(Image courtesy of my daughter who loves to snap photos while we drive.)
While working with a group of senior leaders they described some compliance issues especially with those further down within the organization. Procedures were not being followed, routine issues were on the rise, along with a rise in negative attitudes.
Many of these leaders have a behavioral bent towards adherence to and creation of rules, so I pushed in a little with some questions.
Were these particular procedures and rules important?
Yes. This is a high risk endeavor with lives on the line.
Okay, then why is there such pushback on these rules, procedures, and policies?
The culture below us seems to create this tension.
How do you communicate these procedures and rules?
Memos and operating procedures.
With a few more questions, a few additional clues were revealed. The memos, and operating procedures were then implemented by middle or front-line supervisors who didn’t always agree with or embrace the policies.
Instead of seeing the importance of these procedures, the policies were viewed as a dictated standard instead of part of a larger inspired vision of keeping everyone safe.
Out of context, the constant emphasis on procedures can feed a negative culture. Those leaders needed to inspire a larger vision and continually explain why these small changes added to that overall vision.
As with all leaders, they needed to tell their own story and not always rely on others to explain their inspired vision.
Imagine how many times we try to get our employees, our organizations, our families, our kids, or our friends to follow some rule or procedure, yet it doesn’t resonate or create action. Instead we are left with the grumbling culture around us despite the fact that those rules would help keep everyone safe, ease some difficulty, or just make things run more smoothly.
Maybe we can all learn from these leaders.
Inspire a vision and provide the context for changes and rules. Stay on message about how these changes are important to the organization, the family or the relationship.
If not, simply dictating a standard may not be enough.
Carl Weber Consulting 