Diary of an Engineering Manager - Your Team's Culture Starts with You

Why Team Culture Matters

If you’ve read my previous posts, you know I firmly believe that a manager is, first and foremost, a leader. One of a leader’s most significant responsibilities and privileges is shaping their team’s culture. This culture can make or break the team.

Throughout my nearly 20-year professional career, I’ve witnessed great leaders cultivate cultures that fostered the right values, enabling teams to grow and thrive. Conversely, I’ve seen poor managers create toxic environments where people wanted to escape at all costs.

A team’s culture stems from multiple sources, some within our control, others not. This post focuses primarily on the factors we can control, while also addressing challenges arising from those we can’t.

Start With Your Core Values

In my previous post, I discussed how every leader possesses a set of core values/principles that define their leadership style and guide them daily, especially during hardships. As a leader, your team’s culture begins with these core values.

For me, these values include accountability, a growth mindset, and collaboration. When interacting with team members and guiding their interactions, these values serve as my compass.

If you, like me, believe accountability is crucial for a functional team, it will become a primary aspect of your team’s culture. Over time, team members will internalize this value, even if they didn’t initially.

This premise assumes your core values are positive, leading to a positive team culture. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many of us have worked in dysfunctional or toxic teams. Did those managers lack positive core values or deviate from them? There’s no simple answer.

I believe most people have good intentions. However, various factors influence a team’s culture, some beyond the direct manager’s control. Under immense pressure from above, it’s challenging to uphold your core values. Some default to survival mode, prioritizing personal survival over the team’s well being. As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Conversely, the weak disappear.

Be the Example of the Culture You Want

I’ve seen many individuals claim to uphold certain values but fail to consistently demonstrate them. I’m not referring to occasional slips. I’m talking about a pattern of inconsistency.

If you can’t embody the core values you advocate for, how can you expect your team to do so?

Team members look to leaders for cues, observing their behaviors in various situations. If a leader doesn’t practice what they preach, the team will notice. Over time, trust erodes, and the team may become dysfunctional.

For instance, if you aspire to have a culture of technical excellence but consistently allow bugs into the codebase without enforcing strict processes to eliminate them, your team will perceive that you don’t truly value technical excellence. Consequently, they’ll act accordingly, making it increasingly difficult to fix the situation.

Remember, “Put your money where your mouth is.” If you expect your team to behave or perform in a certain way, you must be willing to do so yourself, uncompromisingly.

Dealing With Challenges

Sometimes, reality requires adapting or making changes to your team’s culture. In such cases, you have two options:

1. Agree or Disagree and Commit

If you agree with the required changes or choose to commit despite disagreements, have a candid conversation with your team. They need to understand that you’re not abandoning your core beliefs overnight.
Demonstrate that you’re adapting to a changing environment to help the team succeed. Be transparent and ready to answer tough questions. If your team senses a lack of authenticity, they’ll judge you harshly and lose faith in your leadership.

2. Disagree and Step Away

As highlighted in Mahesh Guruswamy’s book, "How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away With It", if you’re asked to adjust your core values and team culture against your judgment or will, consider leaving your position.
If you don’t believe in the changes, how can you expect your team to? Ultimately, this scenario often leads to your departure. It is better to make that decision yourself than have it made for you.

Navigating Conflicting Visions

Another challenge arises when your manager has their own agenda and vision for the team’s culture. Ideally, your core values and your manager’s culture will intersect or complement each other. In such cases, incorporate their vision into your team’s culture, treating it as your own and defending it as you would your core values.

However, if your manager’s values and culture contradict yours, it’s a complex situation. Conflicting values don’t necessarily indicate that one is right and the other is wrong. For example, suppose you believe in making key team decisions through consensus, while your manager prefers a centralized decision making process. Who’s right? Both approaches have merits and shortcomings.

Life isn’t always black and white. In such cases, open dialogue with your manager is crucial. Seek common ground and define values that work for both of you. Occasionally, you might persuade them to change their approach. However, if they firmly believe their way is correct, you must decide whether to disagree and commit or step away.

Conclusion and Summary

Building and maintaining a healthy team culture is one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of leadership. Key takeaways include:

1. Core Values Matter: Your core values as a leader are the foundation of your team’s culture. They must be authentic and consistently demonstrated.
2. Lead by Example: Actions speak louder than words. Embody the culture you wish to create. Your team will follow your actions more than your words.
3. Adaptability vs. Integrity: While adapting to changing circumstances is important, there’s a fine line between flexibility and compromising your core values. Sometimes, the hardest leadership decisions involve choosing between adaptation and standing your ground.
4. Managing Upward: Navigating your manager’s cultural vision requires balance. Success often lies in finding common ground while maintaining essential aspects of your team’s culture.

Remember, building a strong team culture is a continuous journey filled with challenges but rewarding nonetheless.