The Phrase That Hits Hard

Ty Cobb Backer 0:01

Episode 343. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. We have a kind of a belief system that either we're gonna push you up or gonna push you out. I don't want to be around five other people that aren't pushing themselves to succeed. Success isn't about taking, but giving value first. Compensation follows contribution always. This is true authenticity. It's the truth. Every week, this is our story. We share with you our journey. We share with you our scars. Please welcome your host, Tycombacker. Hey, hey, welcome back, everybody to Behind Tool Belt. This is episode 343. And today I want to talk about a sentence that has challenged me for decades. And honestly, this is one of those topics that that sounds simple when you first hear, but the longer you sit with it, I feel like the heavier it gets. And the phrase is the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. And and I want to say that again, you know, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. That is a hard sentence for me because for man, for years as a leader and as a business owner, I have had to learn this lesson the hard way. Time and time, and I'm still learning it. And I'll be honest, with with the right. So this has probably been one of the hardest parts. I'll be honest with you, the the hardest parts of leadership for me. Not because I don't care about standards, not because I don't care about culture, not because I don't care about doing the next right thing. It's it it's actually probably the hardest thing for me because I do care. I do care about people. I do care about giving second chances, I do care about being fair, I do, I do care about overreacting, you know, I do I do care about making someone, you know, feel attacked and and creating an environment where everybody feels respected and valued because because here's what I've learned over time. Sometimes in the name of of being patient, I have been unclear. And sometimes in the name of being understanding, I've allowed things to go on entirely too long. And you know, and sometimes of of in the name of of keeping the peace, I have walked past things that that should have been addressed, and and eventually what I walked past became part of our of our culture. And that is that is what you know I'm gonna try to talk about today, where talking, we're talking about real leadership. We're talking about developing either by default, by accident, or intentionally creating a culture. You know, we're we're gonna talk about accountability, difficult conversations, and and the quiet cost of avoiding what needs to be addressed. Because culture is not built by by what we say we believe. Culture is built by what we consistently tolerate, confront, and model.

