Every organization strives to be high performing. It makes little sense for any organization to do anything that does not maximize its performance in the pursuit of achieving its mission and vision. Businesses realize their mission and vision by cultivating a high performing organizational culture. Unfortunately, an organizational culture, replete with micro-management, creates a level of toxicity that undermines its ability to maximize success.
Invariably, this “poison” infects all aspects of the business because it breeds employees that will comply rather than commit. When employees engage in malicious compliance, they are simply doing just enough box-checking to keep their micro-managing supervisor off their back. In no way is this a winning strategy because employees are not giving the supervisor or business maximal energy and effort. Once shared attitudes, values and beliefs become toxic due to a culture of micro-management, the likelihood of winning is severely compromised.
For an organization to achieve maximum success, it must build a high-performing culture built on empowerment, trust and commitment. This is easier said than done, as it takes considerable time, focus and commitment to build and maintaining a positive, productive relationships across and throughout an organization. The reality, too, is that building and maintaining a positive, productive relationship is an on-going, continuous process that, if not tended to, can erode a high-performing culture in an instant. Thus, creating a winning culture requires managers to serve their employees, provide them with all the tools and resources that will make them successful and avoid any behaviors that harm their employees.
Managers do this by first thinking of their role as a supportive, developmental one wherein they focus on improving the lives of their employees and making them better at their job. Next, managers must achieve employee commitment in the pursuit of achieving organizational success by building a culture through empowerment and trust. Finally, managers need to hold their employees accountable for their performance and not micro-manage or stifle performance. Winning is then born out of a high-performing culture.