A culture is a framework in which people operate. It defines how decisions are made, how teams interact, and how values are projected externally. It is expressed in everyday actions, such as how successes are celebrated, mistakes are handled, and behaviors are encouraged, going far beyond formal statements or policies. What behaviors are modeled and tolerated is far more powerful than any stated strategy.
A leader can demand certain behaviors and activities to occur, but what happens depends upon the culture and the climate around it. Which begs the question?
How much understanding do you have regarding your culture? Is your culture intentional and how much understanding do your leaders and team members have regarding your organization?
Deep understanding, not surface head nodding in order to get on with the next task or receive acceptance from leadership.
Do all employees understand:
- Why our company exists
- How customers should be treated
- How fellow employees should be treated
- Why our customers chose us over the competition
- What are their responsibilities
- How we are performing to our stated objectives
- What behaviors are encouraged, tolerated, or disciplined
To get the most out of our employees, we must share our understanding about how our business should be run and have faith that they will execute with discipline based on understanding. But first, as leaders, we must have a clear understanding of the culture we want to lead.
Jonathan Jones (Jonathan.jones@vistagechair.com or 314-608-0783) is a CEO peer group chair/coach for Vistage International.