011: Culture Drives Everything!

[00:00:59] Hey, what's going on, everybody? David Noe with SpeakEasy HR presented by Payroll Partners.

[00:01:04] Welcome in episode 11. I can't believe we are already at this episode and it's mid-October.

[00:01:10] This year is flying. For those who have watched other episodes before, welcome back.

[00:01:16] For those who are new to this podcast, welcome and thanks for being here with us today on this Monday.

[00:01:23] We have a lot of fun to get into with this topic. And this guest is somebody that I've known for a long time,

[00:01:31] goes back to my early years of HR and trying to get into the world of HR.

[00:01:36] So he's got a whole lot of insight and information that will really help anybody that's trying to focus on their culture.

[00:01:43] So we are live on YouTube and LinkedIn. So if you are watching live, comment, ask questions, tell us where you're watching from.

[00:01:52] If you are in the Midwest or out West, kind of like where Bruce is probably nice and warm out there.

[00:02:01] We're kind of getting the fall changes around here and in the Midwest.

[00:02:05] So anyways, we have a great topic on culture to get into. So Bruce Manchin, welcome in.

[00:02:13] Hey, it's my pleasure to be here, David. Looking forward to it.

[00:02:16] Yeah, we've. So let's go back. And for those who haven't listened or watched this show before, because you can watch all the previous episodes on the podcast platforms that you love.

[00:02:29] So this show that I started is really to speak to professionals like Bruce, talk to our audience, talk on easy topics, you know, really topics that are not so easy sometimes and really help navigate through that with someone that listens and catches up on and keeps up on all the things within that topic because they bring the topic to me.

[00:02:53] Bruce brings a topic to me that he's passionate about, just like every other guest on this show.

[00:02:59] So Speakeasy HR kind of came together with all of that and where I live in Kentucky.

[00:03:03] It's bourbon country. So the Speakeasy HR really just kind of all came together.

[00:03:08] So Bruce was on my first list of people to really bring on and say, Bruce, you know, I'm thinking about this podcast.

[00:03:14] What do you think? And since the first time I asked you, you said, absolutely.

[00:03:19] Let me know when you want me on. So we've been talking for quite some time now.

[00:03:24] But you are in a world of training and talking to companies and and folks that really need your help.

[00:03:34] So you are the owner of Trinity Advanced Leadership.

[00:03:37] So tell everyone kind of what that is in your background, Bruce.

[00:03:42] Well, I went into this business kicking and screaming.

[00:03:45] I never planned to go into it, but one of my jobs at Procter & Gamble was training manager.

[00:03:51] And I figured I'd do that for a couple of years and get promoted.

[00:03:53] But it stuck and I developed a passion for growing people.

[00:03:58] And that's how I started my company almost 20, 30 years ago.

[00:04:05] And it is interesting to note the need is bigger now than it has ever been.

[00:04:13] Yeah, I'm sure you stay busy.

[00:04:15] And I think you have, like I said, an insight to this topic, which we'll get into, among other things,

[00:04:24] you know, culture and how it drives everything within an organization.

[00:04:28] So we'll get into that a little bit.

[00:04:31] We'll cover really what that means and dive into culture a little bit.

[00:04:36] We do have the world famous Envelope Icebreaker game coming up.

[00:04:39] So you know the questions.

[00:04:41] We will ask you to pick a number, 1 through 15.

[00:04:44] So hopefully you've got a number in mind.

[00:04:47] But before we get to that, I want to bring up just a quick couple questions for people who are watching or listening.

[00:04:57] Do you have a porky payroll process?

[00:04:59] Is your current payroll provider hogging your time or money?

[00:05:04] Then you need to switch and consider talking to us at Payroll Partners.

[00:05:08] Learn more at payrollpartners.net.

[00:05:11] We have some amazing people on our team.

[00:05:15] Technology really focused on awesome customer service.

[00:05:19] So if you are in the world of HR and payroll technology and you are doing that for a business,

[00:05:23] trying to figure out the best way to navigate through that, give us a call.

[00:05:28] Check us out.

[00:05:28] We have some, like I said, amazing technology opportunities.

[00:05:32] This was our recent handout at SHRM conferences.

[00:05:35] It was our pig for our theme this year.

[00:05:38] So I wanted to bring that up.

[00:05:41] All right.

[00:05:41] So Bruce, are you ready for the world famous Envelope Icebreaker game?

[00:05:48] Yes, I am.

[00:05:49] I choose question three.

[00:05:53] Question three.

[00:05:54] Well, you saw what they were.

[00:05:56] They really didn't correlate to the numbers.

[00:05:58] I know.

[00:05:59] So just maybe I threw a couple other questions in there.

[00:06:04] Oh, okay.

[00:06:07] No, I wouldn't do that, Bruce.

[00:06:09] I promise.

[00:06:10] All right.

