Recently, I was interviewed by business coach
Charrise McCrorey. Below is an excerpt of the interview, I thought you may
enjoy:
Charrise McCrorey: You’ve
discussed the benefits of creating this type of culture as it relates to you in
the way you like to lead and manage. What’s in it for the
employees? What are the benefits to them? In what ways does your
culture create a good place to work? How does it serve your employee
base?
Ryan Poterack: Oh my gosh, it’s
the least stressful way to work! If new employees have the courage and
emotional intelligence to recognize we simply mean exactly what we’re saying,
then it’s simple to fit in and a shortcut to trust. We don’t have any
wasted stress on “what does he really mean?” We don’t have any stupid
politics or silliness going on like we’re back in junior high school.
This culture provides employees tremendous freedom to
communicate opinions and ideas knowing they will be respected. However,
just because we create an environment for open discussion doesn’t mean we are
going to act on every opinion. Everyone retains the right to be
incorrect. This culture is counter to society generally, and often
business specifically. Challenging the status quo, in the corporate
world, is often discouraged. Additionally, an opinion or idea that is
determined to be unhelpful by corporate management, may reflect negatively on
the employee who offered the feedback.
The act of providing ideas and opinions should be
rewarded. It may take courage initially but the more emotionally
intelligent the person is, the quicker they will recognize what behavior is
rewarded and why. Working with others in this culture becomes easy.
Consistency of behavior allows each employee to know the consequences of their
behavior or decisions prior to the behavior or decisions.
Ryan Poterack was interviewed by
business coach Charrise McCrorey as part of a discovery process for a book.