You set your culture

Remember the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? I saw the play at Ford Theater 15 years ago or so. Well, I feel that I often tell a similar story, and that's that All I Really Need To Know I Learned in the Navy.It is really quite remarkable how many critical leadership lessons I learned during those 11 years that I wore a uniform.

For example, at the Submarine Officers Basic School, or SOBC, there was a big painting hung on the wall of one of our stairwells, and every day it reminded us that the morale of the crew was a reflection of the morale of the wardroom (the officers on the ship, or the leadership team), and that the morale of the wardroom was a reflection of the Commanding Officer's morale. The lesson for business: the CEO actively sets the culture.

Remember that you set the example - good and bad - and you can expect that your team will rarely exceed the personal standard that you set. So, create a culture where your people feel appreciated and important; an environment where they can maximize their talents. Make it a place where people come to work because it's a great place to work - not because they need a paycheck. The former inspires great performance; the latter gets you paycheck players.

If you want to improve your culture, send us an e-mail or give us a call (202) 640-1908! We can help.

Ingar Grev

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