[00:06:10] Question three was or is, what was your first job that you earned a paycheck with taxes deducted?

[00:06:22] That was when I was 15 years old and I was a camp counselor in Brooklyn, New York.

[00:06:29] My first check was $14 after taxes and $14 went a long way back then.

[00:06:37] I bet.

[00:06:38] I bet.

[00:06:39] Yeah, it seems like every way you now try to get paid, they find a way to take some of it, right?

[00:06:47] Yep.

[00:06:47] All right.

[00:06:48] Well, I want to give you one more chance to pick a question.

[00:06:53] If not, I'm going to pick one for you.

[00:06:55] You got another number in mind?

[00:06:57] Ten.

[00:06:58] Ten.

[00:06:59] Okay.

[00:07:01] I don't think anyone's picked ten yet.

[00:07:03] So this could be a brand new question that no one's picked you.

[00:07:07] Oh, no.

[00:07:08] We've had this question before.

[00:07:09] It's a good one, though.

[00:07:10] It's a good one.

[00:07:11] Because everyone's answer is great.

[00:07:12] What sport would you compete if you were in the Olympics?

[00:07:18] What would be your talent in the Olympics?

[00:07:22] Winter or summer?

[00:07:23] First of all, would it be winter or summer Olympics?

[00:07:26] Summer.

[00:07:27] It'd be summer Olympics.

[00:07:28] Okay.

[00:07:29] Yeah.

[00:07:31] I would probably compete in the 440.

[00:07:38] 440.

[00:07:38] Okay.

[00:07:39] 400 meters.

[00:07:40] 400 meters.

[00:07:41] Okay.

[00:07:42] Very cool.

[00:07:42] I'm telling my age using 440 back when we used yards.

[00:07:46] Yeah.

[00:07:47] I was at the Olympics in Atlanta in 96.

[00:07:50] I went to the track and field days.

[00:07:51] That was fun.

[00:07:52] Oh, yeah.

[00:07:53] Good.

[00:07:53] Good.

[00:07:54] Michael Johnson.

[00:07:55] Yep.

[00:07:56] Gold Nike shoes.

[00:07:57] Yeah.

[00:07:58] It was awesome.

[00:08:00] Were you there for the bombing?

[00:08:02] I was at the park that evening.

[00:08:05] I wasn't there when it actually happened.

[00:08:07] Oh, wow.

[00:08:07] But obviously, that was before social media.

[00:08:10] You wake up and the news is all about it.

[00:08:12] So my mom woke up.

[00:08:13] We were at a rental house kind of outside Atlanta.

[00:08:16] And she's like, oh, my gosh.

[00:08:18] This is right where we were.

[00:08:20] And I mean, it really freaked us out.

[00:08:23] But after that, we were downtown.

[00:08:25] We were going around.

[00:08:26] And it was fine.

[00:08:29] But yeah, it was crazy to be that close when something like that happened.

[00:08:34] Back in 96, when that was before a lot of other crazy tragedies we've had in different big venue situations.

[00:08:45] So anyways, no, those were great.

[00:08:49] So going back to when you and I first met, Bruce, we were at similar companies.

[00:08:57] Well, similar nature of payroll, HR, training, whatnot.

[00:09:01] We were all under the same roof in Cincinnati.

[00:09:05] And you were one of the first trainers that I had as an HR professional.

[00:09:11] So in the disc training, you were the first one to give me that.

[00:09:15] We had some team training environment happening with the folks that I worked with.

[00:09:21] There was about 20 of us, I think, at the time.

[00:09:23] And so, you know, you were one of the first when it comes to those kinds of, you know, team disc personality kind of mentality trainings that I had.

[00:09:37] So you've been doing it for quite some time.

[00:09:39] So now you're out west.

[00:09:41] You're out in the Vegas area, correct?

[00:09:43] Yeah.

[00:09:44] No tornadoes, no mosquitoes, no snow.

[00:09:48] Yeah.

[00:09:49] You don't have seasons.

[00:09:50] Do you have trees out there?

[00:09:52] Do you guys have any like trees?

[00:09:53] Oh, yeah.

[00:09:53] Yes.

[00:09:54] Yeah.

[00:09:54] Lots of trees.

[00:09:56] Okay.

[00:09:57] Believe it or not.

[00:09:58] All right.

[00:09:59] What's the biggest, newest attraction out in Vegas that you've got?

[00:10:03] The sphere.

[00:10:04] Yeah.

[00:10:06] Yeah.

[00:10:06] That thing is phenomenal.

[00:10:08] Yeah.

[00:10:08] I've heard a lot about that.

[00:10:10] Well, we might get out there next year.

[00:10:11] I'm going to have to keep in touch with you because.

[00:10:13] You definitely do that.

[00:10:14] Definitely.

[00:10:14] Might make our way out west.

[00:10:16] Cool.

[00:10:17] So Bruce does have a special for people listening.

