Leadership Lessons: A Commitment to Culture

Send us Fan MailA culturally driven work environment starts with a mindset that bonds life thinking with career thinking. This is a concept that serial entrepreneur and Outside Insights regular, Alan Burkhard, discussed during our latest podcast chat - the last in his 12-part leadership series. I summarize our discussion on culture-driven mindsets below. Be sure to click the graphic to listen and learn from Alan’s storied entrepreneurship journey. So, what is a culturally driven mindset in business?Business owners wholly benefit when they operate under an intentional and authentic culture. Defining this culture starts with questions like:Who are we as a company? What do we want to be known and respected for?How do we add value to everything we do? How do we make the intangible, tangible? And then, how do we identify “the how” that gets us to these answers in the first place?The deep dive into these questions and their answers requires authenticity that’s immersive so the culturally driven mindset melds personal and professional domains. It’s an organic fusion that’s inseparable. It’s not enough to say words that describe the concept, it must be lived. When business leaders become immersed in a culturally driven mindset, there are no limitations. They become risk takers and agents of change who empower others through knowledge and knowledge produces distinct, desired outcomes.The culturally driven mindset is reflective and universal – it never becomes outdated because it’s not a product or a service. It’s a humbling approach, an agile perspective, that embraces  collaboration, not control – and it can be scary because it forces leaders to recognize their gaps. Recognizing our gaps and seizing the opportunity they illuminate is what the Outside Insights community is all about.It's value-perceived thinking that results in thriving business. It’s “Culture of One'' learning which brings us full circle: How do you work and how do you live? It requires an investment in yourself. It’s a synthesized work-life construct.Whether you run a business or not, everyone can define and model their individual culture values that they’ll lead with in the workplace. How would you describe your personal culture values? How do you bring these values with you every day? Reply and let me know.Until next time, friends.Chris