Nurturing Culture

Know the Kind of Team You Want to Be a Part Of

Understanding Your Current Team

• Describe the Team: First three adjectives that come to mind.
• Proud Moments: Times when you felt most proud to be part of the team.
• Team Strengths: What the team excels at better than others.
• Team Values Perception: What five team members believe the team values.
• Cultural Alignment: Similarity of the team’s culture to the broader organization.
• External Observation: What a journalist might say about the team's strengths and weaknesses.
• Common Complaints: Top three recurring complaints about team dynamics or processes.

Understanding Your Aspirations

• Desired Adjectives: Top five adjectives you'd want an external observer to use to describe your team.
• Potential Pitfalls: Downsides of adhering strictly to the desired qualities.
• Admired Cultures: Aspects admired in other teams or organizations and their downsides.
• Avoided Cultures: Cultural aspects from other teams that you'd prefer not to emulate.

Understanding the Difference

• Current vs. Aspirations: On a scale from 1 to 9, how close is your current team to the aspirational culture?
• Strengths and Values: Overlapping strengths and valued qualities.
• Cultural Gaps: Biggest gaps between current culture and aspirations.
• Obstacles: Potential barriers to achieving aspirations and strategies to address them.
• Future Vision: Description of the hoped-for team culture in a year’s time.

Never Stop Talking About What’s Important

• Repetition of Values: Consistently communicate key values through various methods and frequencies.
• Personal Stories: Share experiences and reflections to illustrate values.
• Team Engagement: Encourage open discussions, feedback, and sharing of values among team members.
• Authentic Communication: Be transparent and genuine in conveying why certain values matter.

Always Walk the Walk

• Lead by Example: Ensure your actions align with stated values to maintain trust.
• Consistent Behavior: Demonstrate consistency between words and actions to avoid losing credibility.
• Feedback and Improvement: Regularly seek feedback and be willing to make changes based on what is learned.

Create the Right Incentives

• Align Incentives with Values: Ensure rewards and recognition support desired behaviors.
• Avoid Bad Incentives: Be cautious of incentives that might encourage counterproductive behaviors.
• Reflect and Adjust: Continuously evaluate and adjust incentives to align with team values and objectives.

Invent Traditions that Celebrate Your Values

• Cultural Rituals: Establish traditions and rituals that reinforce team values.
• Examples: Creative activities, awards, team-building exercises, and regular Q&A sessions.
• Engagement and Fun: Create engaging and enjoyable ways to bring the team together and celebrate values.

Conclusion

• Cultural Impact: Understand that success is the sum of daily actions and behaviors driven by team values.
• Model Values: Consistently demonstrate and reward behaviors that align with the team’s cultural aspirations.
• Attention to Detail: Pay close attention to how small actions and decisions reflect the team’s culture and values.