Creating a great culture is a lot easier than we think!

I’ve been around many organizational and corporate cultures in my career and I’ve seen all kinds.

Cultures that just plain suck, where people grind it out day after day, no thanks or sense of value, just a paycheck and occasional company holiday party.

Cultures where nothing gets done, and no one gives a crap about the work they do, the effort they put in, or the results of their mistakes.

Cultures where incredible things are being accomplished, but people are scared, depressed, sick, or even lost.

I’ve also seen places where people thrive. Where the People and the organization come together as one and actually create things, live fulfilling lives, and go home each day smiling.

What? Really?

Yes, they do exist! They exist all over the planet. Places where people work or give of themselves to organizations and corporations as though they are in a family.

They don’t feel like they are going to work every day, they feel like they are going to their lives each day. They are inspired and energized by the work or the environment.

No, this is not some sort of utopian civilization yet to exist on this planet, there are plenty of small and large businesses, and organizations of every sort where people live inspiring lives.

Why?

Because each of these places has approached the creation of culture in a manner that is awakening and inspiring, not the same old same old.

In observing so many performance cultures over my career, I’ve come to realize that there are some really valuable cultural ignition switches that anyone who wants to create an inspiring culture can put into practice.

Engage people with character before talent

A good friend of mine Hubert Marsolais runs three of the best restaurants in Montreal. In a town known by foodies as a metropolis for gastronomy, where your food and your service must shine if you want to stand out amongst the competition, Marsolais depends on the outstanding culture of his team to create the best ambiance and the best food day in day out.

How does he do it you may ask?

One of his founding principles is to hire character before talent. As Hubert says, “you can teach people how to do things, but you can’t teach character”.

The how, and the what of food preparation or service are important, but if the person delivering them just doesn’t care, it doesn’t matter how well imprinted or defined the script or recipe might be, the customer just won’t feel it or taste it.

If the customer doesn’t connect, chances are, they won’t return to spend their money on your food and your service, and you will soon be one of a myriad of restaurants that open and close in all the cities across the world yearly.

Marsolais has created not one, but three of the best restaurants in Montreal whose reputations have stood the test of time, each at the top of the charts for many years.

Character creates culture and culture supports character, they are mutually supportive, and in his humble opinion, the character is king!

Make room for opportunity

If you want your culture to thrive, you have to provide opportunity within the world you’ve created.

What do I mean by opportunity?

Your team must feel that they can grow, that they can serve their spirit, and they can rise up within the space. If they feel like they are limited, can’t contribute, or can’t rise beyond their current station, they will eventually tire of being a part of the team.

This doesn’t mean they have to be able to earn more money or have a fancy title. In fact, many businesses and organizations make the mistake of thinking that by just paying people more, or giving them the corner office, they will be happy, and in the end, these things are not what serve our souls.

To feel like you are contributing to the growth and development of the organization, that your contribution is of value, and that you can in turn grow within the organization is a must-have these days.

In a world where lateral and vertical movement is far more available, and people are just not afraid to go somewhere else to find fulfillment, the culture within your organizational space is a key element in securing their loyalty.

Give your people the chance to shine.

Make the ground rules simple and clear

Policies and procedures meant to make all things equal and honest within an organization simply hamstring culture.

People don’t flourish inside the mandated structure. If for every decision there are six steps, and three people to speak with, then time becomes ever-constraining. Function becomes defined by too many variables. People feel bogged down, and in the end, they stop moving forward.

They simply begin to exist within the structure instead of reaching, risking, and learning by trying.

Take the time to evaluate what your key definitive rules are, what are the un-breakables? Make them clear to everyone, and hold people accountable to them, but beyond that, let your people explore the possibilities. Let them make mistakes and learn from them.

A good friend of mine who has worked for 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry in sales told me once that the best boss she ever had, had one rule. “Do what you feel is right, but make damn sure you let me know what you did so I can back you up”.

Simple and clear, it says, “I trust you, but just make sure you don’t put me in a spot where I look stupid and we’ll both rise together”.

Rules should facilitate, not inhibit the process!

Structure and Flow

Speaking of rules!