[00:10:21] If you are watching live, this is going to be for you.

[00:10:25] You've got a deadline to meet to get this offer from Bruce.

[00:10:29] So we'll bring that up at the end of the show.

[00:10:31] If you are watching on demand and it's one of the podcast platforms, you also have time

[00:10:36] to take advantage of this offering from Bruce.

[00:10:39] So going into 2025, Bruce, we've got election coming up.

[00:10:46] We've got people needing to hire people and getting their positions filled.

[00:10:53] We've got a lot going on right now in the world of business.

[00:10:56] So culture drives everything was your top shelf topic for today.

[00:11:04] Right.

[00:11:04] And so when you look at this topic.

[00:11:09] First, why did you pick this topic?

[00:11:12] Let's get to that.

[00:11:13] Yeah.

[00:11:15] When I started my company, I specialized in several different areas.

[00:11:20] And over time, I found that every single problem someone brought to me, when we would fix the

[00:11:30] problem, the problem would come back.

[00:11:33] So we'd fix it again.

[00:11:35] The problem would come back.

[00:11:36] And I asked myself, what is the one common theme across all clients where this is happening?

[00:11:46] And I was able to latch onto it.

[00:11:48] And it is this.

[00:11:50] We were going into a culture where behavior that someone wanted changed was going on.

[00:11:57] We would take people out of that culture, give them coaching and training, but then drop them back into the exact same culture.

[00:12:08] And here's the thing, David.

[00:12:09] That culture rewarded the behavior that they hired us to fix.

[00:12:16] And it hit me.

[00:12:19] Until we deal with the culture, nothing's going to change in any organization.

[00:12:25] So that's what got me into it.

[00:12:27] Yeah.

[00:12:29] So obviously, I've dealt with culture changes and being in different environments.

[00:12:34] A lot of times when I talk to people and help them with interview skills, ask, what's the culture like?

[00:12:40] What is it like to work there?

[00:12:41] What's your manager style like?

[00:12:43] Asking these questions that you can't.

[00:12:45] You can get in Google reviews.

[00:12:47] You can get in different research that you find about a company.

[00:12:50] But when you're talking about going into an environment that you've never been in with people that work there, getting really an understanding of what the culture is like.

[00:12:59] I've been in large organizations.

[00:13:01] I've been in small organizations.

[00:13:03] I've been in small organizations.

[00:13:03] And every culture is different.

[00:13:04] I've even had a situation where a company has multiple locations.

[00:13:09] And every different office has a little bit different culture, right?

[00:13:13] Yes.

[00:13:14] Every team has a different culture.

[00:13:16] Every team has a different culture.

[00:13:19] And every office has a different culture.

[00:13:21] So I've had to do environmental assessments.

[00:13:23] Yes.

[00:13:24] Figuring out what's driving this problem to figure out a way to fix it.

[00:13:28] When people complain about the same stuff, nothing's getting done.

[00:13:33] Nothing's changing.

[00:13:34] So if I look up in Google or just research what the definition of culture is, a few things came up.

[00:13:41] It's the work culture definition is the attitudes and behaviors of employees within an organization.

[00:13:47] You've got workplace culture is a combination of values, beliefs, expectations, behaviors that define how employees interact at the work environment.

[00:13:59] So in your mind, what would you define culture?

[00:14:04] How would you define it?

[00:14:05] There are two types, David.

[00:14:08] There's formal culture and there's informal culture.

[00:14:12] Formal culture are things like the way the building looks, the outside, the inside.

[00:14:19] Second part of it is the stuff on the walls, the way the furniture is, all of that intended to drive something.

[00:14:25] For example, when you walk into your doctor's office, you expect it to look like a doctor's office.

[00:14:29] Right.

[00:14:30] Not like the janitorial office.

[00:14:34] Yeah.

[00:14:36] The other side of culture is in.

[00:14:39] Oh, I'm sorry.

[00:14:40] One other part of culture is all the stuff that's written down, the stuff you deal with regularly, policies, procedures.

[00:14:46] Somebody says, you can't do that here.

[00:14:48] Where's the say I can't?

[00:14:50] Right there.

[00:14:51] See now, informal culture is the other side.

[00:14:55] Informal culture is everything else.

[00:14:59] Not written down.

[00:15:00] Can't see it really.

[00:15:02] So somebody says to you, you can't do that here.

[00:15:05] Where does it say I can't?

[00:15:06] It's not written down, but you can't do that here.

[00:15:09] Informal culture drives everything.

[00:15:13] All of us grew up in a house where there was an informal culture.

[00:15:19] Your parents might not have ever said it, but you knew for a fact, there's no way I'm crossing that line.

[00:15:24] Yeah.

[00:15:26] Informal culture is the one that the least attention gets paid to.

[00:15:32] That's why it's such a problem.

[00:15:35] Yeah, that's so true.

[00:15:37] And we do have some folks watching on LinkedIn.

