Colin D. Ellis's Blog, page 5

Just one…

People are always asking me for recommendations, from books to podcasts to newsletters, to whisky! I don’t want to overwhelm you with a huge list, so if you’re interested in learning more about culture or looking for something a little different, here’s just one suggestion in different categories:

Just one…book:

The Long Win by Cath Bishop (buy it here)

Just one…newsletter:

Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat from Bruce Daisley (sign up here)

Just one…podcast:

Dig Deeper from Digby Scott (listen and subscribe here)

Just one…person to follow on Instagram:

Gary Vaynerchuk (follow here)

Just one…YouTube video to watch:

What is Empathy? By Brene Brown (watch here)

Just one…TedTalk to watch:

Life Lessons from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 by Benjamin Zander (watch it here)

Just one…workshop playlist:

Songs from the 80s and 90s (listen here)

Just one…Cornetto:

Classico, obviously (watch the classic advert here)

Just one…TV show about office culture:

The Office (UK) (watch the best bits and waste 90 minutes here)

Just one…Pub to visit in Liverpool:

Ye Hole in Ye Wall (find out about it here)

Just one…Smiths album to listen to:

Strangeways Here We Come (listen here)

OK, fine. Just one…whisky:

Machir Bay from Kilchoman (find it here)

And for the others that ask for links to my own work, they can be found below!

Books

Newsletter

Podcast

Instagram

YouTube

(I haven’t been invited to do a TedTalk…yet!)

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Rejecting cynicism

One thing that experience has taught me is that it is very easy to be cynical.

Rolling your eyes or trading private messages at the latest corporate nonsense or political shambles feels easy to do. Cynicism is like a warm, familiar jumper, comforting, protective, and requiring absolutely zero effort. You can sit there smugly, knowing you called it right when things inevitably go pear-shaped.

Y2K, Six Sigma, TQM, ERP, Big Data, Lean, Agile…it was very easy to be cynical about all of these!

And I was this person many times during my early employment, using phrases such as:

'Here we go again'

'I told you so'

'This will never work'

'We’ll never be able to do that'

'They do a steady trade in wishful thinking this lot'

'Another white elephant'

'Tried it. Failed. Next…'

But the thing I've learned after almost forty years of work; curiosity and open-mindedness beat cynicism every single time. 

When you replace 'Oh, here we go again' with 'I wonder why they're doing it that way?', something different happens. Suddenly that new policy becomes a puzzle worth solving rather than ammunition for your next rant. The project that's gone sideways becomes a learning opportunity rather than just another reason to despair into your third coffee of the morning. The new technology that’s being extolled as ‘game changing’ becomes something to learn about, not something to be ignored.

I've seen this cultural transformation happen countless times in organisations across the globe. Teams that were stuck in cycles of complaint and blame suddenly start asking better questions. Instead of ‘Why is senior management so useless?’ they begin wondering ‘What pressures are they facing that we don't see?’

The shift is subtle but profound and at its core is agency; the sense that you have the power to think and act differently in order to produce different results.

Curiosity doesn't make you naive, it’s quite the opposite, actually. When you're genuinely interested in understanding rather than just being right, people start talking to you differently. They share information they wouldn't normally reveal. They share their real concerns with you rather than feeding you corporate speak. You become someone who solves problems rather than someone who just identifies them.

This is not about ‘playing the politics game’ or ‘sucking up’ (that’s cynicism speaking), it's reframing in order to generate trust.

Curiosity also builds better relationships. When you're genuinely interested in understanding someone's point of view - even when you disagree with it - they feel heard. And people who feel heard are far more likely to collaborate, compromise, and come up with creative solutions together.

And honestly, curious people enjoy their days more. When you approach your day wondering what you might discover, even the mundane becomes interesting.

Don't get me wrong, the world still serves up plenty of reasons to be cynical. Politics remains a circus, some organisations are genuinely dysfunctional, and yes, people can be frustrating. But cynicism is lazy thinking disguised as wisdom.

