LeadershipLives: The topic of Culture

I am 45 years old. A baby to some and a ancient celestial to others. I’ve lived on the East Coast and the West Coast, worked in government, private sector and the church. I’ve had kids in private, public and homeschool programs. I’ve started my own businesses, partnered with others and consulted a whole slew of entrepreneurs in starting and growing their own businesses. I’ve led homegroups, leadership groups, large teams, small teams… within fortune 100 and garage started organizations.

And yet, despite all that exposure and experience. Despite all my studies and work. Despite all my perceived growth and knowledge, this I can say confidently:

Culture is undefinable.

I know many of you are yelling at me through the screen or have completely left the blog… hello? Anybody still here?

Culture is such a hot topic and has been such a hot topic for all organizations. You’ll hear it a lot as people describe their work environment.

“The world culture is toxic”

“I love the culture there….”

“We want to create a culture of tolerance…”

“We have a winning culture…”

Yet despite the words, despite the propaganda, despite the marketing, the words are just that… words. Even more distressing are when the experience people have within the walls of that organization are everything BUT what the culture is defined as.

And that’s because culture isn’t defined, it’s experienced. It can be described as it is experienced, but it can not be perscribed.

The most common question I get from CEOs is, “How do I change the culture?” Usually they see something they don’t like in how their employees are behaving, and unfortunately, no amount of telling employees how to behave and how to act is going to change the culture. No amount of internal branding is going to change the culture. It might resonate with employees that already are that way, or it might help put language to what employees felt but couldn’t describe, but it’s not going to make a lazy employee suddenly want to work hard.

Many organizations try to put in a reward structure to create a culture of hard work. Reward those that perform, punish those that don’t. And while the sales numbers might make you think it’s a culture of hard work, it really is just a culture of performance and fear.

That’s because culture is not what is happening on the outside of a person, it is what is going on within. It is the heart of an organization, which really means, it is the heart of every person in that organization. Every single time you bring somebody into your organization, be it a company, a sports team, a booster club, a family, you are instantly changing the culture because that somebody carries within them a perspective, attitude, motivation and behavior (and so much more).

What’s even more amazing is that we actually conform to our environment. We become what we see. A person that can not conform does one of two things: They get cast out or they end up changing the environment around them.

There is hope! There is so much hope, because while we can not tell people the culture they need to have, and we can’t define what we want the culture to be, we can both behave in a manner and enforce a structure that creates the environment where the culture we want is more likely to grow. Then you observe, experience, and continue to make adjustments.

I LOVE this topic and there are a million other posts related to this that I will continue to explore and post about over the next month.

Culture is so important. Culture isn’t easy. Culture kinda happens on its own. Culture can make or break a group.

We need to paying attention to culture!

Culture inside-out

“You will always reproduce the environment around you that you cultivate within you” – The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton & Bill Johnson

If you’re doing a double take while scratching your head after reading the above statement, join the club!  The statement above sounds amazing, looks amazing, reads amazing… but what does it actually mean and what are we supposed to do with it?

We spend a lot of time talking about “culture”.  What exactly is it?  Over the course of my home, work and ministry experience, I’ve heard countless people talk about how important “culture” is… but as important as it is claimed to be, it is even more difficult to actually cultivate and sustain it.  I’ve been a part of many organizations, public, private, ministry, and yes, even my own household, where culture is discussed, white boarded, planned around, preached on, taught about… but is not evident in how people talk, or behave.  What is the purpose of culture if it is just merely spoken of but not lived in?

I remember when I was working at a small company (~ 100 employees) and we were bought out by a larger public company.  The larger company’s CEO came and gave this incredible speech, talked to us about his company’s “culture” … and believe me, I was sold, drinking the kool-aid.  But what I quickly realized is that the lower man on the totem pole had nothing to do with what had been claimed as the company culture.  And yes, this happens in all types of organizations, even churches, and yes, even my own home.

So what is the solution?

Well, I’m glad you asked.  It is the quote above that I believe is the solution to culture.  Many times we think of culture cultivation (and enforcement) as an outside job, complete with boundaries, rules, and behaviors.  But really, culture is an inside job.

For a CEO who wants his company to be know for it’s community, that will only happen when each person in that company actually buys in and believes in community.  Or else you have somebody who is bound by rules and trying to behave separate than what their internal values are.

Here is the truth: we are who we are, and eventually, it shows.  And it influences those around us as well as the people we come into contact who learn how to behave around who we are.

What is my point?  We have to realize that culture is a heart matter just as much as it is a mind matter.  We have to stop trying to force culture and stop trying to sell culture.  It has to be caught, bought, and believed.