Silence Sends A Message

Ty Cobb Backer 3:40

Okay. So sorry, had to hang up on somebody. Uh so I want to start with the the phrase itself, you know, the standard that that you walk past is the standard that you accept. And and like what does that really mean? You know, and for me today, what that means, it means that you know the the the silent communication, the uh the avoidance of of communicating and and delayed delay communication. And and when when you see something that is off, okay, like off standard, and and I just keep moving, and our team receives a message whether you meant to send one or not, but it's sending a message, silent sends a message. And you know, sometimes we'll think like, well, I didn't approve of that, but if I didn't address it, and if I didn't correct it, it if I didn't bring any clarity to it, then in the eyes of our team, it can start to look accepted, I guess, for lack of better terms. And and that is where leadership gets for me super uncomfortable. Because as leaders, we love to think culture is built in the big moments. Okay, and and it will, and it has, but it's not it's not necessarily about the big speeches or the company meetings or the mission statement or the values on the walls or training day or onboarding process. And and yes, yes, yes, yes, all of that. And I mean, all of that matters. I mean, some of our biggest events have carried us through some of the hardest times in our company. So, yes, and have defined, you know, the 21 Turkey has defined, helped, defined, and carve what our culture is, okay. But culture is usually shaped in in the much smaller moments, okay. It is shaped when someone shows shows up late, okay, and nobody says anything. It it is shaped when someone leaves a mess behind and the next person has to clean it up. And it is shaped when when someone speaks disrespectfully in a meeting and everyone just kind of moves on. Okay. Or when when a person constantly drops the ball and and everyone else, you know, quietly just kind of works around it. You know, it it and it can be shaped, you know, when when the leader sees something, feels something. Okay. I feel things. I feel when things are off and and and I know something is off and still I choose not to address it. And again, I'm not saying that from a place of judgment. I'm saying this because I've done it. Okay. I have walked, I have walked past things I should have addressed sooner. Okay. I have waited too long to have those uncomfortable conversations. I have hoped, I have hoped things, you know, would would like fix themselves. And I've told myself, maybe, maybe it's not such a big deal, you know, and and I've told myself things like they've probably just had a bad week. And I I've said those things out loud, okay. And then, but then it happens again. And then again. And by the time I finally address it, it it is no longer just a small conversation. Now it has history, okay, and now it has potentially formed a bad habit, okay. And and now it has like my frustration attached to it, and now other people have been affected by it because I've allowed it to go on too long. And then that's where, because I've allowed it to go on too long, okay, and people have watched it, that's where trust has has been damaged. Okay. So now I'm not just addressing the behavior, I'm also addressing the fact that I've waited too long. Okay. That is the one, that is one of the hardest leadership lesson lessons I've had to learn. Okay. Because by avoiding a hard conversation does not make it disappear. Okay. It just doesn't. I've tried, I've tried to ignore it. I've tried to sweep it under the rug, and it just doesn't go away. It usually festers, it usually grows, it usually develops even more bad behaviors, but it usually just makes the future conversation more difficult to have. And I think a lot of us leaders know exactly what I'm talking about. Parents, anybody that's listening to this, okay, we've just let things, we've procrastinated, we've let it go, and then it becomes even more difficult and more longer. And then I approach it in the wrong way, and then everybody feels attacked, and I'm coming out there wondering why I'm acting like an asshole. It's because I've sat on it too long, I stuffed it entirely too long. Okay. And so then I feel that that little check in the gut, okay, where something about it, you know, that that I'm just as much at fault as as the other person. But, you know, sometimes, you know, I'll see something and it just doesn't like line up to our standard. And that, you know, the standard that we had set out for like the company, for our team, our family, our brand, our customer experience, our reputation. Okay. And then, and then I'll have to like, I'll pause and then I'll hesitate, and then I'll just let it go. You know, and and that that is a shortcoming of my own. Okay. And then sometimes letting it go, you know, and this is the thing that because I've overreacted and have reacted too too quickly sometimes, okay, but but I but sometimes, and I'm saying sometimes letting go is and can be appropriate, but not everything, you know, and and this is the other thing too, not everything needs to be confrontational, right? Not everything needs to become this huge meeting. You know, people are people, people do have off days, and people are going to make mistakes. It's just, it's just gonna happen. But but but there's a difference between I think giving grace and lowering the standard. And that difference is clarity. Clarity for myself. That's where it begins and that's where it starts. Okay. And grace says, I understand you're human, and and I'm still gonna help you get back to the standard. Avoidance says, I don't want to deal with it, okay? And and I'm gonna pretend that it isn't affecting anything. Those are not the same thing. Okay, they're not the same thing. And I think for me, that has been a big part of the struggle. I never wanted to be the leader who overreacted. I never wanted to be the leader who made people feel like like every mistake was gonna be a punishment, you know, and I never wanted to create a culture where people were were walking on eggshells. Have I? Of course. I've I've done all of those things and I've learned from them. And and I tend to fall back because it's kind of like a default of mine where I kind of fall back into, you know, procrastination, I fall back to stuffing, I fall back to, you know, overreacting, you know, but but I I do try to pick and choose my battles wisely and how I approach things and how I need, you know, this is another thing, how I need to approach that individual, because each individual can't be handled the same way either. And that could be a completely, totally different topic with a whole freaking you know podcast beyond it. But but I also had to learn, too, that, you know, the opposite extreme is dangerous too, because when standards are not protected, okay, the people who care the most usually carry the heaviest load. And I've seen it. Our best people notice what I tolerate. Okay, and let me say that again. Our best people notice what I tolerate, they notice who gets away with what, they notice who is held accountable and who isn't. They notice when someone cuts corners, they notice when when somebody creates drama, they they notice when somebody does not follow through. Okay. They notice all of these things. And and listen, our top performers, man, they're paying attention, not because they're negative, okay, not because they are looking for problems, but because they care. Okay. They care about the work, they care about the customer, they care about our name, they care about their name, okay? And they care about being a part of something, something that they can be proud of.

