Building “Sticky Cultures”
Sean Glaze, a former basketball coach who has seamlessly transitioned into a sought-after leadership and workplace culture expert, and the founder of Sticky Cultures. Glaze shared his unique journey, revealing how his initial struggles as a head basketball coach—resulting in a disheartening 5 wins and 21 losses—served as a pivotal moment. This significant “failure rate” led him to the crucial realization that organizational success hinges not just on talent and strategy, but on a robust and intentional culture. His experience highlighted the profound parallels between the dynamics of a sports team and a business organization, underscoring how interpersonal elements are key to successful implementation of technical strategies.
Five Pillars of a Great Team
Sean learned a crucial lesson when his first coaching methods backfired. His philosophy, “praise validates, pain educates” emphasizes that while praise can offer affirmation, it’s often the experience of failure and discomfort that truly inspires growth and improvement, particularly if one remains “coachable.” Through his book Rapid Teamwork, five critical areas are outlined for leaders to build a great team, encapsulated by the acronym “FOCUSED”: Focusing on goals, building Out relationships, Clarifying expectations, ensuring Unwavering accountability, and providing Sincere recognition for Efforts, ultimately leading to a Durable team. He notes that while leaders may excel in some areas, neglecting others presents significant opportunities for cultural improvement.
The Ecosystem of Sticky Cultures
Sean Glaze’s body of work extends beyond leadership, addressing every stakeholder within an organization. His book, The Ten Commandments of Winning Teammates, focuses on empowering individual contributors, advocating for a shift in mindset from “what’s easy or convenient for me” to “what does the team need?” This emphasizes the impact of individual attitude and actions on collective success. Following this, Staying Coachable delves into overcoming complacency and fostering a willingness to adapt to change. Rather than commanding, leaders should be curious and compassionate, guiding individuals to identify their own “gaps” for growth. Finally, What Effective Leaders Do provides essential guidance for individuals promoted to leadership roles, acknowledging that being a great individual performer doesn’t automatically translate into effective team leadership, thus completing a holistic cycle for building and sustaining a sticky culture.
Defining “Sticky”
For Sean Glaze, a “sticky culture” goes beyond simply retaining employees; it’s about creating an environment where people stick up for each other, stick to values, and feel genuinely supported in their growth and improvement. The evolving nature of the modern workplace, where employees may not stay for decades but rather for a few years to gain specific skills and experiences. In this context, a sticky culture ensures that even when employees leave, they become “boomerang employees” or advocates for the organization, speaking positively about their experiences. This long-term investment in people, rather than relying on fear or consequences, fosters a safe space for sharing mistakes, asking for help, and offering innovative ideas, ultimately benefiting the organization as a whole.
The Intentional Design of Experience
Glaze delves into the foundational principle of culture change: behaviors are driven by beliefs, and beliefs are shaped by awareness, which in turn stems from experiences. He stresses that true improvement isn’t merely a result of years of experience, but rather a product of intentional awareness cultivated through meaningful interactions. For leaders, this means designing purposeful experiences, conversations, and activities that provoke insights and shift awareness.
