If the Lions can do it, anyone can

I have an old Fox Trot cartoon strip I clipped from the newspaper about 20 years ago, where the guy is talking to his wife and says, “Can you feel it? The changing of the seasons … one season gradually coming to an end, another moving in to take its place” His wife says, “It’s summer, fall doesn’t start for another month.” He looks at her confused and says, “Summer? Fall? I’m talking baseball, football!”

I love this time of year. The MLB season always gets more interesting at this point with the pennant races heating up (of course it looks like my Red Sox are cooling down at just the wrong time!). The NFL season is getting cranked up with all the optimism only a new season can bring (all those “wait ‘til next year” guys are still blind).

Everyone starts out even supposedly, but some things are as certain as death and taxes: The Patriots will be one of the best teams in the league (Brady for 517 yards on Monday night, followed by 423 more on Sunday!), Rex Ryan will shoot his mouth off AND BACK IT UP – which is great(!), and the Lions will be pathetic. Right? Right? Well, not necessarily. Detroit’s off to a 2-0 start after dismantling the Chiefs 48-3 on Sunday.

Now in his third season as head coach of the Lions, Jim Schwartz has not only turned over the roster in his short time there, he’s doing something nobody else has been able to do in my lifetime (and that’s a while): Schwartz is changing the culture in Detroit. These guys look, talk and act like they expect to win. Whoa! The Lions expect to win? That’s cool. Changing a culture can be very hard to do, but Schwartz is doing it. He’s got the fans (who knew the Lions had fans?) believing and he’s even got the so-called experts believing.

It can be just as hard to change the culture of a company. If you’ve ever worked for an organization that’s experienced some kind of turmoil – restructuring/reorganization, merger/acquisition, or explosive growth – you know how those things can impact the culture, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil (you may know these guys too). Regardless of the circumstances, it can be very hard for employees to embrace a new culture (imagine how hard it would be if the organization also had fans that wanted to tell you how to do it better). It can be a difficult transition.

One thing that’s pretty consistent about the culture conversation is that two companies oftentimes make their way into the discussion: Southwest Airlines and Google. A lot of us use SWA when we travel and understand how they are different. Their flight attendants and pilots joke with passengers – that’s relaxing to a traveler. And their founder, Herb Kelleher was devoted to culture maintenance. In fact, in the September 2011 issue of Southwest’s Spirit Magazine, current Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly talks about the importance of culture as they integrate with recently acquired AirTran.

Likewise most everyone who uses a computer uses Google – they’ve become a verb for god’s sake. (Whoever you are, if your name becomes part of the modern vernacular as both noun and verb, you HAVE arrived.) Google has amenities onsite for employees that are unbelievable – go to the website and snoop around a little, it’s really quite something. They have everything from on-site daycare and massages, to decompression chambers and an assortment of cafés throughout the complex – it’s ridiculous.

I’m always a bit dismayed though when I hear leaders and even frontline employees say, “yeah but we could never do that here.” Yes, you can. Maybe not to the extent Google does it (you’d need their incredible resources), and maybe not with the flair Southwest does it (some workplaces just aren’t conducive to that style), but you can create a culture that others look at and go “Wow, I’d love to work there.” It starts with the leadership, but the whole organization has to drink the Kool Aid in order for it to become interwoven into the fabric of the company.

In order to do this, a company needs to get its head out of the 19^th & 20^th century business model, and get with the 21^st century program. The workforce isn’t the same as it used to be, and technology has changed the game. Many workers no longer need the workplace to have access to the tools required to do their jobs. Autonomy is the name of the game, and real motivation can come from their ability to manage their own time and make a meaningful contribution to the organization’s success.

The truth is that if expectations are clear and the parameters are understood, everyone will be surprised at what employees are willing to give. Autonomy is a powerful motivator and people will rise to the expectations of the organization if that’s the culture that’s established.

It doesn’t happen overnight, and resistance along the way is to be expected – it can be a tough transition – but if Jim Schwartz can change the culture at a perennial loser like the Lions, it can be done anywhere.

The only real, sustainable competitive advantage any company has is its employees. Get involved, make a contribution and help make your organization a front-runner by being part of a culture that makes it a great place to work.