Build the Majority, and the Pack Does Much of the Work

A podcast host recently asked me how you build an All-In culture with people who may never feel like going All-In. My answer to that question has changed over my career.

For a long time, I believed a true Level Five Culture of Commitment meant every person on the team was All-In. But my experience has not supported that standard.

Two-Thirds Is My Rule of Thumb

The evidence indicates we have a Level Five Culture of Commitment when the majority of the people on your team are All-In. I’d establish the threshold as being two-thirds of your team.

Some people are never going to take the plunge. Their hearts are not in it, and they will not take that step no matter how well you establish the ecosystem as a culture where everyone can belong. I have had to accept that, and it is indeed the reality of the world we live in.

The Pack Does a Lot of the Influence Work

In The Power of Being All In, I wrote that we are all by nature wired to be pack animals. Instinctively we need to belong to a “pack” and be accepted by the other members. That instinct works in our favor to bring most of us in. People look around, see what the rest of the pack is doing, and a good many of them come along. They think to themselves, “If everybody else is buying in, I will too.”

Leaders carry important extra weight here. When two-thirds of the leaders in an organization commit and adopt the language of a healthy culture, you have a far better organization than you had before.

That majority is created through All-In Adaptive Leadership using the Big 6 Leadership Principles®, practiced every day. But even then it takes time. A 30-day push followed by a declaration of victory will not get you there.

It Takes Two or Three Years

Changing a company’s culture takes two to three years of dedicated, persistent effort, and that is with the senior leaders passionately behind the change. Along the way, make sure to ask your people where they think the organization stands.

In We’re All In, I include a brief Culture Survey for that purpose. Once you conduct it, address the shortfalls, reinforce the strengths, publish an Action Plan and survey again in three to six months to see how far the needle has moved.

When someone holds back, I start by listening for what that person is protecting. Most resistance softens when people feel heard. Some of it does not, and then you face a harder decision about whether that person is willing to make the journey with you.

Through experience, I’ve learned that “Perfect is the enemy of good enough.”

So, I’ve stopped waiting for 100% of the team to become All-In and focused instead on the majority. The pack also tends to do a good share of the rest.

I’d love to hear how you know when enough of your team is All-In. Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it.

Enjoy the journey!