10 "not-so-secret" steps for business success - Step #8

Step #8 - Mold and nurture your organization's culture . . .

Like thumbprints that are unique to each individual, similarly, each organization has its own identifying culture. This culture reflects the personality of the organization and can range across the spectrum. Some examples of cultural characteristics include laid back, paranoiac, hard-driving, touchy-feely, callous, benevolent, militaristic, competitive, and bureaucratic, just to name a few. A culture can be positive or negative, and will evolve and develop despite whether the leadership intentionally creates it or not. The goal is to mold and nurture the desired culture so as to achieve ultimate success.

Once in place, can a culture be changed? Yes, but it can be extremely difficult. This involves identifying the culture that currently exists, and then stepping back to objectively evaluate the overall “feel” of the entity. The employees of the organization will take their cue from the top, and respond accordingly by resonating and imitating that behavior. As a former independent auditor, it was easy to sense the distinctive culture of a company, usually after having only spent a few days onsite observing the way it operates. The culture goes well beyond the mission statement, and involves the daily interaction of employees, customers, and management. It's an intangible, but it can certainly be detected.

To navigate towards a successful culture, the leadership needs to visualize and define the cultural message that it wants to convey. From there, it’s about acting and behaving in a manner that exudes and cultivates that desired feel, and it involves leading by example. A culture is contagious, and it permeates the organization. The determining factor as to whether the cultural “thumbprint” is effective and positive always begins and ends at the top of the organizational food chain.

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