I'm your host, Amy Dardis, and we are continuing our seven-part series on creating alignment with your people. In this series, we're exploring the three dimensions of alignment culture, capacity, and contribution. So far in this series, we've unpacked the first three parts of culture alignment. And so if you've missed any of those episodes so far, in episode 12, we talked about just the creating alignment with your people overview. In episode 13, we talked about values alignment and defining what we believe. In episode 14, we talked about work style alignment and understanding how we operate. And in episode 15, we talked about traits alignment and understanding what to look for in the people who will thrive within our organization. And so today we are diving into the fourth and final piece of the culture alignment dimension, which is non-negotiables. So your non-negotiables what you will not tolerate. They are the behaviors, attitudes, and choices that cross a line that if left unchecked, if allowed to breathe, breed, if allowed to grow, if allowed to just be tolerated, it will erode trust. It will damage your culture and it will undo everything you've worked to build. So what we're trying to do is provide clear, objective clarity to negative behavior that we understand violates what we value and what we believe. So if core values are the light, then non-negotiables are the dark. And we're simply defining both so that we have a more solid boundary and we have a clearer picture. So we're not necessarily creating something new, we're just adding an additional lens to what it is we believe and what it is that we stand against. So core values are the light side, they're the good side. If we're talking about good versus evil, if we're talking about the force and Star Wars and, you know, the good side and the dark side. You know, this is this is that helps you imagine it. We are looking at the values as being the beliefs and the behaviors that we want to see more of. We want that to really permeate how we operate. We want that to be the driving force. We want that to be what we see all the time. And then the non-negotiables define the dark side. And they're the behaviors that stand in direct opposition to what you believe, to the behaviors and the beliefs that you want to be driving your organization. So it's not an emotional reaction or a punishment list, it's an objective boundary that protects what's good. And non-negotiables just help bring clarity to that negative behavior and it creates helps it to be objective, not subjective. So that when we define it, when we call it out, it removes any room for there to be a gray area. It removes any opportunity for there to be misinterpretation because we're so clear about what it is we stand for, and we're so clear about what it is that we will not tolerate within our organization or what we will recognize as a red flag that needs to be nipped in the butt immediately. And by having put words to it, by having made it objective, it makes it easier and easier to call out, to address, to coach on, for your people to hold each other accountable, for you to hold your people accountable, for you to hold yourself accountable. Like this really does help create an environment of accountability when we can define both what it is that is good that we want to promote and what it is that we are staying away from. So some examples of non-negotiables. So if your values define what you stand for, your non-negotiables define what you stand against. And I'm gonna give you some examples because this isn't a rocket science concept by any means. Um, it's pretty straightforward. It's honestly just the power of calling it out and writing it down and talking about it that is really what makes a difference. So some examples that you might be familiar with that you would be like, yeah, that's a non-negotiable, obviously, would be like lying or stealing. Like those are common workplace tablets habits that violate core values. And you're like, yes, obviously, fireball offense, like that's not okay. But here are some other examples that maybe you're like, oh my gosh, these things happen all the time in workplace cultures that people get away with it. And it's like, yes, they do. Which of these things are you not going to allow to happen in your organization? So here are some examples. One example is excuse making. So deflecting responsibility or blaming others. If you are an organization that values extreme ownership, then excuse making would be the opposite of that. It is there is no room to deflect responsibility or blame others. Another example would be tolerating mediocrity, doing just enough to get by. Well, if you are a culture that values excellence, then mediocrity is is not negotiating, it's non-negotiable. Like we don't have room for that here. We do not allow that, we do not tolerate that. Uh, chronic urgency, so creating chaos or unnecessary pressure. Like if you are a business that values peace and thoughtfulness and making wise, thoughtful decisions and planning ahead, then allowing urgencies and fires and emergencies to happen in order to upheave the system, like that is not that's that's the opposite of what you value. Comfort over growth, so resisting change, feedback, or new ideas. So that's gonna be the opposite of someone who values innovation, who values brainstorming, who values new ideas. Now, in some organizations, comfort over growth is not in opposition to what someone values. If if what you value is not innovation, if it's consistency, if it's rule following, if it's structure, then something like comfort over growth, that's not in violation to what you believe. But for someone who values innovation, it is. Ego-driven leadership can also be an example of a non-negotiable. So needing to be right instead of doing what's right, or really promoting selfish ambition over the team and the greater good, just like you could have something very similar, like self-preservation over service. So employees or leaders who protect their own image, their own pride, their own comfort at the expense of the team's success. Is that something that violates what you stand for? Or you're like, uh, well, depending on depending on what it is you value, it's going to determine this, this non-negotiable that you that you may or may not have. Broken commitments, saying you'll do something and then not following through. So if you are a company that values doing what you say you