Only 1 Voice

People always wonder, how do you know your culture is good? How can you tell without looking at the scoreboard? It’s never easy, especially when no there are no results to measure. At the beginning of any new culture—good or bad, everyone is unilaterally optimistic so there are few transparent problems. Yet there are some indicators, the first being does everyone clearly understand their roles in the organization? Does everyone stay in their defined lanes? And most importantly, who is communicating the foundational tangents of the culture?

Chris Spielman, the former Lions linebacker, was hired last January before the general manager and new head coach came on board. When the Lions announced his hiring, they described his role: “Chris Spielman has joined the organization as Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO. In his new full-time role, Spielman will report directly to President & CEO Rod Wood and participate in interviews for the team's general manager and head coach search.” Spielman was going to be an ambassador for the Lions, help the CEO understand the game. Nowhere in the job description or in his duties does it mention coaching players. To the novice fan, since Spielman is a former linebacker, why wouldn’t he use his expertise to help a young player? It’s only natural, right? Who wouldn’t want advice from an experienced person? How by helping players could he hurt the establishment of the culture?

Because building a culture is all about consistent messaging. It’s about one message with no gray areas. Gray areas add doubt, they enable factions to become established which then build momentum — especially after losing.

Had Spielman played for the current coach, or the current defensive staff, then his coaching would be in alignment. But because Spielman is telling the player how he views the game, from his time in the NFL, perhaps not how the defensive coordinator wants to play, or the linebacker coach has instructed. His good-natured help can only create problems with messaging.

As leaders, we want everyone’s help and involvement. But we only need one message, and we need to pick the right people with the same understanding of the agenda to talk to those we lead. Less is always more when establishing a culture—especially less voices. As the culture develops those who help secure its foundation can become ambassadors of the program—but not before.

What looks like a great idea, or an innocent gesture can create more problems if unaligned? Small pockets of unalignment will continue to grow—and before long, the culture that was intended will fall apart.

Make sure you know who is talking to those you lead — it’s not being power-hungry, it’s being culture hungry.