And that starts with me, and it starts with you.  Living it, doing it, believing it, ESPECIALLY when nobody is looking, because that is the true test of what we actually believe and who we really are.

So I saw let’s talk about culture, but let’s focus on how we can cultivate it within ourselves first, because it will naturally influence the world around us.

Change hurts

I think we can all agree with Heraclitus, the pre-Socractic Greek philosopher who said, “Change is the only constant in life.”  I’ve only lived 40 years on this spherical rock we call Earth but in that time I’ve seen newspapers change to tablets, pay phones change to cell phones, letters change to emails change to text messages, and fashion trends go around and around.  I’ve seen people come and go, houses bought and sold, jobs left and joined, and my own beautiful children grow.  (Talk about the changes children bring into your life… especially when your daughter becomes a teenager…)

It is amazing for me to see my 3 year old daughter manipulate my wife’s iPhone, on her own, with ease (which I don’t condone … another blog for another day) while I teach my mom how to use her phone (and actually get the hang of – Shout out to my mother!)

As everything gets smaller, faster, lighter, and more high-tech, we’re always faced with the decision of changing again and again to stay current and not go the way of the dinosaurs.  (Btw, could there ever be a more hurtful adjective?  Dinosaurs had a small brain, are now extinct, and even the most ferocious T-rex had ridiculously small arms that he couldn’t even use to pick his nose.)

Why do things change so much?  Is there some sociological explanation?  Is there a significant spiritual revelation?  Regardless, it’s safe to assume that change is here and will continue to be here long after you and I are no longer here.  The other truth is that change IS hard, and that’s okay.  In fact, I would venture to say that if change isn’t hard, then maybe there was never a full investment in the original path you are changing from.

As change happens around me, I’m learning to be in touch with my emotions and not afraid of them.  I can do this because I know that change is hard and it’s okay for me to be sad, or upset.  I’m learning to ask others for support and to share my process with others. Why?  Because change is hard and I need a relational community around me to keep me honest with myself.  Finally, I’m asking myself questions about why change is hard so I can give myself an opportunity to discover issues in my belief system that might be out of line with what I know is truth.

In reading the book “Intimacy” by Terry Hershey, the Biblical story of Jesus healing a lame man is brought up.  Jesus asked the man if he wanted to get well in order to hear the man himself confess the desire of his own heart.  The book states that just because we may be in a broken place doesn’t mean we actually want healing.  Sometimes we’re comfortable in the familiar, even if it is painful.

My goal is to navigate change well and not see change as just a constant in life, but a learning opportunity to understand how I can be a better person.  Why is change hard?  What issues is this change uncovering in my heart and head?  Am I having a hard time letting go because my identity is in the circumstance around me?  Am I not wanting to change because I’m comfortable in my past?

 

“Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. . . . God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.” – John Piper

My hope is in the truth that God himself is orchestrating my life as I submit it to Him, every day.  Yes, change is hard, but I see the final destination before me and it is always worth it, because God is worth it!

Community : freedom in boundaries, growth through accountability

“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.” – Paul Ryan

One of the things I talk a lot about is community. Community is one of those buzz-words that a lot of us throw around, but how many of actually know what it means?  While my thoughts on this topic exceed the limit I’m willing to write in a blog, I’ll try my best to cover some of the points that are important to me.

By definition (according to Wikipedia), community is a group of people that share common values. This is a picture perfect image of people harmoniously living together in unity, working toward the same goals, standing on the same values, singing kumbaya every night around a camp fire, filled with story telling, laughter and s’mores.

While this is a great thing, my understanding of community is not to just gather people together because there is a shared common value system…the goal in community is to gather people who want to do LIFE together from that common value system.

A second Wikipedia definition for community is: A group of interactive living organisms sharing a populated environment.  I like this definition better. It implies that we are each a separate, unique living thing, sharing space. As growth occurs, perspectives are communicated, and as LIFE happens, challenges arise. The organisms in that shared environment must work together to come up with solutions to stay connected in that environment. The life that is lived together is what motivates us to work through the disagreement, pain and trouble… not just the common values.

One of my favorite sayings on community is from Pastor Bill Johnson (Bethel Church, Redding CA). He says that community is where we are all held accountable (paraphrased). This is a big goal of community in my life.  I do not want to surround myself only with those that would always agree, always applaud, always think the same, and do the same as I would. In that vacuum of bliss, we will always be right, but never grow.  Community is that place where we find out who we really are, what we really believe in, and what we’re really made of.  My own saying, “Community is the context that gives substance to our character.”