Top Performers Watch What You Allow

unknown 13:19

Okay.

Ty Cobb Backer 13:19

And when they see leadership tolerate the same issue over and over again and again, they begin to wonder if the standard is real. Okay. And that is a dangerous, dangerous place for culture to be. Okay, because when when your best people stop believing the standard is real, they may not, they may not leave immediately, but sometimes they leave quietly before, before they ever turn in their notice. Okay, they stop speaking up, they stop volunteering, they stop going the extra mile, they stop bringing the solutions, they stop believing that excellence, you know, or greatness is is is worth you know the effort. And then one day the leader looks around, okay, and says, What happened to the culture? Like what happened? Right. And I bet if you play that tape back, if you've ever been in this situation like I have, you can see exactly, you can pinpoint exactly because it all falls back right here. It all comes back to right here. Okay. But the truth is, okay, the culture had been changing for a long time. Okay, this doesn't happen overnight. A culture can't be built overnight, and it doesn't diminish overnight either. It it it it changed when one when when we started to uh tolerate uh uh unacceptable behaviors, it changed one with one avoided conversation at a time. It it changed when one lowered expectation happened continuously. That is why this topic matters so much to me, and and it should quite frankly matter to to everybody that's listening and everybody that's in this building today because small behaviors shape culture. Okay, it's not like I said earlier, it's not it's not the big things, it's it's small behaviors, the tone people use with each other. Okay, the way the way that we talk about customers, the way we leave the our equipment, the trucks, the tools, the paperwork, the job site, the emails, our comments or our commitments, you know, for for the next person, the way people respond when they make mistakes, they don't take accountability or ownership, the way that people handle pressure, the way people talk when when I'm not in the room, okay, that is culture. Culture is not just what happens when when everything is going well. Culture is what shows up when people are tired, busy, frustrated, under pressure, or unsupervised. And as a leader, we have to pay attention to those moments because those moments tell the truth. And we've had our trials, we've been tried, or we've been tried. And I've I've watched our culture show up a lot, and and I'm saying in a good way, predominantly our culture, I feel, you know, and again, that doesn't happen overnight. And I'm not saying that it doesn't come off the rails at times because it has and it will, because it's not a static culture, isn't static. It it doesn't stay in one place. Okay. It is very fluid, you know, and it will be, it will continue. But that is our job as leaders to pay attention to what's happening and and and and steering the ship in the direction that we feel that it needs to go in. So so now let's talk about, let's talk about why leaders would avoid difficult conversations. And and this is this strictly my experience on why I would avoid and why I've struggled, quite frankly, with having those difficult conversations. And one of them is because I know I'm not the only, you know, I'm not the only one that's gonna, it's it's gonna make feel uncomfortable. You know, we we avoid difficult conversations, quite frankly, for a lot of reasons, but but sometimes we avoid them because, you