The idea of structure in any system is to provide room and clarity for flow. Flow is the opportunity to be, think, create, and explore. Any organization or business cannot be successful without some structures or systems. This yin and yang between structure and flow are important to any businesses’ foundation for success.

The key to structure and flow is identifying a “flexible” system that allows those who are more flow-oriented to be fluid and unencumbered, and those who are more structure-oriented to have systematic anchors from which they may flourish.

It may even be necessary to have independent systems within the “zones” of an organization. As an example, structure-oriented areas of business like finance or engineering might need greater levels of structure, while areas of an organization that have a greater dependence on free-thinking like the design or artistic expression may need more room to flow.

That being said, no matter how flow-oriented a person might be, they will have some fundamental structures that center them when necessary, and no matter how structured someone might be, they will from time to time allow their minds to drift into a flow state where they may be creative.

Find a happy place for your people to flourish.

Lead by example

In any organization or family, those who are in charge or looked toward for direction or leadership must set an example. If you expect others to do things, don’t expect it to happen much if you don’t do it yourself.

Want people to be at your meetings on time? Start them on time!

Want people to submit expense reports? Submit yours!

Want people to take care of their health and well-being so they can be more productive? Then take care of your health and well-being.

Want people to be honest and accountable? Be honest and accountable yourself!

It would seem logical, but quite often those in leadership positions ask people to do things they aren’t willing to do themselves, and that’s when things get very murky.

Pride in the Jersey

Have you heard of the term resistance?

The sticky, gluey, friction-like surface of our mind that stops us from moving forward.

In some ways, it’s a better word for describing the manifestation of fear than using the word fear.

Why?

Because fear conjures up this sensitivity to possible harm, the danger of the moment, and in a lot of instances there really isn’t any harm or a danger present.

It’s more the perception of consequence that is stopping us.

What will people think of me?

How will I be judged?

How will I be ostracized?

Will I be alone?

What will I do if I don’t have “that” anymore? (insert job, car, house, boat, friend, partner, etc.)

Consequence and judgment are a constant circular conversation for most of us.

Get up in the morning and the brain starts chirping about how you don’t want to get up, you aren’t ready for the day, you don’t like waking up, and what’s so good about today!

Everyone has days like that, some have weeks like that, and some have lives like that. Resistance starts upon waking, and the glue begins to harden as the day progresses.

What do you mean you might be saying? I get a lot of stuff done, I’m busy with so many things, and I’m a worker bee!

Aha! That my friend is often resistant just as much as not doing anything is resistance.

Huh?!

Yep, doing things, lots of things, things that seemingly occupy your time, but insidiously erode your “productive” time are all forms of resistance.

What do I mean about productive time?

Real productive time is when what you are doing with your time aligns with what you intentionally wish to create in your life.

If you want to be an amazing writer, then you need to spend time thinking, writing, reading, listening, re-writing, resting, and basically dedicating significant amounts of your time to the art of producing the written word.

But it also means being tactical about it, and not doing it haphazardly, or sporadically, but dedicating real chunks of undisturbed time to being creative.

We need structure in our lives

The first thing we need to do to beat resistance is to create a structure that works for us. Structure is the opposite of flow, and to be able to flow, which is what we need to be able to do to harvest ideas and ultimately be creative, we need structure.

The word harvest infers that you took the time to plant and sew the seeds, you waited for the plants to grow to maturity, and now you are harvesting the bounty.

Just like a real harvest, to harvest ideas, there needs to be a short and long-term structure that creates fertile soil.

Behind every great artist or entrepreneur, the ones who build good bodies of work, not one-offs or occasional flurries, but real tangible and consistent work is a structure of creation. Even if that structure is created for them by a partner or assistant, or team, the structure must be there to support the consistent delivery and quality of expectation.

So anyone who is experiencing resistance needs to first create structures that allow them to be more cognizant of when they must be productive, and when they can rest or un-plug.

Instead what often happens is that without structure, time and space for creation become filled with “stuff”, quick texts, short conversations, long conversations, e-mails, trips to the fridge, trips to the coffee shop, glances at the TV, absorption in a YouTube video, sending Bitmoji’s!

