It Starts at Home
We talk about corporate and organizational culture every day. The culture of an organization can make or break a company. “Culture trumps strategy” is a quote attributed to different people, but the idea is clear.
If success at work is rooted in culture, why do we ignore it at home? All homes have unwritten rules, social mores, and patterns of behavior. In fact, the behavior at home may be much more difficult to change than at work.
How would you define the culture of your home? Safe, encouraging, and positive? Or critical, tense, and exhausting?
Take the time to think about your environment at home and whether it is contributing to your family’s success. And think about how your culture at home impacts your work.
Assess it.
Sit down with your family or roommates and define the present culture. This may not be easy. It requires listening. In many cases, a third party may be required to gain an objective view. If it is too challenging, skip this step and focus on what you want it to be. If you live alone, you’re not excused. You still have a culture to describe.
Determine what you want it to be.
What type of culture you want to create requires thoughtful planning. Define it together. This should be a positive exercise.
Develop plans to close the gap.
You will immediately see where there are gaps between the current and desired cultures. Spend time thinking about ways that will move you in the direction you want to go.
Set rules.
Plan in advance for when you mess up and slip back into the old pattern.
Design your space.
Your physical surroundings make a big difference in culture. Look at different environments and see how they have changed over the years. Design your space at home with your culture goals in mind.
Practice the desired state.
Falling back into old patterns is incredibly easy at home. If you want to create a polite, respectful culture, but have a history of jabs and zingers that would make a modern sitcom script, you have your work cut out for you. You need a plan when you fail to get back on track.