Why We Dodge Hard Conversations

Ty Cobb Backer 17:53

know, we don't want conflict, we don't want tension, we don't want somebody to, you know, get defensive. We don't we don't want the relationship to to change. And and quite frankly, I don't want anybody to quit. And and I don't want to seem harsh or or discourage anyone. You know, we don't we don't want to make a big deal out of something that that maybe could be fixed, you know, itself. Right. And I think sometimes when I think like that, that's me just trying to avoid the conversation. And you know, and and sometimes, if I'm honest, we avoid the conversation because we don't we don't know how to have them. I mean, think about that for a minute. Like sometimes I I don't know how to confront conflict. I I don't without without showing my emotions too much, okay. And and I think a lot of us, a lot of us leaders be get put in this position because, you know, we we know we know the trade, okay. We we we knew the business, we know the customers, we know how to sell, we know how to build things, we're good at problem solving, right? But but no one, at least for me, has really sat down with me and taught me how to have a calm, clear, direct accountability conversation, right? So, so so like what happens next? We wait. Okay, at least from my experience, I'll wait, I'll make little hints. I I have complained to someone else. We hope. I've hoped where like you know, the person figures it out before I have to have the conversation with them. And I and you know, I have said things like they should know better, and and maybe they should, but leadership, leadership cannot be built on hints, okay, or or snarky, snarky little remarks. Leadership requires, and this is the hardest part for me because sometimes I lose it, but it's it's clarity. Leadership requires clarity, and clarity often requires a conversation. And and one of the things that that I've had to learn is that that difficult conversations are not a sign that the culture is broken. It did the difficult conversations are a part of keeping a healthy culture, at least from my experience. And you know, and that's a huge mindset, mindset shift, you know, because I I used to see those conversations as something is wrong, okay. Now I try to see them as like like maintenance, okay? Just just like tools need maintenance, just like systems need maintenance. We talk about it all the time. Well, why wouldn't culture need maintenance? Culture needs maintenance too, and sometimes culture maintenance sounds like, hey, I want to talk about what happened today, you know, or I should have addressed this sooner. Or I I want, I want to, we need, we need to reset the expectations, you know, and I and I I want to be clear about you know the standard moving forward, you know, or this matters because it affects the team. You know, these are plenty of conversations that I've that I've had with the team where I have to point out like how this affects, you know, the customer, or this this matters because it affects trust with your teammates. You know, and those conversations, they're not easy to have, but but they are so, so very necessary. And I've learned to be a little more tactful in my approach of making it sound like it's out. idea and not necessarily hey you're a slow lazy you know talking like pointing out the character defect but but more so pointing out the effect of like what's happening here like the email sat there for two days the the customer is wondering you know what's going on opposed to saying hey you're lazy you never responded back to that email that's not the way to approach it the the way to approach it is is like okay the effect of