Curiosity takes more effort, but it feeds you in ways that last. It opens doors, creates connections, and transforms problems into possibilities. The world's still a bit mad (this hasn’t changed in my 55 years!), but it's also endlessly interesting.

So next time you feel that familiar cynical sneer creeping in, try asking a question instead. Your future self will thank you for it.

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Persistence and luck

The author Charles Bukowski once wrote, ‘People who solved things had lots of persistence and some good luck. If you persisted long enough, the good luck usually came. However, most people couldn’t wait on the luck, so they quit.’

You’ll have heard variations of this phrase e.g. ‘the harder you work, the luckier you are’, ‘the 15-year overnight success story’ and so on. Yet, the point being made is a good one.

If you have a good idea or a way of working that you think could benefit others, then it pays to persist. Keep evolving the idea, make it easy to copy or share and one day - when you least expect it - the ‘luck’ will come your way.

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Making the bed

Every weekday morning, I make the bed. I straighten the sheets, pull the quilt up, plump the pillows and then step back to check that it looks like the kind of place that I would like to get into later on (it always does!)

Making the bed is a simple ritual that I employ to signify that rest is over and it’s time to go to work.

Our lives are full of rituals, procedures, quirks, call them what you will. Often, like with my bed-making, they are symbolic, often they’re not, they’re just things that happen.

Yet rituals matter far more than we might realise. These seemingly simple behaviours help us to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience and control.

Research on rituals shows that they genuinely work. Rituals performed after experiencing losses alleviate grief, and rituals performed before high-pressure tasks (like performing in public) do in fact reduce anxiety and increase people's confidence. What's more, rituals appear to benefit even people who claim not to believe that rituals work!

What's even more remarkable is that rituals don't need to be elaborate or traditional to be effective. According to research by Michael Norton from Harvard, participants who performed completely made-up rituals - like drawing a picture of their feelings, sprinkling salt on it, tearing it up, and counting to ten five times - still experienced reduced grief and increased feelings of control!

Norton and his colleagues even found that people who performed simple rituals before eating chocolate - like breaking it in half without removing the wrapper, unwrapping only half, eating it, then unwrapping the other half - reported the chocolate as more enjoyable and flavourful than those who simply ate it without ceremony.

Rituals help us often generate the emotion that we're looking for in that moment or in that context. That's why we use rituals for motivation. When I work with teams (not just sports) it’s an exercise we undertake to determine what we’ll do, how we’ll do it and why it’s important. The rituals extend from getting teams ready for performance or to celebrate success (of an individual or team). My favourite baseball team the Los Angeles Dodgers have a lot! Here’s a great demonstration of them and what they mean.

So when I make my bed each morning, I'm not just tidying up the sheets, I now know that I’m engaging in a practice backed by decades of research. That simple act of straightening sheets and plumping pillows is helping me transition from rest to work, giving me a sense of control over my day, and creating a moment of mindful attention that transforms an ordinary task into something meaningful.

What are your rituals and how do they help you prepare for your working day?

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Convincing the inconvincible

You may have never come across the backfire effect before, but there is a good chance that you will have been unwittingly frustrated by it!

The backfire effect occurs when people strengthen their beliefs in response to contradictory evidence, making it a significant challenge for changing minds and therefore anything culture-related. It’s something I frequently come across in my own work.

Despite being able to produce countless case studies and recent research that clearly demonstrates the link between active culture building, safety and high-performance, I frequently find that rather than this pulling boundaries down, they grow in height as people become entrenched in their position. 

Often insisting that rather than giving people agency, the best thing to do is to simply tell them repeatedly (often in ways that feel like bullying) that they should simply ‘suck it up’ and get on with it. This…is how to build great culture. Hmm.

We see it in all walks of life, not just business, but politics, life and family arguments too! A couple of popular examples that you might be familiar with include the ‘faked’ moon landings (pictures of actual craft on the moon, here) and flat earthers (picture of the actual earth, here). 

