We hear often about “creating a culture” within your organization. In our sector, of course, it’s a culture of philanthropy. But it can be almost anything – a culture of innovation, a culture of joy, a culture of friendly competition. 

And too often, misguided leaders can inadvertently create a culture of stress, a culture of distrust, a culture of dissatisfaction and so on.

If a leader allows dysfunction, infighting or other disruptive elements, even a nonprofit that is “successful” according to finances typically will eventually implode. Part of the responsibility of a board is to safeguard the assets of an organization – and a key asset is culture.

We’ve heard it said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

And while it’s true that nurturing a positive culture within your organization is essential, it really can’t – or shouldn’t – be at the expense of strategy or forward movement.

A former colleague of mine once said, “That quote and that mindset is too often used as an excuse for failure or, worse, to do nothing – ‘the culture doesn’t allow it’ or ‘the culture got in the way.’”

“Rationalization for failure” is what he called it. Is your culture somehow holding back you, your staff, your organization?

First off, what is culture? One of the simplest and most actionable definitions is that culture is how we behave based on what we believe. The actionable part is that if you want to change the culture of your organization, you must first affirm what is important to you and then change how you behave based on that affirmation.

As a leader, what do you value?  Does your own behavior reflect those values?

For example:

If you say you value nurturing your staff, do you:

• Listen to them?
• Dedicate time to discerning their wants and needs?
• Know their career aspirations? 
• Coach them through projects and assignments?

If you say you believe in transparency, are you:

• Bringing data forward to your team in a transparent manner, good or bad?
• Engaging them in understanding the performance of their department and how to make it better?

If you say you value excellence and expect the same from your staff, do you personally:

• Strive to do your best always?  
• Adhere to the standards you set for your staff – being on time for meetings and appointments, staying up to date on necessary paperwork, following protocols for time off, attendance, meeting deadlines, etc.?
• Contribute to the success of your team? 

There are many other examples you can use to gauge whether your behaviors are out of sync with your values – some small and others quite big – and how your values affect your staff.

It’s easy to say, “I believe in transparency” … “I believe in growing my people” … “I believe in doing my best,” but are you just talking the talk? Your staff is watching; they’ll soon recognize that you don’t believe in practicing what you preach – and that will foster discontent, distrust and those “other” cultures mentioned at the start of this post.

So, think deeply about the culture you have and whether it’s the culture you want. And if not, how are you going to change your behaviors to make it better? 

If your behaviors and expectations are out of sync with your values, and you don’t work to get them aligned, you’ll continue to get the culture you have. It’s only when you consistently sync your behaviors with those things that are important to you that you’ll get the culture you want. And for a solid leader, that will be the culture your organization and your mission deserve.