I love the holiday season. Many of my favorite memories merge during the holidays. As the son of a basketball coach and school administrator, the arrival of basketball season was the highlight of my school year at a very young age. Walking in from a cold parking lot into a warm gym, the smell of greasy concession stand food, the squeak of sneakers on a gym floor, the barking of coaches, the chanting of cheerleaders, and the screeching of whistles all meant that a fantastic night of drama was in the works. These beautiful things burst to life during the holidays. Christmas music, gifts, parties, downtime with friends, candlelight services, and happy family members were all around at the same time as the basketball scenes. It is still my favorite time of the year for the same reasons. One of the things I enjoy is walking my school's campus during the holidays and interacting with people. Dropping off gifts, giving hugs, and wishing each other Merry Christmas as the semester ends is suitable for culture. Or that only happens if you have a good culture. Culture is a lot like sports officiating. When referees are good, no one seems to notice or focus on it. When it's bad, it ruins everything. You can't seem to enjoy even the most enjoyable activities when culture (and refereeing) is terrible. I once read that culture is what your people do and how they react to what happens to them. Others say that culture is a group living out their values. A quick Google search and you'll find culture described as the socially accepted norms and behaviors of a group of people. One of my close friends wrote a dissertation on the factors affecting school culture. Culture has a lot of layers to it and a variety of definitions. Here's what any leader would agree with - culture matters. Here are a couple of ways to observe if you have a good culture around you. People think the best about each other and link arms during the worst for each other - A big part of culture is how people feel about each other and how they respond when bad things happen to each other. You are part of a good culture if the people in your group think the best about each other. You will discover when something terrible happens to someone and how everyone in the group responds to it. People help each other with the little things - A group of people springing to action to help someone when tragedy strikes one of their own is an essential part of culture. However, you might find another indication of your culture in how people assist each other. Do your people cover for each other? Do they give up some of their free time to help another member? Do they share their resources with others? We are all so busy with what we are responsible for that sometimes we can ruin culture by being too busy to assist those we work with. People that show up for each other - 'Showing up' for each other is an excellent way to measure the 'others-centeredness' of your group. Are the individuals aware of the big moments in each other's lives? Or are they tone-deaf to what is happening around them? Do they show up for the baby dedications? The playoff games? The art shows? The piano recitals? The weddings? The baby showers? People who show up for each other are evidence of people who care for each other, which is good culture. People that touch each other - This is a complicated topic that I am steadfast on. We live in a day and age where touch has to be handled carefully and for good reason. The pandemic arrived and made this idea even more challenging. That has not changed the fact that we are physical beings, so the physical matters. I will forever be an advocate of positive touch. Do your people shake hands, high five, fist bump, and hug? Do you want a culture that removes doubt about each other and instills belief? Positive touch does that. That is a good culture. People who share ideas and resources with each other - A group of people who willingly share their ideas are demonstrating two traits critical to healthy groups: unselfishness and curiosity. The word 'share' is one of the first significant challenges of parenting a young child, and it continues to be a considerable challenge in organizations of grown adults. Curiosity is too often one of the first casualties of growing up. It is stunning when you sit back and realize that curiosity and willingness to share answers are critical for high-functioning teams and a good culture. People that celebrate each other - Mudita is a Sanskrit word from the Hindu cultures of Southeast Asia, and it means happiness for the success of others. Hindu cultures believe that communities thrive or die based on the ability to embrace mudita. Dr. Amber Warners, one of the winningest women's volleyball coaches in NCAA history, believes that mudita is critical for a team to flourish. Do the people in your group get excited when things go right for someone else in their group? When someone hits the sales quota, gets the big account, or wins the championship, does everyone else rally to celebrate them? If they do, they are demonstrating mudita, which is good culture. There are many ways to define culture, and these are just a few ways to measure it. It's an extensive conversation with a simple starting point. Leaders must demonstrate a good culture if they want a good culture. Give the gift of good culture to your people! *Bonus content: Here are some resources to dig deeper into this concept. ‘The Culture Code’ by Daniel Coyle. ‘The Hard Hat’ by Jon Gordon. ‘I Love it Here’ by Clint Pulver and ‘The Advantage’ by Patrick Lencioni. ‘The Ideal Team Player’ by Patrick Lencioni Keep on, keepin’ on, friends! Bite Down and Don’t Let Go is a collection of writings on relentlessly leading yourself and others well. Read about it more here. You can listen to the Bite Down and Don't Let Go podcast here! Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart, and they have three children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
Comments
Post a Comment