[00:15:43] So Lucy said, this is so true.

[00:15:46] What you reward persists.

[00:15:47] Yes.

[00:15:48] I think that's.

[00:15:49] Exactly.

[00:15:51] Now, let me give you an example of a reward that people don't think of as a reward.

[00:15:56] You and I work on a team with Kim.

[00:16:00] Okay.

[00:16:00] Kim keeps coming in late.

[00:16:04] Every time Kim comes in late, David, Kim gets a reward for coming in late.

[00:16:09] What's the reward?

[00:16:10] Nobody says a word to Kim.

[00:16:12] That's the reward.

[00:16:14] Yeah.

[00:16:15] And it's so true now because you have people who want to work hard.

[00:16:22] They want to do a good job.

[00:16:24] They want to keep their job, but they're motivated sometimes just enough to do the bare minimum or come to work right on time or just do what is necessary to not get written up.

[00:16:40] Right.

[00:16:42] You know, there are people like that.

[00:16:44] There are people that just don't have any motivation to excel their career wherever they're at, which if that's the situation, then I suggest they probably find another career.

[00:16:53] They get out of the company.

[00:16:54] But if you are in an organization that you are trying to excel in and go above and beyond everybody else, they're going to hopefully see that.

[00:17:04] And you're going to see other people that are around you that do come in late and nothing gets done.

[00:17:10] And you see the people that get promoted that shouldn't be promoted.

[00:17:13] Yeah.

[00:17:14] And you get the people that go into a manager job that aren't good managers or have never managed.

[00:17:19] You know, culture is really there's so many things when you just say culture.

[00:17:27] You know, it's like, yeah, even within a sport team, you know, the culture of an NFL team is so dependent upon the head coach, the staff, the people, the owner.

[00:17:38] You know, some people just don't like how, you know, the pro pro football, baseball, you know, all of those different clubs or all those different organizations in sports.

[00:17:50] They're all in the same industry, but their cultures.

[00:17:53] Yes.

[00:17:54] Are not going to be the same.

[00:17:56] Yes.

[00:17:56] So in fact, there are organizations that have a culture for winning.

[00:18:03] Now, when I say winning, I don't care whether it's sports or whatever, always succeeding a culture for doing whatever is necessary to succeed.

[00:18:14] And there are organizations who have a culture for just get the work done.

[00:18:21] Yep.

[00:18:23] So why don't more people know really how to address their culture?

[00:18:30] The reason is because they can't see it as a cultural issue.

[00:18:37] Again, with Kim, people keep asking the wrong question, David.

[00:18:42] They keep going, why does Kim keep coming in late?

[00:18:46] Did you see Kim came in late?

[00:18:48] Oh, hi, Kim.

[00:18:49] How are you?

[00:18:50] Good to see you.

[00:18:51] Glad you made it.

[00:18:52] The problem isn't Kim.

[00:18:55] Here's the question that needs to be asked.

[00:18:58] What is it about our culture that would make Kim feel comfortable enough to keep coming in late?

[00:19:08] Yeah.

[00:19:09] That's the real question.

[00:19:10] Got to fix that.

[00:19:11] Yeah.

[00:19:12] So what would you say is the number one thing people should keep in mind when they decide to address the culture and things that are happening?

[00:19:24] The number one thing I would ask them to keep in mind is unless you know what the cultural drivers are, the things that are causing the behavior I don't want, don't address the behavior.

[00:19:40] Because addressing the behavior in a situation like that means the problem will persist because the culture, even if the person changes, they will go back to old ways because the culture will beat them into recidivism.

[00:19:58] So as an example, I had a client in Cincinnati who hired me and said, we've got a problem.

[00:20:06] It was a real estate company.

[00:20:07] We've got a problem.

[00:20:08] What's your problem?

[00:20:10] We hired this many minorities this year and all of them left within 12 months.

[00:20:16] So we've got a minority problem.

[00:20:17] I said, what's your proof that it's a minority problem?

[00:20:19] Because of that, I said, let me do an assessment of your culture to see if you're right.

[00:20:23] Here's what the assessment showed.

[00:20:25] They did not have a minority problem.

[00:20:27] They had a new agent problem.

[00:20:32] Their new agent process was so flawed.

[00:20:35] What they didn't realize was even though all the minorities that they hired left, an equal number of non-minority agents that first year left also.

[00:20:49] And the culture assessment showed that.

[00:20:52] Got it.

[00:20:54] Yeah.

[00:20:55] And it's funny because how many companies do culture assessments?

[00:20:58] It's like until there's a problem, then they call you and they say, Bruce, I need some help.

[00:21:05] We're having a culture problem.

[00:21:08] It's like how do you even know when to address it?

[00:21:11] Because again, if you let the same behavior happen over and over and over again, it might take your best performer to leave and they say it's because of the culture.

[00:21:22] Well, what was wrong with the culture?

