Keynote: Cult(ure) by Adam Cuppy

As a team leader, the line between company culture and a dogmatic cult is thin. Embracing individuality, yet finding alignment (as a collective) is tough. Understanding what defines one over another is critical so everyone can bring 100% of themselves to table. If you're a member of a team, leader of a team or building a team, you're going to know five key components to assess, support and foster a 'culture of diverse talent' and prevent a 'cult of conformity.'

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GoRuCo 2016

00:00:15.490 I'm so glad to be up here to continue the whole theme of Ruby minute. I will not repeat a single word, so please call it out if I do; definitely do not do that, as it will totally throw me off. Alright, cool! I am very honored to be here. I've wanted to come to this conference in the past, and I was exceptionally honored to be asked to talk about a topic that I'm very passionate and excited about.

00:00:27.500 I hope this will resonate with you and help in the team dynamic that many of you may hold. Hold on real quick; there's a tradition where Nadia gives me a high-five before I give a talk. That was essential, thank you! Again, my name is Adam Cuppy, and I am a co-founder of a consultancy based out of Oregon. A lot of this is very self-reflective; I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, especially among team members, even with all the best intentions.

00:01:12.440 There's a lot of learning that goes into failure, and that is something that again is very self-reflective and brought about this talk in the first place. Originally, the talk title was 'Culture: Only Three Letters Away from Cult,' but I decided to truncate it to make it simpler and a bit more polite. The idea here is that this talk is fundamentally about the topic of culture and what it means inside an organization.

00:01:40.909 How can you better foster a culture, or at least acknowledge what your culture may be within your organization? Most importantly, as the individual, how can you affect change in a positively impactful way? These are just some thoughts, and I want to know, how many of you are familiar with Kent Beck and extreme programming?

00:02:07.120 If you’ve ever read any of his books, you often come across a lot of the 'what' you can do right, like pair programming and test-driven development. However, the part that is really important is the chapter before all of that, which discusses the 'why' behind it. So, I'm going to present a few suggestions; by no means is this a definitive list of all the opportunities, nor may it entirely apply to your organization.

00:02:32.459 However, the most important thing I want you to take away from this is why it matters in the first place. The reason is that we want to connect, love, appreciate one another, and ultimately provide an incredible experience and a great product at the end of the day, whatever that might look like. Let's start with the human needs.

00:02:52.110 Raise your hand if you're familiar with America's guru, Tony Robbins. He is often credited as a motivational speaker. The reality is that what he talks about is human psychology and, secondarily, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). He identified six primary human needs that we as human beings pursue in our lives.

00:03:11.810 First, we have certainty, which is the idea that we have a degree of predictability in our lives. The second is uncertainty, which encompasses passion, excitement, and the new or fresh. But let's be real; raise your hand if you truly love change—you like change that's predictable, right? So, uncertainty is a significant factor that we pursue.

00:03:46.260 The third need is significance; it's the drive to believe that we're important and relevant to someone or something else. Significance can be a double-edged sword, as it often drives many of the problems we experience in hierarchy structures within organizations. Debunking or diffusing some of that hierarchy by eliminating authority can potentially make us feel significant based on relationships with the people we work with.

00:04:55.860 The fourth need is love and connection. Raise your hand if you appreciate being loved—yes, we can all agree that love and connection are pure and essential in our lives. I am thrilled about the coincidental events happening this weekend, and I feel proud of what this community has embraced.

00:05:31.760 Now, those first four needs described by Tony Robbins are referred to as egocentric needs, suggesting that our actions to fulfill these needs are often self-serving. The last two needs, growth and contribution, are referred to as ethocentric needs, meaning the fulfillment comes from serving others. Growth is wanting to evolve and learn, while contribution refers to giving back to something greater than ourselves.

00:06:04.539 If you take a moment to look at these six needs and reflect on your true self, you'll find there are primary needs you may pursue more than others. Surprisingly, when surveyed, over ninety percent of individuals indicated certainty and significance as their primary pursuits. However, when given the option to choose any two, growth and contribution were at the top of their lists.

00:06:32.239 The beauty is that when we change our perspective on how we'll fulfill the egocentric needs, we can effectively address growth and contribution, thereby fulfilling the other four needs. This reveals the importance of contributing back and dedicating ourselves to growth; doing so will fulfill the first four needs as well.

00:07:01.640 It was also found that if any single activity fulfilled four or more of these six needs, it was often considered an addiction. For instance, my wife contributes to my needs for certainty, uncertainty, significance, love and connection, and helps me grow as a person. Similarly, engagement in activities like smoking can also be viewed as an addiction.

