Cultural change: a way to spur growth: an internal culture upgrade, although seldom considered primarily for financial reasons, is an effective way to bolster both growth and profitability.

• Author: Emmerich, Roxanne

CULTURE IS THE LEADING PREDICTOR OF FUTURE BANK GROWTH AND PROFITABILITY. Good news if you have a great culture. Otherwise--not so much.

I can say unequivocally that banks that turn their cultures around turn their profits around quickly, too. And with abundant acquisition opportunities, you know the importance of getting your own house in order before you compound the situation.

So why change the culture?

According to Gallup organization research, the number of disengaged employees in the last five years has gone from 30 percent of the workforce to over 70 percent, and the lost productivity of actively disengaged employees costs the U.S. economy $370 billion annually. It's hard to imagine a more alarming statistical shift for the business world.

Disengaged employees are 22 times less likely to advocate for your organization and six times less likely to recommend your products and services. They are four times less likely to understand customer needs and how to meet them.

If that's not enough to make you want to curl up in the corner, the deep unhappiness they bring into the workplace just might do it. While 86 percent of engaged employees say they often feel happy at work, just 11 percent of the disengaged say the same. Unhappy people do not a healthy culture make. They bring their dysfunctional approaches and contaminate the well.

There's a lot going on that's beyond your control. Fully 27 percent of the workforce is receiving treatment for mental health issues while uncounted others remain untreated. With 153 million prescriptions for antidepressants written each year, know that you have a plethora of people who are challenged every day. Even those who are being treated are still in pain, and they often push that pain and hurt onto others. They bring their phobias, sadness and projections into your workplace to create "messes."

There isn't much you can do to change these national trends. The question remains: What do you do to protect yourself so these challenges don't destroy your potential for a great culture?

The real problem, as you'll see below, is that people are operating off of "agreements." They may not be written down, and most are not healthy, but they are accepted agreements. Until they are replaced by healthier and clearly understood agreements, it all feels futile--and for good reason.

Tolerating gossip by listening or participating is one of the standard "agreements" that suck the potential and joy out of an organization...