Culture And Its Effect on Progressive Behaviors


I'd like to take a moment in this first post to introduce myself.  I'm a lover of people, and a student in the lessons of human interaction and effectiveness.  My career in the electrical construction industry began in the field from apprentice to superintendent, then moving inside working through each operational chair from estimating, project management, branch management, and executive leadership.  Seven years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to become a consultant, spending over half of my time in speaking and training engagements, with the balance of time spent in improving the culture and processes inside of construction firms.  Though much of my professional work centered around operations, I found that the effectiveness of an operation relies solely on the effectiveness of its people. 

During my life, I have experienced examples of tremendously positive company culture, as well as the exact opposite, and everything in between.  What I find troubling, however, is that the effects of culture are not immediately blamed for the inability for the company to learn, grow and prosper.  Instead, the majority of the culpability is assigned to poor technology integration, lack of talent, state of being understaffed, etc. 

The ability to define and implement meaningful, progressive change inside of most firms has a speed limit that is established by the culture that its leadership, and its members, have created.  While many focus on the strategic piece of why a firm is not as profitable as it could be, meaning the markets, customers, and key differentiators, this plays only a partial role in the enablement of the people to do their jobs well.  The bigger picture lies in creating an environment where people WANT to learn and perform well. 

The challenge exists that the culture of the company tends to be the most difficult aspect to improve.  Said differently, a poor company culture, one built of mistrust and self-preservation, takes only a few months to take hold.  Unfortunately, it can take years to reverse it. 

In future posts, we will explore these and many more areas regarding human effectiveness:
  • Human engagement
  • Cultural change
  • Personality traits
  • Communication strategies 
  • Conflict prevention and resolution
  • Leadership styles
  • Team strategies
  • Subject matter experts
  • Listening skills
Thanks for listening!  I look forward to providing an opportunity for learning with an added bonus of humor.  😁 I'd love to hear your thoughts or ideas!


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