However, if this is something that you face in work, then it can be deeply frustrating, especially when managing upwards.

Some of the most common culture-related ones that I hear from leaders are as follows:

Demonstrating that more people are required to complete the expected work, yet the response is to ‘do more with less’

Demonstrating the inaccuracies in data, yet the response is that there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s the interpretation that’s inaccurate

Demonstrating how a behaviour undermines safety or culture, yet being told that that’s who they are and ‘you’ need to toughen up

Demonstrating the inaccuracy of communication, yet being told that it’s the way that you are reading it

Demonstrating that technology will never add the expected value but being told that the investment has been made and it’s up to you to ‘make it work’

A person strengthening their position or beliefs in response to evidence is a cognitive bias known as the backfire effect (or belief perseverance). In the face of the backfire effect, there are some strategies that you can employ to overcome it:

Build rapport first. People are more receptive to challenging information when they feel respected and understood. Start by acknowledging legitimate concerns and finding common ground before introducing conflicting evidence.

Use the "truth sandwich" approach. Lead with the accurate information, briefly mention the misconception, then reinforce the truth. This prevents the false belief from being mentally rehearsed and strengthened.

Focus on values alignment rather than facts alone. Frame new information in terms of the organisation's existing values. For example, if the organisation values financial responsibility, emphasise how a policy saves money rather than leading with other benefits that they might reject.

Use trusted messengers. Information is more readily accepted when it comes from sources the person already respects e.g. peers, or experts they admire. I am frequently employed by HR leaders to deliver messages to CEOs that they themselves have already delivered!

Present information gradually and allow processing time. Overwhelming someone with contradictory evidence often triggers stronger backfire effects. Instead, introduce small pieces of information over time and give people space to reconcile them with existing beliefs.

Address emotional needs behind beliefs. Many strongly-held beliefs serve psychological functions like providing certainty, group belonging, or meaning. Acknowledge these needs whilst offering alternative ways to meet them.

Make the invisible visible. Help people recognise their own reasoning processes by asking questions like "What would change your mind about this?" or "What evidence would you find convincing?" Of course, this doesn’t always work, but it will encourage increased cognitive awareness or else confirm whether you’re wasting your time or not!

It’s not always possible to counter the backfire effect, as there are some people that simply don’t want to hear the message you’re delivering, regardless of how accurate it is. However, by utilising one or more of these strategies you will feel assured that you gave it your best (moon) shot.

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Culture Speak - Part One (video)

Many managers that I speak to want to further their education of workplace culture, but feel overwhelmed by the information shared in 30-60 podcasts or else are unclear of the actions they can take once they have listened.

I developed the ‘Colin on Culture’ podcast and video series to be the antithesis of this. 10-15 minutes of research backed insights and practical actions that anyone can take to improve their knowledge or daily working conditions.

Today sees the start of a new 7-part series on the importance of developing a common language around culture. In this fortnightly series you will learn the following:

Why a common language is important

The three factors that guarantee lasting culture change

The two day-to-day observable characteristics of culture

The five types of culture and their characteristics

How to spot the kind of culture that you have at any given time

How to use this information to build a vibrant culture

How to address the factors that generate toxicity

The steps you can take to positively evolve your culture

It is available as a video series on YouTube (below) or as a podcast at the following links:

Spotify Podcasts: Click here

Apple Podcasts: Click here

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How to avoid difficult conversations

One of the biggest challenges (and opportunities) facing organisations today is middle managers who don’t have the skills to build vibrant, safe team cultures or else inspire and motivate the people that report to them.

As I’ve mentioned before, little of this blame can be laid at the doors of these managers. According to research, only 3% of people leaders say that they have been provided with the skills needed to do the job effectively.

