Team or Family Culture?

Team or Family Culture – which is best?

How do you create a supportive, friendly, and family like culture in business?

You don’t!!!  You do NOT want a family culture at work.

If your family is anything like mine it is inherently dysfunctional – why?  Because it is wrought with entitlement mentality.  Often no matter how people behave in a family – they are still allowed to attend family gatherings, even if it means discomfort to others.

Most people are still trying to get over the abuses of their family upbringing and the people who caused them the most pain in their lives – they don’t want to go through a similar experience in their job.

The last thing you want to do inside your business is foster a “family mindset”.

I understand the loving idea behind the intention of “we are a family” but it suggests subtly breeds the same dysfunction you see inside families – a mindset of entitlement and lack of accountability.

Is your business is in danger of rotting from the inside out with this type of culture?  Maybe you don’t agree with what I am saying here but it would seem that most families are dysfunctional in one way or another, so the odds are wildly against you from the start with trying to create a “family-like” culture.

An alternative Approach?

The alternative mindset is one of a team – we are a team not a family.

It’s the coach’s job at every level to hire, develop, cut and upgrade smartly so there are stars in every position – if you want to win.

Do your job – the team is counting on every position.  If there is failure in on position this will cause failure for the team.

Don’t prioritise personality, prioritise mission, prioritise results, prioritise winning – that is how you can build a championship organisation.

Jeff Bezos remarked – “Our culture is friendly but intense.  But if push came to shove – we would just settle for intense!

You either fit in or you don’t.  There is no middle ground.  We never claim that our approach is the right one, just that it is ours.  And we have gathered a group of like-minded people, people who find our approach energising and meaningful.”

Howard Schulz of Starbucks put it like this;

“We are a performance driven team, through the lens of humanity”

This is how you want to lead, with a “team mindset” not a “family mindset”, with the focus on performance not on entitlement.

You can still love the members on your team, an also communicate clearly – it is mission first, team and culture second and individual last.

Ariana Huffington has a “no brilliant jerks” rule – I don’t care how brilliant you are, if you are a jerk you cannot work here!.

The difference between a team and a family mindset might be subtle but the difference is dramatic.  One fails – the other thrives.

If you make this mistake – it can be tragic.

What would you rather have – Team or Family Culture?