Today I heard a CX leader refer to their culture change initiative as a “detox.” It’s the perfect word.
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Culture = a set of shared beliefs that drive behavior patterns in an organization.
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Toxins = things that poison or harm a system they infiltrate.
Few things are more harmful to an organization than misguided beliefs like “we know better than customers” and CYA-driven behaviors like “hide bad news.” In an effort to serve customers, people work night-and-day…until they collapse. I speak from personal experience when I tell you burnout is not customer-centric.
The goal of culture transformation is to replace unhelpful aspects of a culture with helpful ones like “the customer’s perception is our reality” and “we can’t fix problems we don’t know exist.” The best example of a culture detox I’ve seen lately is Microsoft. CEO Satya Nadella made it his goal to replace the toxic “know it all” culture he inherited with a “learn it all” culture. Seven years later the company is closing in on a $2 trillion valuation.
Detoxes don’t have to be big to drive change, however. Try starting with a jargon detox. Commit to avoiding insider language for one month, even when you’re only talking to fellow employees. I guarantee it will change how you think. Alternatively, try an after-hours detox. Unless your role requires you to be on call, try NOT checking email or responding to texts/Slack/Chatter outside of business hours for a week. Everyone I know who has done this felt sharper, more productive, and more empathetic. I’m not saying you have to follow this practice forever (though there’s nothing wrong with it!). Staying connected isn’t inherently bad, but, like many habits, it turns toxic when taken to the extreme.
