ISE Magazine, August 2019

AUGUST 2019 WWW ISEMAG COM 81 HUMAN NETWORK organization When curiosity is stifled and looking good is the primary focus mistakes are hidden learning is mitigated and growth is constrained In an environment where perfection is celebrated and rewarded conventionality emerges as a safe bet for staying out of the boss crosshairs In a work place that prioritizes perfectionism members are expected to conform and follow the rules and to make a good impression The byproduct of making a good impression and following the rules is that creativity and risk taking are thwarted and innovation becomes impossible Resistance to change becomes a blocker to progress and complacency sets in While certain roles demand perfection such as for a safety concern perfection as a culture limits and constrains what is possible for the organization and the people in it 5 Keeping the Peace and Getting Along Everyone who is anyone in business understands the need to cooperate with others in the workplace and the need for teamwork and collaboration However creating a work culture where everyone has to be liked and everyone has to get along with little to no emphasis on performance or results most often leads to over the top consensus building perceived favoritism a loss of focus and ambition inconsistent accountability and a very destructive fear of conflict In a work culture where needing approval is a core component of how the organization works team members are expected to agree with gain the approval of and be liked by others In a work place such as this disagreements are frowned upon and people are encouraged to go along with the crowd even when the crowd is prepared to drive off a cliff When team members fear conflict even constructive conflict they are incapable of engaging in debates or openly voicing opinions The team avoids conflicts which involve speaking up against bad decisions thus leading to inferior organizational results It s imperative to understand that a keeping the peace workplace culture can be an insidious thief of organizational and talent optimization Keeping the peace has the potential to rob the organization and its people from experiencing the highest levels of role fulfillment and role satisfaction When people and the human system they operate in does not actively engage in productive ways of being included constructive conflict speaking their truth giving new ideas and sharing insights of what is not working they can never really get to real engagement in the workplace The 5 double edged sword philosophies can sweep the rug out from under your companys overall mission and set you drastically off track Shaping constructive culture is about intentionally causing the kind of corporate culture that exemplifies your brand promise This takes a solid and palatable intention for that culture as a holistic human system a system of people operating as a living and agile organism Intentional culture is all about monitoring what you are creating and making necessary shifts along the way to ensure you are accomplishing what you set out to by creating the intentional culture in the first place n Magi Graziano as seen on NBC is the CEO of KeenAlignment a speaker employee recruitment and engagement expert and author of The Wealth of Talent With more than 20 years experience as a top producer in the Recruitment and Search industry she empowers and enables leaders to bring transformational thinking to the day to day operation For more information please visit www KeenAlignment com