Three Essentials for Building a Positive Culture
There are three things that are essential to building a positive culture in an organization. However I write how these same elements are the same for building postive communities.
She said, “I’m the temp, but I’m leaving in a couple of weeks, so you will need to find my replacement.” Wow. Those were hard words to hear on your first day at the new job. She was very good at what she did, so I asked her why she might not stay, and she told me that she was moving due to her husband’s job. Got it.
A new temp started, and on the first day, “I’m a nontraditional college student (she was a bit older than the typical college student). I plan to graduate next year, so don’t expect me to stay.” Wow, again. “So, will you help me hire someone permanently,” I asked. Of course, was her reply. Two months later, I had my first employee, who stayed with me for six years.
I had just come off a short stint in another community, and before that, I had worked for a private development firm. I was searching for a way to build a cohesive and effective team. I had all the ideas about how to do it, and most were the opposite of what I had experienced the past six or seven years in those organizations.
The first few months at the new job, where I went through three employees immediately, did not feel like a great start. I needed to create a culture of belonging and effectiveness.
Today, I have learned so much more than those days over twenty years ago. Of course, more experience portends more opportunities to either do well or fail. I have done a little of both.
How do you build a positive culture in an organization? In his book, The Culture Code, author Daniel Coyle outlines three things that are essential for a positive culture in any orgainzation:
- Are we connected?
- Do we share a future?
- Are we safe?
I look at these three requirements and stare at them for a while, thinking, “In the organizations I have been a part of, that I have led, did these conditions exist? Have I created a connected, safe, and shared future that other team members could count on?”
Sometimes. Sometimes I didn’t. I learned along the way.
It would be wonderful if, as a young(er) leader, one could have all the wisdom and experiences of life in one’s lap to use rather than having to experience a lot of difficulty and anguish. But that is not how life works. Life offers those experiences firsthand so one can learn. I appreciate that.
Coyle looks at the lives of Minute Man Missleers, the men and women who man the nuclear missiles that protect our country, to see what exhibits a positive culture. Reading his assessment caused concern because, according to what he found, the Missileer culture had none of the three requirements. There was no connection, no sense of a shared future, especially after the Cold War ended, and a lack of emotional safety. The Missleers was not a place where people went to excel, although we desperately needed them to.
As I read this book, I thought, can this apply to a community? Can these three “belonging cues” apply to a city? In other words, can we use these same rules if a city or region is like one big organization? If these three rules apply to a city, can we say it has a positive culture, or is there more to it? Let’s look at each of the three.
Connection — To be a positive culture in an organization or city, people in a community must feel connected. In an orgainzation, there must be a strong sense of connection to each other for the organization to work effectively and achieve its goals.
Suppose one part of your body is not working. In that case, whether it’s your leg, an internal organ, or perhaps your ability to see or hear, it affects your entire being. You can’t ignore it. You can’t hope that it doesn’t impact your ability to function as a whole. Ignoring a festering wound on your leg means an infection could spread throughout your entire body. A pancreas that doesn’t produce enough insulin to break down glucose results in diabetes, which impacts the whole body system.
Ignoring one body part and concentrating on another doesn’t make sense. If one considers a community a ‘body,’ we can apply the same rules. Ignoring one part of the community, hoping it will heal itself and won’t impact the rest of the community, won’t work.
I have often argued that a community can’t ignore one part of town for the sake of another part of the community that is ‘nicer.’ Referring to specific neighborhoods as “bad” or the lousy side of town creates a massive disconnection. A city and its residents must understand what has happened in parts of the community that have seen private and public disinvestment. Why has the part disconnected from the whole?
Do we share a future? — There is no shared future when cities have disconnected neighborhoods and sections of town. The idea that the better neighborhoods and parts of town get a better deal or better service prevails. Transit plays such an important role in cities that prosper and grow. Getting people from one part of town to another efficiently and cheaply can help. Transit-oriented development, including housing and retail amenities, can make a huge difference.
Are we safe? — All of this leads to feelings of being unsafe. Doors are locked, and people don’t go for walks anymore. Guard dogs are purchased, and alarms are set. Where there are no people, there is or at least perceived danger.
Having worked in communities on downtown development, I have heard people say, “It’s unsafe and dangerous downtown; there isn’t anyone down there.” If there isn’t anyone down there, how is it unsafe? Change it around and bring more people downtown, and it’s safer? The perception for many people is lack of activity equates with danger. The truth is, that the parking lot of a big box store generates more crime than a downtown does in many communities.
As economic developers and community leaders, we are responsible for making our community safe by creating connections, communicating a future that everyone can share, and creating a safe environment.
How to do all of this is why we continue to educate ourselves at conferences and workshops. Over the next few weeks, I will continue addressing these ideas and offering suggestions for achieving these three goals.
In the meantime, let me know what you think, and email me your ideas.
