Monday, February 17, 2025

Don’t confuse a nice culture with a winning culture

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David Stewart, RYP International
David Stewart, RYP Internationalhttps://www.rypinternational.com/
David Stewart (B Ed, Grad Dip Sports Science, master’s Business Leadership) David is the Founder & Principal of RYP International – A Coaching & Advisory Practice. For over 40 years he has worked globally with organisations, communities, sports teams, CEO’s and their leadership teams to develop their capability and culture to maximise performance.

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Furphy Tank End

The iconic Furphy tank end with the famous motto that is such a great example of a winning team culture.
Produced by J. Furphy & Sons from the 1880’s through to the late 1900’s, these water carts became famous for their unique and noticeable branding and inscriptions and for their use by the AIF in the lead up to the war in 1915. Troops gathering around the cart to have a drink of water in their camps would often swap stories and embellish them along the way. This lead eventually to the word ‘furphy’ entering the Australian language meaning a rumour or false story.

Photo courtesy Furphy Foundry.

Let’s be clear, any team environment must be emotionally safe, respectful, inclusive, and welcoming. This should be a “do not pass go” expectation of any team in any setting. But do not confuse being nice with a winning mindset. The corporate world is full of the need to comply with all sorts of HR rules and regulations, but also jargon around the pursuit of “high performing teams” or being an “employer of choice” or other such grandiose statements. Often it is disingenuous, as it lacks definition, substance, and a local context.

People must feel a sense of belonging, achievement, and progress in the teams that they are part of, whether it be in the workplace, sport, the arts, or volunteer organisations. A sense of achievement and progress is what fuels the human spirit. So, I thought I would explore the difference between a nice culture and winning culture.

There is a syndrome called “Pollyanna Syndrome” which can present in many teams. It refers to an overly optimistic or naively positive approach to situations. The name refers to the fictional character Pollyanna created by Eleanor Porter, who maintained a positive outlook to every situation, no matter the circumstance. In a “Pollyanna Culture:

  • There is an avoidance of negativity – positivity reigns supreme.
  • People who challenge the status quo are unwelcome and considered “toxic.”
  • There is an emphasis on the need to be positive, and not raise negatives.
  • There will be a dismissal of realistic concerns – so conflict is avoided at all costs.
  • Decision-makers ignore or are reluctant to address concerns and problems.
  • There is resistance to any change, as it is deemed disruptive.
  • There is little to no resilience when things get tough.

Whilst a nice culture will promote harmony and politeness (which are important), it prioritises friendly interactions with minimal conflict and an avoidance of conflict at all costs. Whilst this may help promote a positive team environment and team member satisfaction and retention, it can also lead to complacency, a reluctance to address specific issues, and stifles any pursuit of “excellence.” Good intentions are rewarded and recognised over the achievement of excellent performance.

All winning teams are dissatisfied with the status quo

A winning team culture prioritises the pursuit of excellence, continuous improvement, and achievement. There is a focus on setting ambitious goals, challenging the status quo, and the encouragement of new ideas for improvement. Key is an ability to execute plans well in an aligned and consistent manner, which leads to an environment of innovation, accountability, and transparency of performance. This can lead to a more demanding and high-pressure culture, which can be offset with a team commitment to collaboration, support, and co-designed problem solving.

The key attributes of a winning culture include:

  1. An unrelenting focus on results, trends, and the fulfillment of goals and objectives. Facts and lived experiences are treated as the inconvenient truth!
  2. Accountability and performance are linked to ensure transparency, so the team can offer assistance quickly when required.
  3. Resilience and adaptability are part of what good teams do. Setbacks are treated as inevitable, so learnings can be used as feedback to problem solve and respond as one team. Unity, alignment, and agility are key team qualities in any successful team.
  4. “Good, better, best” mindset and thinking. This is all part of a continuous improvement discipline and culture which is drummed into teams that excel.
  5. Feedback is treated as a gift – not a threat. Communication is safe, open, honest, and transparent without fear of retribution. Key is to provide feedback respectfully in the right spirit with good intent.

Without feedback no learning can take place. Good teams do what they say they will do consistently, reliably, to a superior standard. It stems from leadership and the team culture the leaders create. Whilst a nice culture may contribute to a pleasant team environment, it’s not synonymous with a winning team culture. In some circumstances and contexts, a nice culture may be exactly what is required, but this is typically in a more social setting, where the need to perform at high levels is absent.  A nice culture should not be confused with a winning culture.

The current Furphy water carts, built by Furphy Engineering, and the enduring slogan shared by the enduring family businesses. Photos courtesy Furphy Engineering.

Leadership Lesson

Leaders must be intentional about cultivating a culture that fosters both positivity
and a pursuit of excellence to build an authentic winning team culture.
It can only be done by leaders co-designing the desired behaviours and mindsets as one team
with a shared vision of what success might look like.

Facta Non-Verba – Deeds Not Words

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