Patience is a Skill Set!

Waiting for change is the worst part of leadership... If you expect everything to change at once, many times you wil breed resentment from your team. Gradual change that makes sense will bring a team together. It is the differene between the "My way or the highway" mentality and "teamwork" approach to leadership.

Going in and changing a culture in a workplace is difficult enough without adding fuel to the fire. Resentment for changes that make no sense in the current workers' eyes will always leave a horrible first impression. Your team needs to know that you care about their input, and they will help bring about any change you are trying to develop. Sure you will have "hold outs", but most will come around eventually when they see the rest of the company moving in a positive direction.

I hate to say it, but the reality is that some will never come around and they will hold everything back if allowed to do so. Leaders have to recognize when members of their team are simply CHOOSING to defy the new culture. And they will do so with their actions more than with their words. If you talk to anyone in the company, you will find head-nodding compliance. Evaluations of each person's performance will reveal their actual belief or non-belief in the system. If they are not willing to participate in the work culture, some individuals will have to be removed. It is the hardest part of the job, but remember that the CHOICE is theirs. They either do their work, or they cannot do their work -- it has to be that simple.

After writing that last statement, I believe that it sounds like I am advocating firing everyone who doesn't agree with a culture change -- but that couldn't be further from the truth. The guideline is simple, but the actions to change or influence a team is gradual (as I stated at the beginning). Patience comes while you are teaching your team to "live the new culture". Mistakes will be made, and your leaders must accept those mistakes and challenge them. Identify the problem, show them how to do it right, and evaluate the performance again. Depending on the effort and competence of the team member, you may have to repeat this process over and over until they get it right. The choice to fire someone should come when a member of your team REFUSES to learn or simply doesn't have the CAPACITY to learn the skill you are trying to teach. A change in job description or position can also be a great alternative to firing. Some people are valuable to an organization in one position can be the best team players in another -- Leaders can assess these strengths and weaknesses in their team and position individuals where they are most needed and can do the most good!

Taking the time to develop your team will win any leader the trust they need to have a team that relies on each other and moves as one in a poitive overall direction. Trust is the most important element in any culture -- and it takes time and patience to develop trust.