Culture is kind of a big deal around here. I spend a great deal of time teaching entrepreneurs and guiding teams on how to create high quality culture in their organizations. It’s a major component of every business, and it has the power to destroy your company or make you successful.
INC Magazine invited me to do a talk on culture and those lessons have been available in chapters to blog subscribers. Today, I’m featuring three of the lessons in the podcast.
If you’d like my culture talk in it’s entirety, go to the Coaching page and sign up to access the free download.
Question: How Do You Create High-Quality Culture?
Good stuff, Chris!
One thing I’ve used to help companies improve culture is institutionalizing the phase “They don’t work, only we do.”
Cultures that use “they” a lot for people in their own company (e.g., “THEY never turn in their receipts”, “I don’t know when THEY plan to get me what I need, “THEY always run scrap”, etc.) it’s usually rooted in a “victim”/finger-pointing mindset.
During initial company assessments, I listen for people using “they” when they should be using “we”, as an indicator of cultural health. I call it the Pronoun Test.
hahaha…I like that!
Great Podcast this morning Chris – thanks!
Thanks David!
Wow. I heard this when you first released it…but when I heard it again today I learned something completely different. (I think leaders need to have a few repeating messages in their head so they don’t forget – and culture caretaking is one of them.) Thanks for reminding me how important it is to be a stronger communicator about what culture is to look like.
You are a blessing in my life Chris. Have a great day!
Thanks brother!! That’s awesome to hear!
I really love the simplicity of your definition of culture – it’s a complex issue, that is often made even more complex by “experts” but the explaination you deliver in your culture lessons move leaders to an understanding where they can start solving.
“great leaders are almost always great simplifiers” – Colin Powell
So true about how every company has a culture, whether they acknowledge it or not. I’ve been trying to change our company’s culture (from the middle) for a couple of years and it’s slow going as the top guys don’t see a need for change. Any suggestions/resources on how to do that better?