[00:21:24] Why didn't they ever say anything?

[00:21:25] Yes.

[00:21:26] So Lucy said this is excellent.

[00:21:30] She said, yes, the culture reinforces the behavior.

[00:21:33] And if the behavior is not aligned with the culture, the person will not survive there.

[00:21:38] In fact, there's something Dr. John Halger calls the doom loop.

[00:21:43] Culture drives behavior.

[00:21:46] Behavior supports culture.

[00:21:49] Yeah.

[00:21:50] And it just keeps doing this and this.

[00:21:54] So each of us individually must realize in the situation with Kim is Kim.

[00:22:02] If Kim is on a team with you and me, David, and it's the three of us, Kim's not the problem.

[00:22:07] The problem is you and me who are keeping our mouths shut in front of Kim.

[00:22:10] Yeah.

[00:22:11] Yeah.

[00:22:12] And the other part of the problem is if I am the team leader and someone comes to me and say, you need to go back there and tell Kim to stop coming in late.

[00:22:21] My answer is going to be, what was Kim's reaction when you told Kim to stop coming in late?

[00:22:26] Oh, I didn't tell her.

[00:22:27] Then why are you telling me?

[00:22:28] Why are you asking me to do for you what you will not do for yourself?

[00:22:31] Yeah.

[00:22:32] That's the kind of culture you need to create as leaders.

[00:22:35] Yeah.

[00:22:36] You go for it first.

[00:22:38] Then if you come to me with a problem, I heard somebody say this, I'm always interested in hearing about your problem as long as it is attached to a solution.

[00:22:49] Yeah.

[00:22:50] Yep.

[00:22:51] Absolutely.

[00:22:52] If you are watching live, we have the chat up on LinkedIn, YouTube.

[00:22:57] So definitely ask your questions if you are thinking of them because I'm sure other people are as well.

[00:23:03] We do have a question from Lucy who is bringing up, can you change an organizational culture that has been in place for 10 plus years?

[00:23:11] Yes.

[00:23:12] One of my clients in Cincinnati has had the same culture for 27 years.

[00:23:17] We just changed it.

[00:23:19] It doesn't matter how long.

[00:23:21] What matters most is I've got to assess it neutrally.

[00:23:26] Yeah.

[00:23:26] In fact, most organizations already have the data available to assess the culture.

[00:23:34] They just don't read it as an assessment of the culture.

[00:23:37] So the answer to your question, Lucy, is it doesn't matter how long.

[00:23:42] The answer is yes.

[00:23:43] Yeah.

[00:23:45] And I think it goes along with what we do as a business because we have clients that have been with the same company for payroll HR for a long time.

[00:23:53] And they finally make the decision to change and come work with us as we can transition them into a different technology that they will use.

[00:24:03] But it's kind of like when you give them the tips and tools and all the ways to get their culture better in a better place, they still have to implement it.

[00:24:11] They still have to do it.

[00:24:13] You can't be the one there hand holding them.

[00:24:15] So and that was the next question that Lucy brought up was, you know, how.

[00:24:22] So it probably varies by every organization that you work with.

[00:24:26] But, you know, from doing the assessment and figuring out what the true cause and what the true issues are, you know, is is there.

[00:24:38] She said this requires a large amount of executive support.

[00:24:42] Absolutely.

[00:24:43] OK.

[00:24:43] Now.

[00:24:44] Now, my recommendation to each of you, no matter where you are in the organization, there's a step that has to happen before anyone brings up a cultural assessment.

[00:24:55] And that is this.

[00:24:57] You must first be able to document that it is, in fact, a cultural driver that's causing this undesired behavior.

[00:25:07] If you can't prove that nobody in your organization is going to listen to you.

[00:25:13] Yeah.

[00:25:13] OK.

[00:25:14] Now, somebody's sitting there thinking, well, great.

[00:25:15] Well, how do I do that?

[00:25:17] Here's what I recommend to you.

[00:25:19] Start asking this one question.

[00:25:22] What is it about our culture that makes so and so feel comfortable enough to do that over and over?

[00:25:30] If you start looking for that, you will be able to find the something.

[00:25:36] For example.

[00:25:38] Kim coming in late.

[00:25:40] Is because nobody is addressing Kim when Kim comes in late.

[00:25:44] The fix is simple.

[00:25:46] Just start speaking up from an organizational standpoint.

[00:25:50] You first have to be able to show.

[00:25:54] This is happening because our culture rewards it in this way.

[00:25:59] Only then will you get executives to go, huh?

[00:26:02] You got my attention.

[00:26:03] Now, here's the next step.

[00:26:05] You must be able to identify what is being lost because of that behavior.

[00:26:11] For example, two people that we didn't want to leave left because they got sick and tired or working hard while Kim was coming in late.

[00:26:18] Yep.

[00:26:18] You see my point.

