Guy Kawasaki’s post earlier in the week in the ARSE test also listed the 14 rules of engagement that new employees at SuccessFactors are required to sign. This provoked a number of cynical and critical comments, such as "In my experience, good companies build an environment where people
don’t want to act like assholes – nobody needs to be bound by an
agreement." I guess that there is a good argument that some companies and teams follow the rule so strongly that they don’t need to write it down. But my view is that such clarity isn’t so easily dismissed, and in fact, you can see the power of such expectations if you follow the history of Southwest Airlines, which has espoused "we hire and fire for attitude" since it’s early days, and you can see the spirit still throughout the company.
I would also add, as I wrote in an earlier post, that such agreements mean nothing unless they are backed by action. Indeed, two measures of the power of a norm are:
1. What happens when someone breaks it: Is the transgression immediately discussed and identifed? Does the rule-breaker accept responsibility for the violation?
2. Do peers and subordinates — not just superiors — feel psychologically safe — even obligated — to enforce the norm.
An example that I have a lot of experience with is brainstorming sessions at IDEO. One of the most important norms is "don’t criticize" because the fear of evaluation stifles the idea generation process. And people at all levels of status and experience are obliged to enforce the norm no matter who breaks it. I’ve seen David Kelley — Chairman and Founder, and a truly inspirational and modest leader — break the norm at a brainstorm and seen a young engineer call him on it. David’s reaction was immediate: "Sorry, I blew, I can’t believe that I did that."
Now, to return to SuccessFactors, consider the last paragraph of Max Goldman’s amazing and inspiring post on their Performance & Talent Management Blog on "I agree not to be an a-hole:"
"My own personal experience with no assholes is very simple. Once, my
boss was being a jerk. I told him so – in those words. Instead of
getting mad, he accepted the comment and we moved on. Later, he thanked
me for telling him. My boss thanked me for calling him a jerk. Let me
repeat that. My boss thanked me for calling him a jerk. Calling the spade a spade helped everyone work better together and get more done. Can you do that at your company?"
Max asks a damn good question. I bet that 95% percent of the American workforce would answer a resounding "no." I sure can’t do it at Stanford. ( Well, I guess I could do it at the d.school as David Kelley is the founder and leader, although he refuses to accept any title but "co-founder," but nowhere else.) I should also add that Max is pulling in another rule of engagement at SuccessFactors, "I will be transparent. I will communicate clearly
and be brutally honest, even when it’s difficult, because I trust my
colleagues."
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