The list goes on and on!

Start to become more aware of where you spend your time and energy

It’s tough to change anything or become better at anything unless you are aware of why you are not good at it in the first place!

So being better and owning your time and energy requires you to have some sense of where you spend these precious properties.

Assignment number one, take the time (haha!) to track your use of time each day. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed each day for 3–5 days, write down at regular intervals during the day in a journal, spreadsheet, or just a simple white sheet of paper, everything you are doing throughout the day.

Don’t just reflect on the major “doing” moments like making and eating breakfast, or writing a memo, or taking the dog for a walk, but also reflect on the “stuff” you were doing to avoid being truly productive.

How long did you sit watching that YouTube video someone posted?

How many times did you check your phone for a new text or e-mail?

How long did you spend standing at someone’s desk or place of work chatting about nothing particularly thought-provoking (maybe you were even gossiping?).

Did you listen to an interesting podcast or audiobook on your way into work, or did you just listen to yourself crap on yourself, or someone else?

How many times did you go to a colleague and ask a question you could have investigated and solved yourself?

How often did you rearrange your desk, move papers, read the same message?

How many times did you tell yourself you couldn’t do something, or you don’t know how to do this or that?

All of this stuff is avoidance behavior.

It’s resistance.

You need to launch it from your life.

The more you are aware, the more you can begin to acknowledge it, and with acknowledgment comes accountability.

With accountability, we can begin to change things.

Hold yourself accountable

The best way to hold yourself accountable is to track things. To keep it simple, especially in the beginning, take some time at the end of the day each day to review and reflect on your day, write down where you used the time well, where you didn’t, and when you felt a sense that time spent was not productive and try to link to why.

Just do this for 3–4 weeks. Then look back at your notes and you’ll start to see trends. Trends you can start to address with intervention. You’ll also just simply become more aware of what you are doing. Awareness, like listening, is a skill we all need to learn. Awareness is the first power in change.

Now start using that same tracker to hold yourself accountable each night to doing better each day. Not being perfect but being better. You’ll soon find yourself looking back at the person you once were with that feeling of “How did I waste so much time?”

Understand your true intentions

Some people get stuck on purpose. What is my purpose, who am I, what am I supposed to accomplish on this earth? These can be overwhelming thoughts and conversations for many people.

If you are aware of your purpose, then this will resonate just that much more, but if not, no worries. The key here is that whatever you are doing each day, use the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of your day should be spent doing things that are directly contributing to building the life you want to have.

Oh boy, that’s a big thought. The life I want to have, what is that?

If you’re a big visionary thinker, then that might be a big vision, but if you aren’t, it might just simply be something that is one increment better than the life you have right now.

Ask yourself a simple question.

If I could change one thing in my life that would create a greater sense of fulfillment in me, what would it be?

Whatever the answer to that question, 80% of your time and energy on a daily basis should constructively connect to that aspiration.

If it’s getting a better job, or opening a business, or being a better parent, then how are you constructing your day so you can achieve that?

That doesn’t mean that if you want to be a better parent, you have to quit your job and stay home, it means that the way you construct your workday, what you do with your time when you get home, how you deport yourself when you are with your children, all of these things become far more important and focused. 

You become aware of how you spend your time and energy moving towards this goal.

You don’t keep looking at your phone when you are with your children? You don’t stare mindlessly at the TV while your child stares mindlessly at their tablet?

You become laser-focused on how you connect with your children.

The same is said for whatever key item you’ve chosen to go after, the one that will make the ultimate difference in your sense of fulfillment. Everyone is different.

Be comfortable in your discomfort

The changes you will need to make will at times feel uncomfortable. You may not like leaving your phone off, or in another room. You may not like staying at your desk and focusing on your work, it may feel strange to immerse yourself in the silence between you and your child. Discomfort is part of the change, it’s part of over-reaching, it’s part of achieving a better you.

Comfort is easy, comfort is warm and cozy. Wash in the discomfort, it is the cleanser of resistance.

If we want to live a more fulfilling and intentional life, we need to recognize the resistance that keeps us stuck in the mud, and eliminate the habits that feed the animal!