Leading Workplace Change™

In my last few posts, the theme has been identifying organizational culture characteristics that help to explain why some companies make it through hard economic times and others do not.  Companies who compete in a cyclical industry are a gold mine of culture best practices as their organizational DNA is built to withstand regular ups and downs.  One common cultural characteristic we find within these companies is an optimistic spirit engrained in how they operate.  This quote from a leader in a defense contractor company with over 75 years of history defines it well. 

We have been under the gun before.  We pick ourselves up again and again.  The strength of this place is the ability to sustain the peaks and valleys with a positive spirit.

We see this positive spirit emerge in employees from all levels of successful cyclical industry companies and described in a variety of ways.  It can be as simple as an employee taking pride in their work.

I feel personally successful because I keep our aging equipment operational day after day.

And for others, they will describe their organization through metaphors of resilience.

- We are like a strong heart…just keeps beating and beating.

- What we do best is ‘hunker down’ and wait…just believe we are going to make it.  The tide will turn our way again.

For a leader, there are some cautions in how to manage this cultural characteristic of optimistic spirit.  In such companies, employees relate that one of the requirements for personal success is to be upbeat in attitude and message;  if taken to an extreme,this can lead to unintended consequences where the culture makes it difficult to talk about negative or controversial topics.  Accordingly, leaders and managers need to be mindful about finding a balance between modeling and rewarding optimism while at the same time putting in mechanisms to allow critical comments to be heard.

In cultures where resilience is valued and nurtured, an optimistic spirit is a key characteristic to support a company to naturally move through hard economic times and work together to endure.

Tags: Leaders Leading, Workplace Stories //