Our Norwegian culture is increasingly characterized by an understanding of what is sustainable, and what is sustainable. Sustainability is about listening, trying to understand the person you are talking to. This requires us to listen attentively to each other. We need each other.
In a culture characterized by extra-role behaviour, where we contribute to good interaction, go the extra mile, stretch ourselves and make it possible for those around us to do their jobs, we contribute to each other's mastery. It's all about how we move together.
Written by
Dag W. Haugeto Stang, dag@businessmastering.no and
Rune Semundseth, rune@businessmastering.no
Culture is collective. It's about something we have in common. That's why cultural work must be handled by the community, not by advertising agencies and management groups at hotel seminars. It is a top management responsibility to work with culture, and it is also a top management responsibility to ensure that everyone is involved. Everyone should definitely be involved. Everyone has a voice, everyone wants to be heard. Yes, every single manager and employee contributes to the culture and subcultures - consciously or unconsciously - day in and day out.
The prevailing culture is the result of both conscious and unconscious actions. An inclusive and innovative culture is usually characterized by an interest in whoever "walks in the door". Greeting people is a good start! Yes, welcoming people - and new opportunities - is a good start. We are each other's source of insight, success and meaning!
Therefore, it is crucial that we, both horizontally and vertically, ask each other WHAT-WHY-WHY questions. In a culture with a high degree of extra-role behavior, employees stand up for their employer and each other beyond the expectations of their role. The focus is on seeing and supporting people around them, showing goodwill and contributing to the bigger picture. A culture with a high degree of extra-role behavior usually has the right combination of positivity and productivity! Team players in such workplaces are not only polite and compliant, they combine good role performance with good collaboration, and contribute beyond their primary role. They ask their colleagues questions such as "Is there anything I can do to make it easier to be you?", both horizontally (colleagues at the same level) and to their immediate manager. These dream colleagues also reflect on what works well and what we can and should do more of (appreciative inquiry, Cooperrider & Srivastva). They are good at asking questions and at the same time enforcing the norms and values that guide decisions and performance. Feedback is not only a managerial responsibility, it is a human responsibility!
Read also: Pros and cons of internal vs external leadership development
Consultation and listening
Extra-role behavior is not just about going the extra mile or playing nice. We believe it's also about our willingness and ability to listen. Listening is a source of better interaction and teamwork. Good questions and mirroring remove misunderstandings and the basis for assumptions. To build culture, we need to communicate effectively. To do this, it is crucial that we understand some very basic mechanisms in our own heads. Our brain is constantly looking for reassurance. Because it constantly asks the question "Am I safe", we are constantly subconsciously influenced by our own stories about what is going on around us. Our past experiences influence how we react to what we observe or hear when others try to convey a message. Our brain is constantly checking our subconscious for past messages or experiences that are similar to what we are listening to. And it looks for confirmations of whether this is true, believable, safe, comfortable or uncomfortable. We hear a message, but we respond with our own past experiences or feelings. If we are aware of this, we can do something to listen more effectively.
Good culture is built on trust and our ability to connect with each other. Don't assume you know what others want, need or like. Ask questions like: What do you need, what can I do for you? What do you think about this? This is benevolence in practice and creates trust in relationships. Trust requires openness, competence, integrity and the ability to understand that we all live in our own world, and that other people's experiences are just as relevant and true as our own. The extent to which we live in the same world is determined by our ability to share experiences and connect with each other's perspectives and stories.
How good are we at listening? How can you check that you're hearing correctly? Try repeating what you hear in the same words as you heard it. Difficult, isn't it? In a conversation, you can simply interrupt from time to time with questions like: Let me just check that I've understood you correctly, what you're saying is...? Is that right? Was it like that? And then the speaker can add more. Try to summarize what you hear for yourself. Do you know what was said? Did you catch the important words?
I hear what you're saying, we say. But have we listened? What's the difference between hearing and listening? When we say: "I hear what you're saying", we have usually only listened to our own associations from our own history about the topic or situation, or the person being addressed by the other person. If you are unable to listen to what the other person is actually trying to convey, or if you are struggling to let go of your own perspective, say instead: I would like to listen to what you are saying, hear more! What is this about? Tell me!
Make sure to put away your own tasks, focus areas or corresponding stories, turn towards the speaker, listen attentively and ask control questions and open questions that deepen your understanding of what is being said.
Talent, culture and power of being
Aristotle said the following:
"Where your talents and the world's needs intersect, there lies your calling."
Translated to the world of work, we can say that where your talents match the needs of the market, that's where you'll find your role (your tasks).
Taking responsibility for your own skills development is about getting better at something you know, or learning something new. Ownership and increased job satisfaction are triggered by finding out why you need to get better at something. Being better than yesterday is visionary enough in itself, and if you know why you should do something, you will always find out how (freely adapted from Simon Sinek: "Start with Why" and Friedrich Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.")
The solutions lie in active, attentive listening, in the power of being. Do you know anyone who has something or a lot going on? Those who just talk and never ask! Yes, what questions do they need to become more curious about the people around them? How can we get them to stop just telling and start asking and listening? What do you think, what can you do and how will a collective boost in listening contribute to better cultures? We're just asking! The answers can lead to a culture built on the power of being.