It’s a statistic that doesn’t surprise me, as almost 20 years ago I was in exactly the same boat. As a new project manager, I was expected to do the following:

Build relationships and trust with people of different personalities and backgrounds

Ensure that they all stayed motivated to deliver

Build a great team

Communicate effectively with stakeholders

Ensure that tasks were completed on time

Make timely decisions

Deal with issues swiftly so that progress stayed on track

Manage upwards

To meet these expectations I was provided with the following training:

PRINCE2 project management methodology (which was good but didn’t really give me the skills I needed!)

In the absence of any training I observed and made notes about the actions of other managers, both good and bad. I developed an approach that worked and built on it over the years. However, one skill still eluded me, the art of having difficult conversations.

My personality was one of ‘we agree what needs to be done and I let you get on with it’. Which worked just fine, until the work didn’t get done. At that point a difficult conversation was required and - frankly - I just didn’t want to do it! In fact, some days I would literally go out of my way to avoid people, and therefore the conversations required.

Of course, I would ‘blame’ the other person for not completing the task as we’d agreed, and yet often I would hear the same thing, ‘that wasn’t my understanding’.

My boss kept telling me that the conversations needed to be had and that I just ‘had to read them the riot act’ or else ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Well meaning advice that never addressed the root cause. 

Then one day everything changed. I realised - having had another uncomfortable conversation - that the person sat opposite me was absolutely correct in what they’d said. They told me that ‘I hadn’t been clear enough in my expectations of them’. I resolved to change this and wrote down the steps necessary to do so in the future. They were as follows:

Get clear - in my own head first - the work that is required to be done, to what level of quality and by when. Ensure that the context and priorities are clear

Think about the person that I’m talking to. How do they like to receive information? How can I be as clear as possible with them about what needs to be done?

Ensure that there is an opportunity for a discussion. Responsibility can only be taken if the other person feels that they have had their say and/or the opportunity to get the clarity they need

Make sure that you repeat the expectation back to them and that it’s confirmed in case of any future issues

From that point forward, I followed my own process and only very rarely did I have any issues. I’d come up with a formula for avoiding difficult conversations! When issues did arise (not everything goes to plan!) I was able to refer back to the agreement that we’d made and the clear expectations that had been set and reset the expectation from there.

Once I started working for myself I included the process - now given the acronym ACDC! - in my middle management training (and this book) and found that when I asked for feedback following the sessions, it is always one of the most impactful modules.

No manager that I’ve met enjoys having to have difficult conversations, however, when they are provided with the skills to set expectations in a way that all employees appreciate not only is conflict reduced, but performance improves too.

And that is a conversation managers will always enjoy having!

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Culture metaphors

Most organisations still make culture too hard to understand and if something is hard to understand, then it’s hard to put into practice.

When helping people to decode culture I find that metaphors are invaluable. Metaphors make a connection between everyday life and (potentially) complex concepts.

So here are some simple culture metaphors you can steal:

Purpose is like a beating heart, it’s the reason we exist

Vision is like a north star showing us the way and guiding our decisions

Mission is like a menu of things we do

Values are like fingerprints, they are unique to us and show up everywhere

Behaviours are like costumes, we get to choose how we ‘look’ everyday

Collaboration is like bees working together to make honey

Innovation is like planting seeds in a garden - some flower beautifully whilst others die

Technology is like a Swiss Army knife where the skill lies in knowing which tool to use and when

Feedback is like looking at yourself in the mirror, you might not notice things that are obvious

Courageous conversations are like crossing a bridge over choppy waters. You have to leave the safety behind without knowing what lies on the other side

Prioritisation is like packing for a trip. You only have limited space so you need to think carefully about what’s most important

I’d love to hear what metaphors you use!

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What if you had to re-recruit your best people?

I was talking to a People and Culture leader last year who admitted that they were struggling to recruit ‘a star’. Of course, stars (who usually make up only about 5% of the workforce) are extremely difficult to find, especially if you’re overwhelmed with applicants, as this organisation was.

