It’s been a rough time at Facebook. Or Metaverse or whatever the hell it’s called these days. I’ve been watching this unfold for the past couple of weeks now. And I can say, at best, it’s a PR stunt that may or may not provide damage control to a declining brand.
After a former Facebook employee revealed that the company prioritized profit over the good of the public, Mark Zuckerberg pivoted to distract from the negative press to announce the future of Facebook: Metaverse.
Metaverse is a virtual environment where you can interact with friends and family in a virtual reality format.
So basically Facebook but in virtual reality. Got it. 🤷🏻♂️
Some parts of the world have welcomed the news with open arms. Others…
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey referred to it as “a dystopian corporate dictatorship.”
Heck, even Iceland is getting in on it by posting a parody tourism video mocking Mark Zuckerberg.
Oh, Mark – this isn’t the 1990’s. Do you really think changing Facebook’s name and ‘expanding’ what you offer will make everything all better? Perhaps you should climb down from that billionaire ivory tower from time to time.
Organizational culture isn’t developed by one swift action, it’s an ongoing process and way of being. And changing a name, and creating internal chaos, change, and uncertainty in the process, is NOT going to be some magic panacea to create a stellar culture and brand.
So, back to the whistleblower…If you’re a leader and your business has a toxic culture, it is toxic because you play a role in making it toxic. Own that. Work to change that. Or prepare for a vicious cycle. A cycle that will keep repeating itself unless you make changes to promote a more high performance culture. A culture where employees feel safe, valued, heard, and appreciated.
Sorry, bruh. Metaverse will not make your employees feel safe, valued, heard, and appreciated. It will do the opposite. Especially the way the change is being handled (at least publicly) thus far.
Think you’re too big to fail? Google The Great Resignation.
So what can you learn about creating a high-performance culture so you don’t need to create a Mark Zuckerberg style distraction?
About Scott Span, MSOD, CSM: is CEO at Tolero Solutions. As a people strategist, leadership coach, and change and transformation specialist, his work is focused on people. Through his consulting and training work he supports clients to survive and thrive through change and transition and create people-focused cultures and a great employee experience. Through his coaching work, he supports people willing to dig deeper to identify and overcome what’s holding them back, change behaviors, accelerate performance and achieve their goals.
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