00:07:25.350 Fear often drives our actions if we're failing to fulfill our needs. Many times, we can create an environment built on fear unconsciously. This is a major issue with the cult vs. culture mentality within organizations. We often don't realize that the fear we experience as individuals may be a similar fear experienced by those in a managerial position above us.

00:08:05.780 A fascinating quote states, 'A lonely individual soon loses any sense of purpose, belonging, or meaning, and such a state may view a cult as a cure.' In reality, although cult and culture share a common root, they aren't entirely comparable. I found that it is essential to know what defines a cult-like environment, and so I did a quick Google search.

00:08:38.550 Here's a list I found: one, create your own reality; two, set up leaders as the only link to paradise; three, make increasing demands to distract people; four, keep turning out stories of greatness; five, use converts to recruit more converts; six, keep everybody busy to avoid questioning what's really happening; and finally, keep your flock fixated on the carrot. It's sobering to think about how many organizations might fit that description.

00:09:16.250 At the end of the day, the fear that drives organizations can lead them down the wrong path. So let’s look at a common scenario: when a startup goes from a small, close-knit group to a larger organization, the initial enthusiasm can fade, and a culture of fear may arise.

00:09:56.020 Suddenly, as they hire more people—five, ten, twenty—the initial camaraderie can turn into fear of losing control and a need for structure. Hierarchies begin to form, creating compliance over loyalty, and when companies lose focus, they shift from an open environment to a more constrictive and controlling one.

00:10:44.290 Ultimately every organization will create a culture; it’s just a matter of what kind of culture you'll create. To create a culture of positivity and empowerment, you must allow individuals to thrive and contribute toward the success of the organization as a whole.

00:11:14.130 So let's discuss empowerment. We need to create opportunities where everyone can succeed, and a culture of 'top-down' has proven ineffective countless times. In a properly functioning organization, leaders should act as facilitators rather than enforcers.

00:11:48.850 If we imagine an organization operated in this manner, the dynamic shifts significantly. Empowering everyone allows for a much more collaborative environment where every person contributes to one another’s success. This transforms failures into opportunities for growth.

00:12:16.440 But empowerment can't happen without inclusion. When I was a kid, I believed I could do anything. It's essential to understand that we all carry unique experiences that define who we are. We should take our individual experiences and create an environment that recognizes this uniqueness.

00:12:42.780 For example, when I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I spent two weeks in the hospital and ended up leaving with one less lung. Underneath my shirt is an 18-inch scar, yet my experiences don’t define who I am solely; they are merely part of my story.

00:13:25.870 We often put people into boxes, which leads to an inaccurate understanding of one another. To truly cultivate an inclusive culture, we need to embrace individuality and uniqueness. Inclusion starts with individual needs rather than labeling people based on preconceptions. Instead of saying 'think like a woman,' ask, 'what does Karen need?'

00:14:10.000 Additionally, when hiring, it's crucial to seek cultural additions rather than fitting into existing molds. Leadership plays a critical role in shaping an organization's culture, often reflecting the worst behavior that is tolerated.

00:15:02.600 We need to understand that leadership can come from anywhere and doesn't have to be tied to authority. Leaders should focus on understanding the unique qualities of their teams to empower everyone and meet the objectives of the organization.

00:15:50.660 To grow a culture, one needs a stable environment, a clear understanding of every component, enough time for the culture to settle, objective analysis, and, significantly, nourishment to ensure culture thrives.

00:16:38.060 In a culture, shared values foster a positive shift while in a cult-like organization, judgments become restrictive. Additionally, a culture expects change and embraces individuality, whereas a cult fears change and seeks conformity. The members in a culture strive for growth while in a cult, members simply seek to belong.

00:17:39.540 In summary, organizations must embrace individuality, shared experiences, and develop true connections in a workspace. A collaborative team where personal experiences are valued leads to a much healthier environment.

00:18:15.800 Ultimately, ensure that both leaders and members are empowered to create change and accountability equally. No one should face punishment for questioning practices that seem unnecessary. Prioritize your values, beliefs, and fulfillment for true growth.

00:18:57.860 As you move to weigh all these factors, remember that your company's culture is your operating system. Every organization will have a culture—it cannot be avoided—so question what kinds of values, shared beliefs, and systems you're creating.

00:19:37.500 Finally, regardless of your position in the hierarchy, you have the tools to contribute positively to the culture and empower those around you. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoyed GuruCo!