My advice was to think a little differently. Rather than listing the responsibilities of the role and asking for people to demonstrate when they had fulfilled them, I got them to undertake an exercise to list the attributes of their best staff, starting with their emotional skills.

When I sat down with the leader to list the top seven attributes of their best staff, they were as follows:

Approachable

Empathetic

Collaborative

Honest

Disciplined

Kind; and

Courageous

Of course, that’s not to say that anyone with these attributes can immediately fulfil the role they were looking to fill, some technical skills are always important for this. However, it was these specific attributes that they were looking for, only one of which (Kind) had previously featured on their role description.

I followed up with them earlier this year to find out how they’d got on. Whilst, as before, they’d been overwhelmed with applicants, they’d managed to find two people who were able to actively demonstrate these attributes. Neither of them had held a similar role before, but were already shaping up to be hugely successful additions to the team.

The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report indicates that emotional intelligence is one of the top 10 skills to recruit for, yet in the rush to bring people onboard it is frequently overlooked. This despite the fact that 71% of employers say that they value emotional intelligence more than technical skills when evaluating candidates!

So, if you’re struggling to find the ‘right’ people for your team, it might be worth asking yourself, ‘If I had to re-recruit my best people, what attributes would I look for?’ and recruit for those instead.

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Committed to the values and culture

Amidst the social and traditional media pile-on to the Coldplay kiss-cam video, it was the statement issued by the company at the heart of the ‘scandal’, Astronomer, that stood out for me.

Responding to media requests for a comment, they said, ‘Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.’

Astronomer are not the first organisation to immediately distance themselves from an executive who has brought unwanted media scrutiny to their business. They are also not the first to make the link between leadership behaviour and culture.

That really started with Brian Dunn of Best Buy in 2012. Although not specifically stating ‘culture’ or ‘values’ - these concepts were relatively new in 2012 - the board  indicated that Mr Dunn’s behaviour was the issue, stating instead (cryptically) ‘There were no disagreements between Mr. Dunn and the company on any matter relating to operations, financial controls, policies or procedures.’

This was the way things happened up to 2012. Boards generally turned a blind eye to ‘indiscretions’ - be it interpersonal relationships, poor behaviour or anything else that could bring unwanted scrutiny to the organisation - unless, of course, results were poor or the scrutiny affected its reputation or share price.

From 2012 onwards our view of workplace culture and values started to change and forward-thinking boards started taking a more active role in safeguarding the culture and therefore, the reputation of the organisation.

By 2018 leaders were expected to demonstrate culture, values and behaviours not just talk about it.

This was something that the following senior leaders all fell foul of.

Lululemon Athletica CEO Laurent Potdevin lost his job in 2018. The board released a statement saying, ‘Culture is at the core of Lululemon, and it is the responsibility of leaders to set the right tone in our organization. Protecting the organization's culture is one of the Board's most important duties.’

2018 also saw the resignation of Intel CEO Brian Krzanich who had stated in his final letter in the annual report, ‘Intel will continue to operate responsibly and with the integrity and transparency that has defined our culture.’ 

However, not long after, an internal investigation found he had a relationship with an employee, leading to his resignation. In a letter to shareholders, the board said, ‘Given the expectation that all employees will respect Intel’s values and adhere to the company’s code of conduct, the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation.’

A final example would be that of former McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, who was fired in 2019 for a consensual relationship with an employee. A contrite Easterbrook released a statement saying, ‘Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on.’

There have been many more since.

Of course, affairs of the heart are always tricky and it’s not for us to judge the actions or behaviour of others in respect of the relationships that they decide to have.

However, the Astronomer case is just the latest example in the last 10 years that should serve as a reminder to senior leaders of how important it is to publicly and privately practice what’s preached when it comes to values and culture.

Where once they were endeavours seemingly undertaken to ‘tick a box’, now they are standards that everyone must hold themselves to in order to demonstrate their commitment to the people that they serve, regardless of whether they are at work or not.

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