Accountability Is Clarity With Follow Through

Ty Cobb Backer 22:32

what's happening here is we're breaking down trust it it's slowing down production and quite frankly we probably need to deposit and we haven't received the deposit yet and when you can kind of set you know turn the light bulb on for an individual a lot of times that clears things up okay and and that's a part of just being in the position that we're in sometimes and it and it and quite frankly it it can be the best thing that's ever happened for both parties so anyhow because because when people hear I think a lot of times the word accountability they often think punishment Vic and I we've talked about this a lot on on this podcast you know they often think oh man I'm gonna be written up and they think you know I'm being disciplined they think you know I'm in trouble it's not it's not accountability at its best is not punishment accountability is clarity with follow through okay accountability says here's what we agree to okay here's where we went off track here is why it matters okay here's what needs to change okay here's how I'll support you and here is what happens if it doesn't change that in a nutshell my friend is leadership okay and when accountability is consistent calm and fair it builds trust people people may not always enjoy being corrected in the moment quite frankly none of us do I know I don't but healthy people respect clarity healthy people respect fairness healthy people respect leaders who say what they mean and follow through on what they say okay and that's huge okay what damages trust is is is not accountability and and what what damages trust is is inconsistent accountability okay and it's it's when one person gets corrected and another person you know gets excused I'm guilty of that I know that it it's when the leader only addresses things when they're angry guilty okay it's when standards change depending on who's involved it it's when high performers in revenue are allowed to be low performers in in attitude and and that that is where trust starts to break down because the team is always asking you know what really matters here okay not just what we say matters but but what really matters does does quality matter does communication matter does respect matter safety teamwork ownership does ownership matter or do are these just words or or do these things only matter when they are convenient that is the test of culture and I'll tell you I'll tell you as a parent and a business owner this is not always clean and simple sometimes sometimes you're dealing with real pressure okay because the work's got to get done we need revenue we need people we're short staffed you know we're in the busy season we're trying to keep customers happy and we're trying to hold everything together and in those moments it can be tempting to say I'll deal with it later I understand that temptation better than anyone I've wrote the book on I'll deal with it later okay but later later comes with a cost okay and sorry it seems to be this time of day I get a bunch of spam later comes with a cost and sometimes later costs more than the original issue ever would have I don't know how many times I've waited on something that could have cost me a dollar when I waited and it cost me ended up costing me a thousand dollars because now it's not just the behavior now it's the behavior plus the resentment okay the behavior plus the confusion the behavior plus the extra work others had to carry the the the behavior plus the message is sent to the rest of the team the behavior plus your own credibility as a leader and that's very important. You know that that's a that's a high price to pay you know and I want to share this in in in in a personal way you know there have been times in my leadership where you know I waited too long and I waited too long to address an attitude. I've waited too long to address poor communication you know or someone not following through and I waited too long to address something that I knew deep down did not match the standard I wanted. And and when you know I finally had the conversation I realized something very uncomfortable part of the problem was the behavior but part of the problem was I had allowed the behavior to continue. Okay I have to take ownership in that and that's not easy to admit it's not at least for me it's not easy you know because as leaders okay we want to focus on what the other person did okay and yes people are responsible for their choices okay people are responsible for their words people are responsible for their work their attitude their follow through you know and but but leaders but as leaders we are responsible for what we tolerate and that is where you know this this phrase gets personal at least for me you know the standard the standard we walk past is the standard you accept and and i i need to ask myself what have i been accepting okay without meaning to accept that question has humbled me more than almost anything else in my in my entrepreneurial journey because sometimes the standard that that we've been walking past is not in someone else okay sometimes it's in me sometimes it's in you okay but maybe maybe you expect your team to communicate clearly but but you have been vague maybe you expected people to follow through but you have not followed through on your own commitment okay and and maybe maybe maybe I expected people to own mistakes but but but I get defensive when someone gives me feedback you know that is where I think leadership gets real okay because because the standard I model is is louder than the standard I announce okay because people people may hear what I'm saying but they they will follow what I consistently do I've watched it I've seen it I've built it I know that if I'm not practicing what I'm preaching people won't follow so so if I want a culture of accountability I have to be able to be accountable okay if I want culture of communication I have to communicate okay and if I want a culture of ownership I have to own my part in this and again this is this is not about perfection okay I don't believe healthy leadership requires perfection I actually think pretending to be perfect hurts your leadership I went through that phase for a little bit years ago where I was like I'm perfect I got all the answers and you know what people don't need perfect leader leadership they need an honest one they need a leader who can say I missed that they need a leader who can say I should have addressed this sooner because accountability should not just be something we put onto other people it should be something we practice ourselves and so so now I I want to I want to make this easy and practical for myself and everybody else listening out there because it's one thing to talk about standards but it's it's another thing to actually be able to address them. So when when you notice something that that does not line up with the culture you want here here's a simple way to approach it okay and I touched on this earlier name the standard okay not the frustration not the assumption not the emotion name the standard okay for example if if the standard here is that we leave the job ready for the next person that that that in itself gives the the conversation foundation right so if the standard here is that we