[00:26:21] Well, I'm sure now you've seen over the last couple of years, you know, everybody working remote, going back to the office.

[00:26:28] It's still a question that people ask.

[00:26:30] You know, it's like, oh, do you offer work from home?

[00:26:34] Flexible schedules?

[00:26:35] Are you hybrid?

[00:26:35] Are you in the office every day, five days a week?

[00:26:40] And so what I have found and I was at a roundtable last week, we were talking about this.

[00:26:44] And they said, you know, we are giving people the chance to work from home part of the week because we also have a lot of people that don't want to work with each other.

[00:26:55] And I was like, oh, wow.

[00:26:57] So this person is basically saying that they have to be in the office two days a week.

[00:27:02] And the rest of the time they can be home, but they can come in the office.

[00:27:04] So it's kind of like, OK, if you don't all work together well, we'll make you work together for two days in person.

[00:27:11] And then the rest of the week you can work from home and hopefully get your job done, hopefully not distract each other from complaining about each other on whatever teams, whatever.

[00:27:22] So it's kind of like I was thinking to myself, like this company has more of a like culture problem.

[00:27:28] They have a problem that they really don't even know.

[00:27:29] And they're just kind of putting a bandaid on it.

[00:27:31] Exactly.

[00:27:32] We'll just let you work two days a week in the office.

[00:27:34] We'll put a bandaid on the rest of the week.

[00:27:36] Yep.

[00:27:37] So are you finding that?

[00:27:39] Are you telling people like really figure out what the bandaid is going to be for like working?

[00:27:44] What's the schedule in the office, at home?

[00:27:47] You know, because they're working from home every day.

[00:27:51] Yeah.

[00:27:51] And here's the thing.

[00:27:54] If, in fact, people are remote any period of time, they are given the freedom to not learn how to work with people different than they.

[00:28:07] Yeah.

[00:28:08] And that's a problem.

[00:28:10] Because when they're in the office, all they're thinking about is, goodness gracious, I can't wait until tomorrow comes because I don't have to talk to you.

[00:28:21] Here's another question.

[00:28:22] She said, is the cited example, how long did it take to change the culture of 20 plus years?

[00:28:33] All told, eight months.

[00:28:36] Okay.

[00:28:39] Okay.

[00:28:39] But you got to understand, four of those months was nailing exactly what the cultural drivers were and then presenting to them.

[00:28:51] Ah, because here's what the culture said.

[00:28:54] The culture, the assessment said this.

[00:28:58] Here's where the organization believes they are in all of this criteria.

[00:29:04] Yeah.

[00:29:05] Here's where they really are.

[00:29:06] Yeah.

[00:29:07] And here's what needs to happen to get to the place.

[00:29:11] But understand, I went into it because executives asked me, what do we need to do to get here?

[00:29:20] That's our goal.

[00:29:21] And I said, first thing we do a cultural assessment.

[00:29:24] Yeah.

[00:29:24] And that organization applied it.

[00:29:26] So what happened for them to finally call you?

[00:29:29] Was it?

[00:29:32] Two locations were performing so poorly, people were yelling and screaming at each other.

[00:29:43] And they started to identify a commonality between the two groups that were yelling and screaming at each other.

[00:29:52] It was just two unique groups of people yelling and screaming at each other.

[00:29:56] And the reason they were yelling and screaming at each other, people thought was because of their differences.

[00:30:02] The assessment showed it's because of the culture you're forcing them to work in.

[00:30:08] You're expecting them to get along.

[00:30:09] And they don't get along because they don't spend enough time together to practice getting along.

[00:30:17] And that's what I'm thinking a lot of people that are still having teams work from home.

[00:30:21] If they have the opportunity to work in the office.

[00:30:26] And it's obviously what a lot of people have.

[00:30:30] I think the last study I saw, it was about 10% of people are still working fully remote.

[00:30:37] You know, so you do have 90% of people either fully working in an office face to face or some kind of hybrid flex schedule.

[00:30:46] You know, and it's just a matter of what's going to work for that company.

[00:30:49] But if there's a band-aid because of people not working together well and really helping, you know, fuel that problem more and more, it's just going to become more of a problem.

[00:31:00] Especially when you have younger folks coming into the workplace that don't even want to work in an office.

[00:31:05] So that's going to be a whole other challenge, right?

[00:31:07] In fact, David, if they're not getting along well in person, I guarantee you they're not getting along well electronically either.

[00:31:17] Why?

[00:31:17] Because the electronic part, they only have to sit there from this time to this time so I can pretend.

[00:31:24] And then when I'm done, I go back to being me.

[00:31:27] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:31:29] So you've been able to help companies with culture problems for 20 plus years, right?

[00:31:35] Yeah.

[00:31:36] You know, why for some organizations, if they just try to get rid of the bad apples, the toxic people,

[00:31:46] are you saying that that works?

[00:31:49] Does that fix everything or what?

