Daniel Robin & Associates

Making Workplaces Work Better

Building a Workplace Culture Based on Agreement

How to Get There From Here

By Daniel Robin

"Starting today, I promise to be on time for every meeting, no matter what. Really. This time I mean it." How healthy this sounds, they all thought. Finally ... embracing what they've been wanting for months. Perhaps it's time.

Why New Year's Resolutions (Usually) Don't Work

A resolution is a decision. A decision on an intention: "I'm definitely going to do that ... [unstated subtext] ... if I feel like it." If you simply hold a clear intention, will you get results? Eventually. Resolutions, like goals, serve an important purpose: they help us accept and acknowledge what we don't yet have. As you know, however, fulfillment of an intention depends on self-knowledge and commitment to effective action.

Why self-knowledge? Because you can be 100% committed, but still not know your strengths and limits -- this is the knowledge that will help or hinder you in getting the desired result.

Getting to Change

Some people like to plan out every detail. Others prefer to rely on their intuition. Both approaches are viable for producing change and results. Ever get to work with somebody whose style is the opposite of yours? How did it go? Chances are, if you got anything done together, it was because of a clear agreement, whether explicit or not.

A culture based on agreement is a marvel to watch. People who hate being in the room together unite in a common purpose.

Through the Lens of Agreement

All relationships and results come from some sort of an agreement. Consider your work. What are some of the decisions that have contributed to your success? Likewise, if you're not consistently getting your desired outcome, check these scenarios to see which one might apply:

(a) False agreement. You've laid out a clear, appropriate agreement, but there's no buy-in or results. This isn't the same as a disagreement or conflict; a false agreement (like many New Year's resolutions) looks, sounds, smells ... like a plan; but, in this case, chances are good you'll get the opposite of what's wanted. Find out why.

(b) Inappropriate agreement. You are operating out of a clear yet inappropriate contract, one you'd be wise to renegotiate. For instance, you and a coworker agreed to write a report that will need your input, but there won't be time to collaborate. Regroup!

(c) Unclear or incomplete agreement. This scenario is most common. You can tell because living with it produces failures of trust and suffering. For instance, "I think I can get us a better vendor; cancel that order." Or, "Sure, I'll hang out here 40+ hours per week for that amount of money, but I sure as hell am not going to work with that maniac!"

Agreements between co-workers, departments, or with that last example, between you and the entire organization, reflect the choices and decisions of the people who make them. The question is: how well informed are those choices and decisions? This is where it pays to accept, understand and include the person who gets to uphold the decision.

Who Decides? Who Can Be Trusted?

When it comes to agreements, who is trustworthy and who isn't? This notion of "trust" has lots to do with being able to predict the other person's behavior. You can trust a person to screw up some things just as reliably as they'll flawlessly perform others. No matter how clear and complete your request, if that person cannot uphold it, save it -- ask someone else!

This applies to ourselves. I won't "set myself up" with an agreement I cannot honor. Similarly, don't enter into an agreement with someone who isn't able to come through.

If that person is holding back, careless, or playing a game, establish an agreement that has them demonstrating to you what they do best. True colors will be revealed. Workplace decisions that reflect genuine, mutual interest will last. When they don't, they won't. Trust that.

The Culture is the Product

To build a healthy workplace and a company that will last, focus on building an organization you personally would want to work for. (Was it Groucho who said he'd never want to work for a company that would have him as one of its employees?)

It all starts with a clear, mutually-beneficial agreement. Hewlett-Packard grants immense operating freedom within well-defined objectives. People earn this permission as a privilege. Going for a clear, unambiguous agreement will provide the platform for freedom.

A workplace based on agreement is easy to espouse ... and in practice? Refer to the next article, "The Art and Practice of Agreement."

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