will do, being dependable, being reliable, then broken commitments would be a non-negotiable that very much aligns and stands in opposition to what you value. Having an us versus them mentality, so creating division between departments or roles, this can cause all kinds of dysfunction and chaos. However, if you're a business that very much has a team of lone independent thinkers, where you have a team, you have a mission, and the goal is to accomplish the mission, to accomplish the objective, and you send them out in their different directions each day to go and get it done, then an us versus them mentality isn't necessarily in direct opposition to that. But if you're a team that values teamwork and collaboration and there being unity and cohesiveness within how your teams and your departments work together, then having someone who is manipulating or causing drama or purposely trying to create some kind of division or discord, that stands in direct opposition to what it is that you value. You could have a non-negotiable like neglecting preparation, which for some businesses is like, uh, that's that's not really a big deal here. But if you're a business that values being prepared, thoughtful research, showing up on time, organized and ready to go, then neglecting preparation violates that because you have people who are showing up unready, they're unorganized, and they're just winging it. And that is, you are not a business that values winging it. You decide what it is that makes the most sense for you. You could have something like dismissive attitudes, so disregarding ideas or input from others, defensiveness, reacting to feedback instead of receiving it, carelessness, ignoring safety, quality, or process standards. Like, but if you were a company that values process, values safety, value standards, just like one of the examples businesses we've been talking about, carelessness would be in direct opposition. That would be a non-negotiable, or something like disrespectful communication. So eye rolling, interrupting, or talking over people. And you can probably listen to these things, and some of them are gonna like really ruffle your feathers, and some of them are gonna be like, I get it, I see why that could be an issue, but you know, in our business, it it's it's not a big deal. But culture and alignment very much is dictated by what you tolerate, what you allow. And I say culture is the sum of the behaviors you allow. So by calling these specific things out as a non-negotiable, you are saying you are committing, you are making it clear, you are setting the standard that you will not tolerate these specific attitudes, these specific behaviors. And it's not about having a long list, it's not about it being this like restrictive environment. It's really about prioritizing the things that are in direct opposition to your values and that will threaten that alignment, that will threaten unity, cohesiveness, trust, because that is so important for your business to succeed and be consistent and to be authentic. We can't do those things. We can't be accountable to each other and to our brand and to our customers if we are allowing these non-negotiable behaviors to exist in our organization. So by just defining them, it's gonna help you avoid these behaviors intentionally and unapologetically. Like you are coming out boldly with this by making a statement, you are making a stand and know that it is a battle you are willing to fight. And the more specific you are, the less doubt and uncertainty can exist. Like the less room there is for misinterpretation or, oh, well, I thought it was this. I didn't know that that's what you meant by that. Don't allow that situation to even exist because you've been so clear up front. And the other cool thing apart about being so clear is when you're building your team and you're going through your interview process, your onboarding process, or your recruiting process, the more upfront you can be about these things, the better you are going to qualify your candidates. And being able to ask questions in an interview process about some of these non-negotiables, it'll give you a better idea of like, okay, wow, I thought this person valued what we valued. I thought this person aligned with our work style. But they're telling me stories that highlight some of these red flags. So by defining what our red flags are, it puts it on our radar. It just makes us more aware of staying away from these things, of avoiding these behaviors at all costs. So, in our example of our tale of two brands and our two builders that we have, we have precision builders and we have vision builders. So, precision builders, they value safety, consistency, integrity, and their work style is very structured and process driven. And their non-negotiables would protect those pillars by eliminating behaviors that create risk, chaos, or compromise quality. So for them, non-negotiables would look like cutting corners. Like we do not cut corners, we do not ignore checklists, SOPs, or safety tips to save time. Well, that's really super clear, isn't it? It's like, oh, okay, don't ever ignore the SOP. You follow it to the letter. Broken commitments. When you say saying you'll do something and then not following through. Like when we say we will do something, like we are dependable, we are accountable, and we're a type of team that when we say we're going to do something, we're going to follow through. Uh, careless documentation, skipping change orders, inspection reports, or sign-offs, or not documenting the changes that need to be, or documenting the processes to the level of detail that we need. Complacency, assuming good enough instead of double checking for accuracy, or a disregard for safety. So neglecting protective gear or protocol. So this is gonna be a company that that really does value things being black and white. It values the process, it values the clarity, it values the safety. And so you're they're looking for people who like to follow the rules, who like to be clear on the rules, who like a process to follow. This is not the this is not the place for someone who enjoys the gray area, who enjoys, you know, interpreting things creatively. Like, and the and the more we know that, the better and better we're going to make decisions, and the better and better we're going to be able to disqualify people. And honestly, it's it's for their benefit. It's it's for your benefit too. It's for your