[00:31:51] No, it makes it worse.

[00:31:52] Here's why.

[00:31:53] Here's a bad apple, 20 people that the bad apple works with.

[00:31:57] We got rid of the bad apple.

[00:31:58] We think everything's going to be great.

[00:32:00] The environment that the bad apple was in, all the culture that drove them feeling comfortable doing it is still there.

[00:32:09] Someone will rise up to be the new bad apple.

[00:32:13] Yeah.

[00:32:13] That's just basic evolution.

[00:32:18] Yeah.

[00:32:18] If you don't fix the culture, you will always have a bad apple problem.

[00:32:24] And there's probably some kind of equivalent to bad apples equals whatever kind of culture, right?

[00:32:29] It's like if you have 100 people and you have one bad apple, that's pretty good culture.

[00:32:33] No, it's not.

[00:32:34] Because the seeds for growing the bad apple are still there.

[00:32:39] And you know what's interesting, David?

[00:32:41] If you take a gallon of water, all you have to do is put one drop of oil in it and it's no good anymore.

[00:32:52] It's true.

[00:32:54] So when you go through that assessment, working with a company for six months to a year,

[00:33:02] how many times do they evaluate or reevaluate their core values and making shifts to what they truly believe in?

[00:33:14] Or is it really just reinforcing what they already have?

[00:33:17] You know what I mean?

[00:33:18] Do they change a whole lot about the company, their mission statement, their values, their vision?

[00:33:23] Or is it really just we need to reinforce what we've already put together?

[00:33:27] You see, if in fact they were living their values, they wouldn't have to hire me.

[00:33:35] Yeah.

[00:33:36] It is about 80% of the time part of the issue.

[00:33:40] The way leaders behave drives the way other people behave.

[00:33:47] And unfortunately, there are leaders who are physically present, but emotionally and psychologically and intellectually absent.

[00:34:01] Meaning they just show up and manage rather than lead.

[00:34:05] Because the leaders, here's what the leaders don't do.

[00:34:10] Leaders don't keep telling people, handle the problem, handle the problem.

[00:34:15] And leaders don't jump in and fix the problem.

[00:34:18] Leaders grow the people who report to them so that they feel empowered to deal with the issues themselves effectively.

[00:34:33] It's quite something.

[00:34:34] I tell you, it's an ever-evolving, ever-needed thing that you do because some companies just don't want to even make a change.

[00:34:45] They just want to complain about it.

[00:34:47] You know, it really takes the effort on the company's side.

[00:34:51] You can give them all you've got, all your tools, you know.

[00:34:56] So I guess whether somebody's evaluated their culture, they feel like their culture is great.

[00:35:01] They put on all the job posts they put out there for jobs that are open.

[00:35:08] Great culture, great place to work.

[00:35:11] You know, if they haven't really evaluated it yet or recently, you know, is there, you know, something that you would suggest that they focus on?

[00:35:22] I mean, we're getting into the end of the year.

[00:35:24] Fourth quarter is really a lot of just finishing up the year, you know.

[00:35:30] So even just trying to focus on culture for a company might be something they try to do early next year.

[00:35:37] Obviously, at the end of this, we'll give everybody information to contact you, your special offer with Speakeasy HR.

[00:35:44] But, you know, what couple simple tips and advice would you give somebody that's trying to really make a change?

[00:35:51] I would not only focus on what needs to be fixed.

[00:35:56] That's only half the equation.

[00:35:59] Too few companies focus on why is what's working, working.

[00:36:06] If I don't know why what's working is working, I might jump in and change it as part of change and not even realize it.

[00:36:14] That is just as important as finding out what's broken.

[00:36:18] Because if it's working, don't mess with it.

[00:36:21] Yeah.

[00:36:22] Yeah.

[00:36:23] And you call it a SWOT analysis, wherever you want to do.

[00:36:26] Yep.

[00:36:27] Identifying what's working, what your strengths are and your weaknesses.

[00:36:32] Obviously, you've got competition.

[00:36:34] You've got threats of people leaving your organization.

[00:36:39] If you have a service offered and customers are leaving, well, why are they leaving?

[00:36:45] Yep.

[00:36:45] So you've got opportunities.

[00:36:47] If a culture assessment or improving the culture is an opportunity, obviously they want to contact you and figure out really what you can do.

[00:36:56] And you can offer services beyond where you are local into the Las Vegas area, right?

[00:37:04] Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

[00:37:05] 80% of my work is global.

[00:37:09] Yeah.

[00:37:10] Good.

[00:37:10] Good.

[00:37:10] I've got, without me having to physically go there.

[00:37:13] Good.

[00:37:14] So if people are watching or listening, you don't have to be in Vegas to work with Bruce.

[00:37:18] He can help you.

[00:37:19] If you're in Cincinnati, Florida, California, wherever.

[00:37:23] So Lucy's love this webinar.

