How’s The Water?

“Culture is all about your behaviours, it’s what we do! Great leaders don’t allow their culture to happen by chance. Instead, they actively design it by collectively committing to operating ‘above the line’ in a positive, professional and proactive way." - Proteus Blurb - Culture Workshop

Culture By Design
Back in 1999, not long after I joined Des Penny at Proteus, we created the first program in Australia (as far as we know) solely dedicated to helping organisations to create great workplace cultures by design.

Looking back over the past 25 years, it's been remarkable working with leaders who have recognised the importance of prioritising their organisational cultures. Where they are committed to taking proactive steps to shape the culture they desire, so that they remain robust, viable and relevant.

As we all know, if you leave your culture to chance, unfortunately the dysfunctional behaviours and negative forces will dominate.

Tragically, great people will then leave. Even worse, your good people go feral. Yikes!

Having had the privilege of working with so many leaders to help in their transformation, I often ponder, do people really grasp the pervasive and powerful influence that workplace cultures exert across their organisations?

I was reminded about this with an insightful parable (attributed to the writer David Foster Wallace) which goes like this:

Two young fish are swimming along in the water, and an older fish passes by. The older fish nods at the two younger fish and says, "Morning, how's the water?" The two young fish continue to swim for a little while longer, and then one of them turns to the other and asks, "What's water?"

Your Culture Is All Around You

Like the fish in water, workplace culture is all around us. It permeates and impacts everything that we do. It’s the unwritten norms and ground rules of what’s expected, and what’s accepted.

Creating a positive workplace culture is not a passive endeavour. It demands a conscious effort ‘by design’ from leaders, and a real commitment from all staff.

As leaders, we have the additional responsibility of steering this cultural ship deliberately (am I mixing metaphors here?), ensuring that our culture and behaviours align with our values.

When our workplace culture is designed well, it shapes behaviours, influences decisions, and ultimately determines the success of our organisation. Then we not only attract and retain great talent with great attitudes, but we also create an environment where everyone can flourish.

So, take charge and craft a culture that enables, motivates, nurtures, and leads you all towards the culture that you desire, by design.

Wishing you a wonderful week transforming your workplace cultures.

Richard Dore
CEO - Director of Partnerships
Proteus Leadership