Welcome back!
The single biggest aspect of your organization that will make or break its success is the culture. Healthy cultures facilitate people thriving and organizational objectives being met. Dysfunctional cultures erode people’s well-being and stop goals from being accomplished. Healthy cultures breathe life into the team and the mission. Dysfunctional cultures offer only destruction and decay. You need to create a healthy culture and protect it with vigilance. Even if your larger organization does not offer the best culture to work in, make sure your own team has the benefit of a healthy culture within the larger group.
What is a healthy culture? One in which the mission is the focus, the values are for the benefit of all, the vision advances the common good, and the work environment is safe – including emotionally safe – for everyone. Everyone means everyone. A healthy culture allows each person to be who they are, while still treating other people respectfully. It establishes ground rules for behavior and then holds people accountable to them. It establishes expectations for productivity and then holds people accountable to those too. It establishes what the organization believes in and the role it is working to fulfill in society, and then holds people accountable to those ideals. It is an organization in which true teamwork takes place, and each person contributes to the mission and the environment in positive, value added ways. It is a place with an energy of vitality and growth. It is a place where people are emotionally and physically safe. In today’s environment of workplace violence, the importance of establishing and maintaining safety for your team cannot be overstated.
Until next time, I’ll be praying for you as you ponder the health of your culture, and how you can personally improve it.