[00:37:26] Thank you, Lucy, for all the comments and the questions.

[00:37:29] If anybody else watching live has a question for Bruce, please chime in.

[00:37:35] I think everything's working on the comments section.

[00:37:38] So if you are watching, I'm going to pull this up, Bruce.

[00:37:43] This is your Speakeasy HR special.

[00:37:46] Yep.

[00:37:47] So if Lucy watching, scan that QR code.

[00:37:51] And what is that going to give them, Bruce, when they scan that?

[00:37:54] For the first 10 people who scan it, that will take you to my personal calendar.

[00:38:00] You will be able to schedule a free half hour with me on any topic you would like.

[00:38:07] Now, this has a deadline.

[00:38:09] 5 p.m. Pacific time on November 22nd is when the link will no longer be live.

[00:38:15] Okay.

[00:38:17] That's awesome.

[00:38:19] Lucy has one more question.

[00:38:20] Have you ever been brought in because of excessive amount of lawsuits by employees?

[00:38:31] I'm not sure how to define excessive amount, but I would offer that the number of complaints

[00:38:39] are not an indication necessarily of things wrong in the company.

[00:38:47] Sometimes it's an indication of people's expectations not being met after they accepted the job.

[00:38:56] So it's hard to say.

[00:38:58] Have I been brought in when there was a whole lot of information in terms of a Pulse survey

[00:39:04] the organization did that was negative?

[00:39:06] Yes.

[00:39:07] And what we try to understand is, by the way, just so you know, a lot of that I have found

[00:39:14] 75% of the time, it's because of the way they asked the questions.

[00:39:20] Yeah.

[00:39:22] Very good point.

[00:39:24] Very good point.

[00:39:25] So I've got the QR code back up for people who are watching for the 30-minute schedule for

[00:39:33] Bruce to talk to him.

[00:39:35] His website, Trinity Advanced Leadership, you can find that with the QR code, but it is TrinLead.

[00:39:43] TrinLead.com.

[00:39:45] TrinLead.com.

[00:39:47] And if you have liked this show, I've got a survey as well to offer.

[00:39:54] Want to get your feedback.

[00:39:55] If you scan that QR code on the screen, you email me, I'm going to send you a 10 things

[00:40:02] to think about when evaluating HR and payroll platforms.

[00:40:04] I wish I had this list 10 years ago because it's got a lot of good information that you

[00:40:10] might not even think about asking or questioning who you are with currently.

[00:40:14] So make sure to scan that, send me your information, and I will connect you and get that 10 things

[00:40:21] to think about when evaluating platforms.

[00:40:26] So Lucy had just clarified, I mean, legal litigation, not complaints.

[00:40:33] Yeah.

[00:40:33] Gotcha.

[00:40:34] Understood.

[00:40:34] That may take advantage of the free 30 minutes, Lucy, and let's talk.

[00:40:39] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:40:41] So again, there will be time for everyone to get on that.

[00:40:45] But if you have any questions for Bruce, if you are watching live, obviously connect with

[00:40:52] him on LinkedIn.

[00:40:53] He's a great follow on LinkedIn.

[00:40:55] He always posts some great short videos that make you think, huh, sounds like something

[00:41:00] I've got to focus on.

[00:41:02] So Bruce, I really appreciate your time.

[00:41:04] This has been a great conversation.

[00:41:07] And I really hope people take advantage of what you have to offer them because I've worked

[00:41:12] with you in the past.

[00:41:13] Not recently on culture because it's obviously right now something that I don't have a problem

[00:41:20] with.

[00:41:21] But you never know.

[00:41:22] There might be people out there that might need your help on the culture side, and I'm

[00:41:25] sure there are.

[00:41:26] So thanks for your time.

[00:41:29] It's been great to come with you again.

[00:41:32] And if you know, again, there's probably more topics that we can bring you on and and get

[00:41:39] into a little bit.

[00:41:39] So can't wait for, you know, the end of the year to come and get ready for next year.

[00:41:45] So I'm sure there will be a whole lot going on.

[00:41:48] We have episodes coming up over the next several Mondays from a really good one next Monday.

[00:41:57] Jennifer McClure, CEO of Disrupt HR and Unbridled Talent, local to Cincinnati, great in great

[00:42:03] HR influencer.

[00:42:05] So really good episode coming up next Monday.

[00:42:08] Again, Bruce, great to have you.

[00:42:11] I wish you all the best and we'll keep in touch.

[00:42:14] And if I'm planning the trip out west, we can talk and figure out where to go down in your neck.

[00:42:20] Better contact me.

[00:42:22] For sure.

[00:42:24] All right, everybody.

[00:42:25] Thanks for watching.

[00:42:26] We'll tune in hopefully next week and we'll do this again.

[00:42:30] So have a great day, everybody.

[00:42:31] And I'll talk to you soon.

[00:42:32] Take care, folks.