“Yo, ref, thanks for the great call” is not something generally shouted at sporting events … but maybe it should be. Referees maintain the integrity of the game. In fact, without officials holding players and coaches accountable to the rules, the game would break down. Referees are necessary—although someone inevitably is booing them.
Continuing with my sports metaphor, let’s analyze the overall construct. There are clearly established ways to play the game. Those rules are partnered with clear correction methods for individual (and team) accountability. The referee spots the infraction, and the player might spend time in a penalty box orget a foul and lose possession of the ball. Thereafter, they usually get to course-correct, either re-entering the game or continuing to play.
We see similar frameworks of officiating in other places, as well. Think police officers or a dean of students at a school.Where we don’t generally see this concept deployed is within workplaces. We hear the term professional coach used in the corporate lexicon all the time, but not corporate referee.
Recently, I have seen many of our clients struggle with two main challenges: 1) They don’t have clearly defined rules of engagement in their workplace; and 2) once they do have clearly established norms, they struggle with holding people accountable. One example is with respect to open offices. Employees express confusion, or worse, frustration, over distractions and noise because there is a lack of clarity regarding what is expected. Is the office a place for open conversation with co-workers (which creates noise), or is it an area for focus? Where should employees go to take virtual calls? The list goes on. Employees don’t understand the rules of the game and how they are expected to play.
Unfortunately, the solution does not stop at creating policies and mandates—although that’s often the first step we see implemented. Once you have them, you need that corporate referee. I’m guessing leaders are unlikely to hire one. In fact, many leadership teams we work with are incredibly reluctant to hold people accountable. It feels punitive. What if the fans boo? What’s the solution?
As I ruminated over this, I thought about places where I have seen effective accountability. Those places have cultures that empower everyone to be the referee when the situation calls for it. Players (individual contributors) and coaches (managers) are also the officials. For this to really work, a few things need to be in place:
◗ Provide training, led by example, that shows the shared behavioral agreement where it’s safe and acceptable to hold one another accountable. That includes giving individual contributors agency to hold their managers and executives accountable when the situation calls for it.
◗ Accept that people are not robots. They will break the rules(sometimes with intent, and many times without).
◗ Separate the person from the behavior. Said differently: Rule breaking is not a function of someone being overall good or bad. Take into account nuances.
When environments like this are created, we enable people to slowly and incrementally change behaviors over time. Taking a penalty or a foul in a game teaches us something in the moment that we can adjust for in the next period or game. That helps people grow over time and avoids a massive buildup of infractions that go unmentioned until the only option left is a separation.
If organizations could establish and reinforce these cultural norms, they would be able to function as successfully as a group of friends playing in a pickup game in a park. So, as we watch the Pacers compete against the Thunder in the NBAFinals, maybe keep an eye on the ref for some skills you can bring back to the open office.
Published by the Indianapolis Business Journal
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