Norms are the behaviors and practices that emerge from individual decisions widely adopted over time. They drive culture and the experience for others. What norms you encourage and allow will impact your organization far more than any official policy or rule.

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Read time: 5 minutes

What do laws, rules, and norms have to do with running a business anyway? Let's explore:

1. Norms aren't rules

Norms aren't rules and they aren't laws. They are the accepted practices of a nation, community, or organization. They can be fluid and change over time or be enforced through rigid social codes.

Think about your experience of driving on a freeway. There are posted speed limits which are declared legal maximums, but that's not really the speed above which you'll be ticketed by police in most cases. The flow of traffic will settle in at a higher number that's related to, but not limited by the set maximum.

Norms can also vary by location or situation. I lived in Boston for many years and there, the practice was to usually allow a single left turning car jump the green light cycle at an intersection and turn before oncoming traffic would start. When I moved to Los Angeles, a culture where there are usually one to several cars running the red light at the end of a green cycle, if you tried that Boston move, you'd get into an accident in your first days in town.

• Norms are the practices that develop over time to govern our behavior
• They are influenced by rules in laws but are distinct from them
• We mostly learn them by observation and experience
• They vary by location and change over time

2. How do norms drive culture?

Think about the kind of culture you want to have in your organization. You can't create that culture through directions, rules, and guidelines.

If you want a positive, collaborative culture, you can't just demand that your team works together while you are separately pitting them against one another for rewards or assignments. You need to demonstrate, elevate, and reward the kind of collaboration that you want to see grow.

Social norms matter and the CEO has more influence than you might think. Is your time respected? Do leaders challenge accept when you challenge their ideas in search of the best outcome or threaten instead when you don’t give the expected response?

I once worked for a company with two strong leaders: one based in Los Angeles where I lived and the other in New York. The difference in cities drove some of the culture differences between the two offices, of course, but the greater impact was the mode of operation by those leaders and you could feel the difference when the NY boss visited the LA office.

One was friendly, respectful, and interested. He remembered names, asked about their works, and took time to engage with people. The other was dictatorial, went so far as to keep an elevator on reserve for his private use, would avoid any social contact, and treated his employee's time as disposable. Those behaviors cascaded down multiple layers in terms of how team leads behaved and interacted. One company. Same rules. Very different norms.

• The practices of the leaders matter far more than words from HR
• You must demonstrate what you want to see in your organization
• Match your team to the style of work and encourage the practices that work best for them

3. Create a positive culture

Set the norms you want to see. Lead by example since your actions will be the definition your team learns and not the words you say.

Go back to basics: have a positive news meeting regularly. Share wins and highlight examples of great practice from your team simply by talking about those events and sharing public praise. Support your team members when they are falling short by sharing that feedback in private and not using it to shame them publicly. Pass praise to your team when they excel and take responsibility for them when they fall short.

These practices will be seen and internalized by your team and pay dividends again and again when the inevitable challenges emerge.

• Practice evolves into the culture you experience everyday at work
• Get the fundamentals right to naturally drive the culture you want to see
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There is a risk in this for you as a leader: if you set a high bar for behavior for your team, they'll expect you to practice it fully, too. Don't set an expectation you yourself are not prepared to honor.

4. Positive culture → positive results

Why take this hard road?

While this may be self-evident to some, it still appears to be a lesson many need to learn. If you want a long-term, high-producing culture in your organization, you need your highly productive team members to feel valued and respected. That doesn't mean you'll always agree or have to defer to others, but creating and fostering an environment of collaboration over command and control delivers long term benefits.

Work is valuable not only for the financial necessities and rewards, but also as an expression of one's contribution to the world. When you operate in a positive environment focused on growth and achievement, the rewards extend beyond financial reward and security for yourself, your family, and other things you value. Being aligned in values and attitude streamlines the path to significant learning and success.

• Positive environments produce more overtime and lead to sustained success
• Recognize that this is not the easy way; being a tyrant leader is easier in the moment, but yields diminishing returns
• Build a strong foundation to make yourself less essential for driving good decision making

Action Summary

Your organizational culture will determine how you work and how much you accomplish. The way you work and the practices and behaviors you encourage and allow will be the primary guide for your culture. Choose wisely and with intention as an unhealthy culture is far harder to correct once it's taken hold of your organization.

• Norms are the ultimate way organizations behave
• Culture is created by the practice of norms in your organization
• You create your culture by your demonstrated and supported norms
• Positive cultures drive long-term success

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What do you think? What unusual organizational norms have you seen that support (or undermine) goals? Reply to this email and let me know.

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To your success,

Christopher

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P.S. Like this one? You'll want to check out this earlier Wednesday Win essay on the power of gratitude to make every day amazing, too.

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