A Practical Script To Reset Standards

Ty Cobb Backer 32:58

own mistakes instead of blaming someone else that gives our conversation foundation right like so like describe the behavior and and and this is where I lack sometimes of of being very specific on like not attack attacking a person's character but describing like what happened. So instead of me saying you're lazy right I need to say the truck was left unorganized three times this week right so instead of saying you know you don't care the customer called twice before we responded specific behavior is easier to address than a personal label. Okay so don't call someone lazy just just call out the standard okay right and then like I touched on earlier I need to explain the impact and this is where I I have seen the light bulb moment more I think than anything else is when when I and I explain the impact people need to understand why it matters this creates you know like for example like this creates more work for other people okay for the next person right this causes confusion for the customer this slows the team down so on so forth you know so when people understand the impact you know the standard becomes more I believe like like more meaningful okay and then and then okay invite ownership ask a question like what happened from your perspective right what do you think needs to change what got in the way how can we prevent this from happening next time okay this does not mean the standard is optional it means you're giving the person an opportunity to step into responsibility right and then and then I would say the fifth thing would be like set the expectation going forward okay be very clear going forward I need the update sent before the end of each day going forward I need you to check the work before calling it completed okay going forward if if there's an issue I need you to raise it I need you I need I needed to need you to raise it early instead of waiting until it becomes a problem right so that's clear communication and then and then comes the part that leaders we can't skip this part we have to follow through because one conversation without follow through okay it's just shitting in one hand and praying in the other okay it's a wish all right if you say a standard matters but you never follow up the team learns that the conversation was temporary okay if you say something has to change but nothing nothing's nothing's happen not nothing nothing happens okay when it does not change the team learns that the standard is negotiable okay follow through is is what makes the standard real and and when I want to be clear okay follow through does not always mean punishment sometimes follow through is coaching sometimes it's training sometimes it's a second conversation sometimes it's it's documentation I don't know how many SOPs have come out of of the follow through like I I mean that's kind of where our KPIs and and our SOPs were founded was out of a lot of these uncomfortable conversations and the follow-up but but follow through does mean something something has changed okay and that's key because something has to change obviously or else we wouldn't be having this conversation right now because if nothing changes the culture has learned that the standard is optional and that's very important. So so before I forget let's uh this this week's poll let's do let's do another poll okay because I I felt like we got some pretty good traction last week it's not as cold in here it was so cold in here flowers were dying on the floor they're on the floor dead it's not because they were locked in here anymore they're locked in the ice box is what happened so all right so so this this week's poll question I think is a good one okay what has what has the biggest

