Inspire
What’s your address?
By John Dickerson September 10, 2018
Often you get asked for your address, where do you work? We give a series of numbers or the intersection of two streets. It describes where we are and where we spend most of our days. We really don’t think twice about it.
I was having a good conversation with a dear friend and I shared with them that I thought they lived at the intersection of Truth and Justice. This person has an unwavering belief in both and it shows in how she lives her life. I wondered how I would describe myself with just two street names.
That led me to think about an organization’s cultural address. Culture is so important. Warren Buffett has said “Culture will eat strategy for breakfast every day.” We spend months working on strategic plans, yet how much time do we plan or curate our culture?
How often do you work on culture? This is a question we ask people participating in a new seminar we are facilitating called, “It is more than money.” In response, people will often say “30 minutes a week or not enough.” A few will get it and say, “What we do every minute of every day is our culture, not what we write in a plan or on the wall, but what we do.”
That is so true. It is how we live, interact and work with each other that is our culture both personally and organizationally. It is something that requires us to be mindful each step of the way, every day.
How does our communication, spending of time and resources, our interaction with each other reflect that address?
So what is your cultural address? What are the two streets that intersect right outside your door? An interesting question to ask yourself and those around you.
As for me, I think I have, and will continue to, live at the intersection of Change Avenue and Better Boulevard. How about you?