Pixar has a unique practice. When the first draft of a movie is ready, the studio invites all new employees — including engineers, janitors, and baristas — to a screening and encourages them to offer suggestions on how the movie can be improved. To those taken aback by this invitation, Pixar’s President simply says, “Whatever you were before, you are a filmmaker now. We need your help to make our films better.”
Many organizations would be hesitant to do this because it sends a signal of fallibility. But Pixar accepts that no movie is great in its initial stage. It encourages a sense of collective ownership across roles so that these drafts can go from ‘decent’ to ‘brilliant’.
Some of us think that good and high-performing cultures must be brilliant all the time — smooth and happy, hitting no roadblocks. Daniel Coyle — author of the bestselling book, The Culture Code — thought so too. Until he started studying organizations like Pixar and uncovered a surprising truth: teams that perform well are not trouble-free. They are prone to making mistakes and having arguments.
High-performing cultures do not cruise in comfort. They are good at guaranteeing ‘voice’ and turning toward their tensions together. Just look at Pixar — everybody feels confident enough to pitch in, take responsibility, and react promptly when help is needed. In contrast, bad cultures shy away from problems because they worry too much about reputation. They keep ignoring the problems until the balloon bursts, leaving no space to make amends.
It is better, then, to take one’s troubles head on and solve them as a team. Let’s take a leaf out of Pixar’s book and build cultures that are open to both asking for and receiving help.
If you are drawn to build a high-performing culture, Mentora Institute offers a number of Master Classes that translate this science into practical behaviors: Giving Effective Feedback, Having Crucial Conversations, and Building Psychological Safety. We also offer an Executive Program on Building High-Performance Teams.