🏆 Culture Creates Loyalty When The Culture Is About The Team

Bundi Brown, Muhammad Ali’s assistant, was always described as a loyal friend. Brown’s main job consisted of pumping up the Champ, telling him he was the greatest and fueling his ego. Brown was not loyal; he was devoted. Big difference when it comes to having the right team culture. Being completely loyal requires honest and open dialogue—hard conversations. Brown never told the Champ the bad news; he only told him the good stuff. His job was to be positive in any setting—which Ali needed. When you evaluate loyalty in yourself and others, do you want a Bundi Brown, or someone who is going to ask hard questions, express their thoughts, challenge you to be the best before carrying out the plan? If this kind of conversation bothers you, then stop judging people’s loyalty, judge their devotion, knowing that this path will never allow a winning culture.

Most families are loyal by blood and are willing to share the truth without fear of offending anyone. (I used the word “most” because I am sure we all know families who never speak) The family business combines devotion and loyalty into one-which is the exact culture we need to sustain success. How often have you heard, “we are family” when someone refers to their team or organization but then behave like individuals. When the leadership puts the team first and values the family name on the front more than the personal name on the back, then the loyalty and culture becomes hard to beat.

If you want to hire talented people, which we all do, then we must be willing to ignore the Bundi Browns and fester a culture that allows open dialogue. Loyalty begins when the plan is in place, not before. All the back and forth talk before the mission commences allows the organization to find the best solution to any problem. If everyone that works for you nods their heads and waits for a command, you have not created a healthy culture but rather a dictatorship. Which then eventually creates disloyalty. Think about it: how many people have dictators killed to keep their power?

To develop and demonstrate loyalty, you must be open-minded, ignore the Bundi Browns, and hire people who can help the organization improve. It’s never about “do as I say,” it is always about what is the best path. The culture creates loyalty when the culture is about the team and the team’s ultimate goal.

If you want loyal people, start building a culture that views loyalty both ways: giving and receiving.

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