people cannot be open or honest with each other.

When there is no trust, people simply don’t produce their best work.

It’s as simple as that.

Without a strong foundation of trust in your Corporate Culture, you end up generating a subculture (that will eventually become dominant) that is silently adversarial in nature and thus becomes politically driven rather than innovation and growth driven. As a result, the team begins to disengage and commitment fades fast.

If you want a corporate culture in which individuals, their ideas and the organization flourish, as a leader who is in turn developing leaders, you MUST develop a way to facilitate healthy conflict. If you don’t, nothing else you do will make much difference.

In review:

• “Fear of conflict” is detrimental to the growth of your organization. Authentic, effective leaders must become masters of conflict and help those they lead to develop those skills as well.
• What your corporate culture is and what you think it is may be very different.
• When your team does not feel safe expressing who they are, trust begins to fall apart.
• When your culture is not based on trust, ideas and innovation get repressed.
• Lack of trust in a Corporate Culture generates a subculture (that becomes dominant) that is silently adversarial
• For individuals, their ideas and the organization to flourish, your corporate culture MUST have a way to facilitate healthy conflict.

A healthy Corporate Culture needs to be is an internal representation of both the vision and mission of the company.

So here’s the tough question…if you are honest enough to answer it: What’s your Corporate Culture? Is it a safe place for the expression of the individual or are people shushed?

I trust that you found this article valuable, if so feel free to send this to your friends.

I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments. Please “like,” “share”, and comment below!

With gratitude,

Dõv Baron Speaks internationally on leadership in the new economy. He is the Leading expert on Authentic Leadership and is the world’s Only Corporate Cultural Strategist.

He is also a bestselling author, and Executive producer and host of The wildly popular internationally broadcast Full Monty Leadership Show featuring those at the cutting edge of leadership.

As an Elite Mind Strategist he specializes in the Psychology of High Performance Leadership and can move you and your organization from where you are to where you want to be at hyper speed.

To bring Dov in to speak to your group or organization please contact Baron Mastery at +1 778 397 7717

 

P.S. Have you heard “The Full Monty Leadership Radio Show yet? The Very Best in Personal and Professional Leadership. Dov is the Host and Executive producer every Thursday Morning from 10:00 AM (PST) 1:00PM (EST) Details are at: http://radiodov.com

All contents of this blog and articles herein fall under full copyright law and are the soul intellectual property of Dov Baron and Authentic Paragon Alliance INC

Hyper Smash