I headed out of the restaurant’s restroom last night then turned right around and walked back in. The sign. Now I have no idea what the sign actually says. I snapped a pic of it for your viewing purposes. As of this writing, I still am clueless as to the meaning of the sign. 

This brings me to the point: the uselessness of signs. 

Is it a stretch to say I can tell the quality of a culture by the number of signs on the wall? I think not. My theory: there is an inverse sign-to-quality culture ratio. The more signs an establishment has taped to the walls, taped to doors, taped in bathroom stalls, the crapier the culture. 

I’m not talking about “No Smoking” signs. (Although the point might hold true, there, too.) I’m talking the signs that say, “Keep this door closed at all times!” and it’s propped open with a scrunched-up magazine. Or the, “Please do not microwave your leftover fish dinner!” as the smell of day-old-salmon wafts through the breakroom. Or the multi-bullet-point sign outlining all behavioral expectations with all sentences starting with 40pt, bold-faced “DO NOT EVER…” 

The thing about signs:

• The person you want to read them by definition won’t–if it didn’t dawn on them to not reheat last night’s tuna casserole in the breakroom, is a sign really going to make them stop? No. 
• People don’t like to be told what to do. Especially by a passive-aggressive sign. 
• They go unseen. People tune them out. The unconscious thought process goes something like: “Oh, a sign. Let’s see what someone got pissed off about enough to open up a word doc, put some clip art on it, and even LAMINATE IT so some other person (not me!) won’t do what the sign says…” 

I get it. It’s much easier to print up a sign than to have a conversation with someone. 

It’s also 100% less effective. 

Hence my theory. When I have worked with organizations that are sign-tastic, the team seems to be rundown. The managers are frustrated. Silos are defined and strong. There’s a lot of talking about each other instead of to each other. “But we have a sign to address that…” 

If you want people to change their behavior, you need to engage them in two-way conversations. If you want the door to stay closed, you need to communicate that, in words, and explain why it’s important the door stays shut. If you want people to change, engage them in the conversation. Ask them questions. Talk about the impact of their actions. Ask them about what they might do differently. Involve them in the process. 

Having spent a fair share of time ripping signs off walls at various establishments, I now see them as a call for help. Not the words on the signs. The signs themselves.  The mere sighting of them indicates a hesitancy, a lack of knowledge, or uncertainty about how to engage and communicate with their teams. 

Put away the laminator and go out there and talk to your team. Save the signs for entertainment.