You go into a restaurant and it's the last hour of service. Lets say you're getting a cheeky Nandos with the boiz. You order your butterfly chicken in hot with some peri fries and rice. The food comes out in 10 minutes instead of the usual 20. They don't ask you if you'd like anything else. Your fries are a bit cold too.

You can sense it almost immediately, you’re not welcomed… All the servers are busy emptying tables, refilling sauces and cleaning up the drinks station. Five minutes into your meal, you notice chairs being placed on top of the tables around you. You're sitting there now contemplating whether you should order the chocolate cake or not. Then the brooms come out. Then the mops. More and more chairs go up and they're moving closer to you.

You start feeling like it's time to leave. You almost feel like you shouldn't overstay your visit. The servers aren't asking you to leave, but you can tell they want to clear up your table too. As soon as you have your last bite, someone comes over. "Did you enjoy your meal? Would you like anything else?" You almost want to tell them you're tempted to have the cake. But you can also hear the fatigue in their voice.

All of this happened through signalling. And the first signal that hits you, the one that always hits you when you try to go to your favourite place to eat in the last hour of service, is that the chairs are on the tables.

That is the power of signalling. One cue. And it dictates your actions and behaviour entirely. Chairs on the tables mean either the place is shut or will be soon. If that same Nandos had its latest ad out by the door, all the lights on and every chair on the floor, you'd walk straight in. Same restaurant. Completely different signal.

Now think about what you do that signals something to the people around you at work. Headphones on signals you're locked in. Door closed signals do not disturb. A "z" on Slack signals you're off for the day. Post-its around your desk signal you have variables on your mind. Using your phone in a meeting signals you don't care. And that's just the individual.

There are signals that organisations create too. Those signals come through in the form of policy or budgets. An unlimited leave policy signals that work and output matter more than time tracking. A no questions asked budget on books or courses signals that your growth actually matters to them. Encouraging a communal lunch time signals that the team's bond is essential to collective outcomes.

In both my companies, I always had these explicit and implicit signals running. But I never really reflected on just how much they influence culture. Talking about these small signals matters so much. And being held accountable for them is even more important.

I'm not the type of guy who would buy a sleeping pod for the office. But I am someone who would rather be told a team member is "just not feeling it today" and needs a day off. With the right signals and cues, so much drama can be avoided. Safe environments can be created. Candid discussions can be had. And a collective buy in to the mission can actually be felt, not just talked about.

I've written about this before, but felt the need to leave a reminder for myself again. People, product, profit. In that very order. Got that from Ben Horowitz in The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Build a strong culture that people value and they'll develop a great product. That great product is what will drive profits.

I've come to realise that defining culture is actually pretty simple. It's just the set of actions and behaviours that are either promoted or discouraged. That's it. And the behaviours you decide to promote or discourage will signal further behaviours and actions. They'll dictate the decisions you make and the positions you align on. If you as the leader don't call out shit talking and indulge in it, you signal to the rest of the team that it's permitted. If you don't promote and highlight the efforts of the quiet ones, you won't really sense long term commitment. If you publicly reward and compensate for effort and results, you will see more team members upping their game.

So next time you're with someone at work or even at home, think about if the chairs are on the table or on the floor. Think about the smallest action you can take that will pass on a meaningful and impactful signal to your broader circle.

Goodbye