Are We Really a Family? Is That a Good Thing?
Welcome to the Why to Wow newsletter which is all about inspiring the hearts and minds of people worldwide with the Power of Differentiation. In the Why to Wow newsletter, I share my experiences over the last 40+ years helping leaders differentiate their brands and products. I hope it will inspire you to discover and share your own brand’s uniqueness with the world.
Listen to people talk about their organizations and you’ll often hear,
“We are a family,” as a description of their culture. I’m all for families, but in this message, I’d like to challenge that as the ultimate description of a healthy business environment.
There are 200,000 words in the English language, and I think we can do far better than using the word “family” to sum up our company. First, there are many descriptions of family—from good to dysfunctional. Second, there are great family members, and then there is Uncle Bob, who shows up at Thanksgiving, complains about the food, and causes trouble, but he’s still “family.”
Families don’t win the Super Bowl or secure huge contracts. My firm works with one of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations. They are truly at the leading edge of technology and patient care, and they optimize excellence. Our assignment was to join their leader on a series of listening sessions to learn how the employees felt about their jobs and future.
As part of our process, we visited dozens of their locations, meeting with team members ranging from physician’s assistants to administrative and maintenance staff. We asked each to describe the days they felt most fulfilled and proud. It might be assumed that those days would be described as fun, interesting, and uplifting. And many said just that, but then the discussions became more intense and insightful.
After the initial feel-good comments, these dedicated, inspired individuals began to describe their triumphant days. Here are some examples:
“A day when I help a family deal with losing a loved one.”
“When other departments work with me to figure a way to get medication to a patient who is in terrible pain.”
“When a couple of us band together to overcome an issue that could have stopped us.”
“Bringing flowers from my garden for one of our patients with no family or visitors to let her know we care.”
The comments were sincere and, in many cases, accompanied by tears. A few words constantly emerged throughout our session as teams described their passion and relationships. Of course, the word “family” was brought up, but not nearly as much as another word, “team.” And what was the top word they used to describe their best day? Care to take a guess? It was:
Accomplishment.
This was a team and, yes, it had a family feel, but they counted on and sometimes demanded a lot from each other to achieve their goals. Understanding this underscored our client’s need to deliver to them what they desired most: the tools, the autonomy, and the trust to accomplish great things together.
Difference-maker #1: If your people focus on accomplishment, they are a team.
Team members depend on each other, commanding respect and performance. A family is a far less powerful unit.
Difference-maker #2: We need to separate the results of a fulfilling, meaningful day from the behaviors that created them.
Sure, a great day will include laughter and fun—but those are the results of amazing team performance based on accomplishment, problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking.
A business with merely a “family” culture is nice. Assembling and supporting a team focused on achievement is transformational. It requires leaders who understand the toughest, most demanding days can be the most fulfilling, meaningful, and defining ones for their team.
In a recent episode of the Difference Talks podcast, we sat down with Kurt Breischaft, the President of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS. We had a great discussion about having the courage to stand out in a commodity industry and the importance of having an inspired team. Kurt has made significant strides in differentiating his company’s brand and products. Listen here.