What Builds Culture Most And Why

Ty Cobb Backer 38:00

impact on company culture okay is it can consistent accountability leading by example clear communication or hiring the right people and and honestly I'll be honest with you I I can make a case for all four of these you know hiring the right people matters because people bring habits attitudes values and expectations into our company right clear communication matters because people cannot meet a standard that they don't understand. Okay and then leading by example matters because people watch what leaders do more than they listen to what leaders say and consistent accountability matters because that is how the standard gets protected and that's important man that it that it gets protected. Okay so if I had to connect them I would say this okay hiring people who align with the culture that we want communicate the standard clearly model the standard personally and hold people accountable consistently okay that's that's the loop in itself right that is how culture in a nutshell is built okay but but if I had to pick the one that has challenged me the most personally I would probably say consistent accountability because I believe in the standard right I can communicate the standard I can try to model the standard but the hard part is protecting the standard when it gets uncomfortable that that for me is where my leadership gets tested it it is it's easy to believe in accountability when when everything is going well okay and and it's hard I think it's harder when the person struggling is someone you like okay and I think it's harder when the person is is so talented and and it becomes even harder when the business is busy okay and and when I'm tired you know and it's harder when when you know the conversation might not go well but those are the moments that has and have and will shape our culture those are the moments where people find what the standard really means and I think we need to remember something okay I think I think we need to remember something accountability accountability is not the enemy of care. Okay accountability is a part of care. When done right accountability says I care enough about you the team the customer and the future of this business I'm gonna tell you the truth okay that's not harsh that's freaking leadership okay avoidance may feel kind you know in the moment but it often creates more pain later I know it has for me and still does you know but clear accountability may feel uncomfortable in the moment but but it creates health over time. And you know I'm still learning this you know I do not want to sit here and act like I have mastered it perfectly I haven't I haven't even come close I'll be honest with you there are still moments where I have to push myself to have that conversation you know there are still moments where I feel I feel that hesitation you know there are still moments where you know where I would rather hope that it just fixes itself you know but but I have learned that hope is not leadership strategy. Okay standards need clarity culture needs protection people need honesty and leaders need courage that's probably a huge one for me I talked about that at a at a uh Jenna and I went out to I don't even know where I think we were in Utah but I I talked about the courage like I don't think we talked enough about courage but not not loud courage not aggressive courage not ego driven courage but quiet courage okay the courage to say this matters the courage to say we need to talk about this the courage to say I should have addressed this sooner okay the courage to say this is this is the expectations going forward the courage to say I'm going to hold my myself to this also okay that is the work that is the work behind the work and that is why this topic matters so much to me because every business has a culture every team has a culture the question is whether the culture is is being intentional intentionally built or or accidentally allowed okay and accidental culture usually drifts towards what is easy okay I've done that it's just easier to ignore shit right it drifts towards you know shortcuts it it drifts towards silence excuses it drifts towards whatever people can get away with now intentional culture requires leaders to to stay awake okay to notice to listen to confront when needed to model what matters to protect people who are trying to do it right because that that is another Thing okay, that right there, I want to say clearly when you hold someone accountable, you are not just addressing that one person, you are also protecting every everyone else, okay, who is affected by that person's behavior. You are protecting the that the team member who keeps cleaning up the mess. You are protecting the customer who deserves better communication. You are protecting the the new team member who is learning what normal looks like. Okay. You're protecting the top performer who is wondering if greatness still matters. We're protecting the freaking culture. And sometimes, sometimes we're protecting the person we're correcting, okay, because if nobody tells them the truth, they may keep repeating behaviors that limits their own growth, damages their relationships, and hurts their future. Okay. So honest feedback can be a gift when it's when it's delivered the right way, right? With with with right heart. So as we close out this episode, I want to bring I want to bring back the question. Okay. What what is one standard you have been overlooking this week? Okay. Not 10 things, not not everything that that has frustrated you, but just one, just one. One the what is the one thing you have been walking past? Maybe it's a communication issue, maybe it's a quality issue, a respect, safety, follow-through issue.

One Standard To Stop Ignoring

Ty Cobb Backer 45:57

Maybe it's a a standard in our own leadership. Okay, and maybe it's something that that you have been you've known for a while, okay, but but we have been avoiding the conversation because we did not want the discomfort. No truer words spoken. Okay, I get it. I really freaking do because the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Okay, and the longer you walk past it, the more normal it becomes. And bad, bad, bad. Um it's the word I'm looking for. Habits, bad habits get formed. So, so this week, name the standard. Look honestly at the gap. Have the conversation. Start with yourself where you need to, and remember the goal is not to create a perfect culture. The goal is to create an honest one. A healthy culture is not a place where nothing ever goes wrong. A healthy culture is a place where the right things get addressed. Okay, mistakes get addressed, confusion gets addressed, disrespect gets addressed, avoidance gets addressed. And when people see that, they begin to trust the standard, they begin to trust the leadership, they begin to trust the values are more than just words. Okay, and before I wrap this up, make sure you answer this week's poll. Okay. What has the biggest impact on companies' culture? Is it consistent accountability, leading by example, clear communication, or hiring the right people? I would love to hear what you think. And as and as you go through this week, I want to leave you with this. I want you to leave, I want you to leave with this. Okay. Your culture is not only what you say, it's what you allow, it's what you protect, it's what you model, it's what you correct. Okay, and sometimes the most important leadership move you can make is to stop walking past something that needs your attention. Okay, this has been Behind the Tool Belt, episode 343. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Thank you for spending part of your day with me. Keep building your people, keep protecting the standard, keep doing the work behind the work. And this week, ask yourself, okay, ask yourself this one question. What's one standard I've been overlooking? Then do something about it. I'll see you next week on Behind the Tool Belt.

SPEAKER_00 49:01

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