Chemistry or Culture?

Sports fans were excited to finally have something to watch on television this past weekend as the NFL Draft provided some excitement and entertainment. An actual live event for our viewing pleasure was beautiful to watch and provided a rare glimpse of the human element behind sports franchises — as many of the leaders of organizations were able to include their families in the selection process.

When the draft ended, these leaders were asked to explain their selection process and to discuss the new additions to the team. It's human nature for some to make glowing remarks about a draft pick and even to oversell the picks to a skeptical media. It's also human nature to predict a fantastic future for each player. Everyone wants a new soundbite, everyone wants an explanation, and most of all, everyone wants to hear positive words about the potential of their latest selection.

But that's where the problem begins.

They occur in business and other industries when the new talent arrives or when quarterly earnings are announced. Leaders often oversell, saying things to help make the situation look more promising, somewhat neglecting the people already on the team. Every second of praise directed toward a new player is a subtle but noticeable attack on a current player. The messaging after an influx of new talent must be a team message, not an individual one.

When the player evaluation conversation focuses on the overall team — not specific to one player — it allows the leader to separate the culture from chemistry. Many believe culture and chemistry go hand in hand, but they don't. Teams can have a winning culture, but the chemistry between personnel can vary and not always be relatable. Chemistry is how people relate to one another. Culture is how they behave for the common good. When coaches claim “Our chemistry stinks,” what they're saying is their culture is terrible.

Most think overselling a player can only mildly impact the chemistry within the team — that it won't have a major effect on how people relate. But that’s short-sighted thinking. It often does alter the culture because someone new, someone who has never played for the team, is getting recognized above those who have.

Culture comes before chemistry, and if you're using high praise toward one player in hopes that it will motivate another, then all you're doing is hurting your culture. We use the "chemistry" word between people to trigger a specific reaction because we want to achieve a particular result or outcome; yet, all it does is destroy our culture. We kill our team with each word of praise about someone who has not done anything for our team yet.

When you add new people to your group or team, they will impact the culture for better or for worse. Only later can you determine how that chemistry works.

 P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life by Humble the Poet. This book opens our eyes to our own lives, helping us to recognize the possibilities that await us and the challenges that prevent us from realizing our dreams. With Humble the Poet’s characteristic honesty and forthrightness, he helps us shed the problematic lessons we’ve learned throughout our lives that limit us, from sabotaging habits, to fixed mindsets, to past regrets, and relearn new, unconventional ways of moving through life.

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