My definition of community is about a safe place to be authentic, pursue dreams, and be held accountable by those around us. It is a place to allow fathers and mothers to speak into our lives, to bring encouragement and correction, and to raise up those around us to fully be who they were created to be, as we do the same. To learn how to run hard after what’s inside of us, while learning how to serve those around us. How to honor those who have gone before us, submit to those over us, and sow into those after us.  Here there is no fear of being unique, authentic and true to yourself.

To me, this is community. To me, this is LIFE.

Chasing Creativity, It’s an inside job

“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” – Alan Alda

I love this quote because I believe it reveals the true essence of creativity: The release of a person’s authentic self.  Many people in society have put creativity on a pedestal of unattainability, linking it to great feats of achievement.  We throw names like Einstein, Picasso, Jobs and Bell into the mix only to create a social club of elites that most of us can never hope to be a part of.

The reality is that we are all creative beings, simply because we were created by a creative God.  We could never fathom the depth of the cosmos, the beauty of the stars, and the immeasurable riches of beauty that is around us, and yet, we were created in the image of the One who breathed it all into existence.

We are not boring humans trying to do creative things; we are creative beings called to be authentic to who we are.  I believe the secret of creativity is understanding the value of who you are.  The very fact that our DNA, fingerprints are unique among masses of people that have lived and will live is a reminder that only you can be you.  Only you can reveal the inner beauty of your heart, your dreams and your passion.

Stepping into yourself, valuing what is inside, and sharing it with the world is the journey of creativity.  And while many of us may not create artistic masterpieces, or invent new technologies, or change culture, we can leave our fingerprint on the world that we influence by simply being true to ourselves.

We are not called to be imitators of others, but to be great explorers of ourselves in order to share with the world what nobody else can: the beauty that is the authentic you.  That is creativity.

Finding what you love to do…

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  – Confucious

We’ve all heard this inspirational quote by Confucious, reminding us that work really isn’t work at all if it’s doing something you love.  I agree that getting paid for something you love doing, and are passionate about, is what most people would consider a dream come true!  But how realistic is this?  Is this something that only a select few get to experience, or is this a goal we should all set before us.

My time in the ‘real’ world (either a mere or astounding 18 years depending on your age) has placed me in contact with a wide variety of people working in a wide variety of areas: public and private sectors, telecomm, government, financial, religious, and arts & entertainment industries.  Regardless of the sector, industry, or job, I’ve found a common theme throughout: people are unhappy with their jobs. People are simply working because it’s a job to pay the bills.  Maybe they studied in that area because it seemed to pay well or have job security (or their parents made them do it).  Maybe they took the job because it was the first one available to them and they just continued in that path.  Regardless of the reason, they are usually unhappy, working for the weekend, and are finding every possible way to meet expectations with minimal effort.  To be honest, I’ve been there and fully understand what this feels like.

So what gives?  Is it that difficult to actually work a dream job that still pays the bills?  Do we have to balance being rich with being happy or can the two co-exist when it comes to our occupation.

In my own personal journey I also struggled to find true joy in my daily routine.  I was always motivated to be successful, but I also wanted to be happy in the process of being successful.  I’ve always believed that personal ownership produces high excellence, so I  wanted to be motivated, regardless of job description, job sector or job industry.  This was something I was looking to solve not only for me personally, but also for the people I was leading as well.

For the longest time I thought that finding what I loved to do had everything to do with a specific job in a specific industry. When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut.  I dreamed of exploring outer space, traveling to unknown galaxies.  I realize now that it wasn’t necessarily outer space that I wanted (although I do love astronomy), but inside of me is an adventurer that loves exploring the unknown.  I’m a trailblazer and I love venturing into unchartered territories, whether in the woods, or in business.

Finding what you love to do is just as much about the ‘what’ you are doing as it is ‘where’ you are doing it and with ‘who’ you are doing it with.  I spent many years in government contracting and I felt like it was my dream job.  People would ask me why I LOVED coming to work, and I genuinely did.  I actually woke up excited to get to work!  Yes, I had the privilege of working with amazing people, and yes, I was doing exciting work that really made a difference.  But the ‘what’ I was doing was what I enjoyed most: Problem solving and teaching.  Everyday I was put in a position to develop new, innovative solutions to complex problems, and then teach and train others to use those solutions.

Knowing this about me has enabled me to find true happiness in every circumstance and situation.  Regardless of the where and who, regardless of the industry or job, regardless of the people, I am always looking to see where I can position myself to do what I love to do: solve problems, and teach others.

You may be in a situation that seems to have no end in sight, or in a position that is just helping to pay the bills.  I bet if you can discover what you love to do and find opportunities to do it where you are, you will also start waking up looking forward to the workday instead of just living for the weekend.  You will begin to enjoy the process of the journey instead of just seeing the place you’re in as a means to an end.

Do you love what you do?  Today is a good day to start!