Two Ways to Get a Culture–by Design and by Default



Last week I had a conversation with a CEO concerned about what he called an “atmosphere of resentment” festering in the ranks of his organization. That led to a discussion on the “origin of cultures” that I think would make for a profitable topic here in the Qummunity.

My observation to him was that most organizations have fallen into a pitfall similar to Will Rogers’ famous quip, “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.”

Although most organizations talk about their cultures, few take definitive steps to create their culture in the practical everyday detail that establishes and maintains the healthy, supportive environment everyone claims to want. In the absence of purposeful and sustainable methods, cultures simply become the end product of the course of least resistance.

Put directly, there may be “50 ways to leave your lover” (thank you again Neil Simon) but there are only two ways to get a culture—by design or by default.

Either way you get a culture. That’s inevitable.

The Truth About Groups: Put a group of people together, few or many, for almost any length of time and that group forms a culture—a way of relating to each other and to the outside world. For better or worse, people in the group develop patterns that turn into habits—unspoken understandings of “the rules” of what is acceptable with this group and what isn’t. Over time, those patterns of thinking and behaving become the ingrained norm. Regardless of the slogans or mission statements on the walls, people come to know and live by the unwritten laws of what the group is “really about.” And, in the final analysis, the culture becomes the 500-pound gorilla. It does pretty much what it wants.

When the culture is respectful, resilient and energetic it becomes leadership’s strongest ally. When the culture is suspicious, hyper-critical and recalcitrant it is leadership’s greatest foe.

Teams who take a passive approach to culture find change difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Why? Because human nature being what it is, the course of least resistance leads to a culture of non-responsibility, blame, undermining, cynicism, and inertia—and the wasted time, energy, and opportunity that goes with it. The very people who could make change work are the ones who are making sure that it doesn’t.

Teams who seize the initiative to create their cultures by design, cure a multitude of ills that would ordinarily siphon life and vitality.

So that leads me to the discussion point I want to pose to you. What are some of the specific steps your team or organization has taken to create or re-invent a culture?

Your thoughts about these thoughts…

Looking for Gold, the Key to Finding Gold



As many of you know, one of the principles taught in The Ownership Spirit ® seminar, the Othello Principle, states “The Eye Sees What the Mind Looks For.” During the past two days I found myself deriving significant benefit from applying this principle, although it took me a day to wake up and use it.

This weekend I dedicated my time to attending a two-day conference that was geared in part toward helping people live happier, more fulfilling lives by shifting from self-centered living to other-oriented, unselfish service. Both days were replete with outstanding messages from outstanding speakers.

Knowing that nothing has the sure memory of a notepad, I planned on taking notes during the conference, so I could retain as many pearls as possible.

Throughout the Saturday sessions, I made copious notes. When I heard an enlightening idea, I wrote it down. Frequently, as I captured the thought, I said to myself something like, “Wow, that was brilliant.” Or, “There’s a superb insight.” And, “What a ingenious way to illustrate that point. Never heard it put quite like that before.” By the end of the day, I had recorded several pages of valuable ideas and concepts.

Later that night, I went back over my notes. As I did so, something dawned on me. I realized something about the way I had been participating in the conference. It was reflected in the way I had recorded the notes. My point of view was more like a journalist reporting on the concepts rather than like a participant intent on growing and improving by applying the concepts. I thought I had been earnestly engaged in the messages, but my viewpoint was more intellectual than practical. As a result, the actual benefit to my life was quite limited.

And, I thought about that. “Why was I intellectualizing so much? Am I afraid of change? If I’m truly seeking to improve, I need to look for and identify specific points of change.”

Without boring you with any more personal introspections, the end result was that I made a commitment to listen differently to the next day’s sessions. I decided to look for things to do, not just things to know and note. I made a commitment to convert any suggestions made by the speakers into actions. In fact that is how I entitled that day’s notes—“Actionables.”

I am still amazed at what a difference that made in my experience the next day. I thought I had gotten a lot out of the first day’s sessions. Insignificant, compared to what I gained from the second day’s sessions.

As I write this blog, I have, just to the side of my laptop, two sets of notes. One is a list of great ideas that tickled my intellect. The other is a list of meaningful action steps, goals, and changes that, when applied, will improve the way I live my life.

It’s amazing what I can either overlook or what I can see, just by how I set my mind.

 

Your thoughts about my thoughts…