business, it's for your team, but honestly, it's for them as well. Because they would not be happy working in a company that was this strict and this rigid. And it would create all kinds of frustration, it would create all kinds of tension. And they would feel like a bad person because you would consistently having these coaching conversations, consistently having to address these issues of, hey, you didn't follow the process, you didn't follow these safety procedures, you cut this corner here to be more efficient, or you found a better way to do it. But that's not how we do it here. And it's just gonna be like this constantly pointing out all their mistakes and all their flaws, except that for them, they're like, I'm trying to do the best I can, and it feels like it's never good enough. And it's the they are just misaligned. And the sooner we can identify that, the better for everybody involved. And the best place to identify that is in the interview process, is before you ever hire them and have them join your team. And you can do this because you can be so clear about this is what we value, this is our work style, these are our non-negotiables, and they can be like, oh, yikes, that that doesn't really sound all that appealing. Like you are being very clear about your expectations, and it gives them a chance to walk away and find something better. So Vision Builders, however, is a different kind of company. They value innovation, adaptability, creativity, and challenging the ordinary. So their work style is fast moving, they're flexible, they're very collaborative. And so some of their non-negotiables are going to be they have no tolerance for closed-mindedness. So people who reject new ideas or feedback without consideration. Like that is not how they build better and smarter. Chronic indecision, I mean, you're like, oh, I analysis, paralysis, right? But in this specific situation, they they don't want to slow their progress down because of fear of overanalysis, the fear of someone who needs to measure 99 times and cut once and really needs to be sure this is a business that values trial and error and just like, hey, let's try it. Let's see if it works. And if it doesn't, we'll pivot and we'll try something else. Someone who is makes excuses, someone who blames others instead of finding a way forward. So, in like coming up to an obstacle in an issue, like let's say we're, you know, going through this build process and and there's an obstacle in the way, it's the person who throws their hands up and gets frustrated and be like, I don't know what to do about it. There's no way around this, versus someone who's like, no, like let's think about this, let's let's get the whiteboard out, let's talk through this, like let's think outside the box here. Two very different reactions. Now, the person who is going to thrive at vision builders is not gonna thrive at precision builders, and the person who works for precision builders is not gonna thrive at vision builders. And I wanna bring in one more example of why it's so important to define both sides of this. So, even in the Bible, the Bible talks about the fruits of the spirit, and in Galatians 5, Paul lists the acts of our sinful nature. So he's very specific and he actually lists it out and he talks about things like envy, jealousy, selfish ambition, anger, impurity, hatred. Like he gives us a list of what it looks like when we're living in our sinful nature. And then he contrasts it with the fruit of the spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So one list shows what life looks like when it's led by the flesh, and the other shows what it looks like when it's led by the spirit. So Galatians 5, 19 through 23 says, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrels, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. So even in the Bible, we are being given this clear idea, this picture of this is what it looks like to follow God, to live a life that bears good fruit. This is what it looks like. But then he also gives us an example of this is what it looks like when you don't abide, when you don't stay connected, when you don't plant your roots into God's word. Like he gives you what it looks like differently. So that way, not only do we know what good looks like, we know what not good looks like. And that helps us recognize when we're doing the right thing and when there are things coming up in our life that shouldn't it helps us call it out because it's not just like this one-time thing. We're not perfect. Even when we have the best values and the best traits and the best working style, even when we have this alignment, at the end of the day, we are still human, we still fall short, we still sin, we still have bad days, we still need to be corrected and encouraged and affirmed. And these principles, these values we have, these non-negotiables that we have, they help us do that within our business. They help our our employees be clear so that they know when they're when they're thriving, they know when they're doing well, they're clear about what success looks like. But it also helps them recognize, like self-recognize, oh man, there's something going on in my life, and it is bringing out this side of me, and I need to correct this behavior, I need to address this behavior. Or maybe they're sensing that there's some misalignment that's happening, and it's they're seeing that it's causing this tension and this friction within the team and the business, and maybe they even have the thoughts of maybe this isn't the place for me. And that's what having this picture helps us do. So our core values are kind of like the fruit of the spirit, and our non-negotiables are kind of like the acts of the flesh. And so the fruits of the spirit and our values, they're representing the light, they're representing what we want to cultivate and multiply. And our non-negotiables, they're the things that destroy trust, destroy unity, and need to be checked. They need to be addressed. And so we want to just paint the whole picture, not just one side of it. So that wraps up this culture dimension of creating alignment with our people and the four components of it, which were our values, our work style, the traits, and the non-negotiables. And so, next episode, we are diving into the capacity dimension. So stay tuned for the next episode. As always, you can learn more at ClearAuthenticbrands.com. That's all for this episode. See you next time.