Culture

It’s great to preach your culture when everything’s coming up aces. You can hang your posters and tout your awards. How every boastful of you!

But, your culture is who you are. Not who you say you are.

Your culture is the worst behavior your leadership will tolerate. What you’ll allow some people to get away with.

It’s who you are when things are breaking and it gets stressful. When deadlines are looming and something falls through.

What happens when you feel like yelling at someone and whether you go through with it or not. What happens if you do.

Your culture is who you choose to hire and who isn’t a “good fit”.

Your culture is not the benefits and perks you offer. Good as they are. It’s whether your teams feel empowered to tackle the right problems. Or are you burying them in bad work?

It’s not whether you put on a good smile as you walk through the office but the toxic thoughts you hold in private. That nonsense seeps out in a hundred different ways.

Your employees will determine the culture. It is not a decree handed down from the top. It is organic and ever changing.

If you actually want a great culture, you can do something about it. Listen to those in the organization who you would never think to invite to a meeting about defining you culture.

You can start there.