Behavior and Money

A penny pincher or free spender; scarcity or abundance.  Frugal or extravagant.

Have you ever considered how business leaders' financial temperament has shaped a business's culture?

It’s massive.

A money mindset can be learned in the same way and in the same way as a language.

Our parents and teachers determine it, and then through practice.

So if, in your organization, people are freely investing and willing to pay for high-quality talent and resources, it comes from the leaders' mindset and temperament.

Writing it out makes sense, but I've worked in businesses or been on boards where the thought and idea of money is wildly different.

Not all businesses view money and their financial responsibilities the same way.

Just as in families, there are the misers or free spenders; this shows up in large and small businesses.

The Things We Hide - Moment

Money and how we view it are merely an extension of our fears and insecurities.

One of my parents viewed money as what other people had. When asked about money or things like “Hey, can I get a new pair of shoes?” the response was, “When I win the lottery.”

Or, “We’re broke.”

The mindset around money was scarcity and fear, not abundance and opportunity. 

A personal insecurity drove this fear, one born of circumstance and history.  A death leading to financial changes; bad choices and circumstances leading to significant financial constraints and limited revenues.

What was an incident that transformed into a mindset and, ultimately, a way of life?

Just after my first wedding anniversary, my wife, Kelley, and I participated in a financial education small-group course.

Not the popular one that professes total frugality as the way to financial success, it was similarly faith-based. Still, the basis was understanding and uncovering why we thought about money the way we did.

While my parents had a fearful and destitute view of money, I didn't.  I had worked, I had invested,d and I had spent.  Some things worked out well; others did not.

My wife and her family had a similar but different path.  What was one struggle that turned into abundance and opportunity, partly because they had taken the same class my wife and I had decades earlier?

Learning about money, different views, personal temperaments, and ideologies in a marriage can quite honestly make or break the home.

So much conflict is derived from one factor: money - having it, not having it; spending it or saving it.

Understanding the mindset of money, which is driven by beliefs leading to thoughts, actions, and results, can be the ultimate cheat code in relationships.

Life is all about money, but money is in every part of our lives.  Dismissing its impact not only leads to bigger and greater challenges but also creates a culture of dismissal and abdication.

Only by addressing the fears and insecurities around money and understanding their root causes can someone truly alter their mindset.

Podcast

In Hugh Massie’s experience as an advisor to businesses, as both a CPA and wealth manager, started to see that some leaders and businesses handled and dealt with financial situations within their organizations in totally different ways.

This led him to create a database and platform to analyze the differences, successes, and failures of companies and leaders, based on who was at the helm and their financial temperament.

DNA Behavior is a database and platform that leaders can use to study, discover, measure, and manage the hidden influences of behavior and money attitudes, applicable in business and beyond. 

By applying behavioral science principles, Hugh found a way to uncover an individual's unique behavioral identity and align it to improve decision-making and strengthen relationships with people and money.

From our podcast conversation, I pulled out three points that anyone can use in their personal lives or business to better understand the impact of behavior and money.

• Behavior Drives Financial Success: Hugh shared that learned financial performance is rarely a strategy problem—it’s a behavior problem. The way leaders think, decide, and act every day shapes profitability. Financial drive, innovation, and fiscal discipline matter, but they only work when they’re balanced with intentional relationship engagement. Sustainable success requires both.
  

• Cultural Impact on Organizations: Culture always follows leadership behavior. When companies focus solely on results and ignore relationships—as has been the case in examples like Boeing—the long-term costs eventually surface. The healthiest organizations hold results and relationships in tension, creating psychological safety and performance that actually lasts.
  

• Identity and Leadership: Everything starts with identity. Leaders who understand who they are and why they lead make clearer, more grounded decisions. Reflection and adaptability aren’t soft skills—they’re leadership essentials. When leaders grow personally and lead from a place of self-awareness, better financial decisions follow.

LAST CALL - Until Summer..

Until a person actually addresses their relationship with money, it's really hard to understand why they make the decisions they do.

As it is with money, so it is with other leadership factors and metrics.

The way to discover how we handle financial and personal situations is to do the work of looking into them.

Like the course my wife and I took on our money philosophy, the IDL Roundtable is a place where we can uncover why we lead, act, and work the way we do.

The Spring Cohort of the IDL Roundtable kicks off next week, February 10th, and there are a few spots left.

The 12-week starter meets weekly via Zoom for one hour.

I’d love for you to join us.

Did you catch this podcast? If not, listen to it here.