Places where culture gets built

Okay, so I just got off a phone call with a client. He asked me, do you have a list of all the places culture gets built. I paused, looked him in the eye and said, “Culture is everywhere.” 

He smiled, “So there’s no list I can look at.”  

I smiled, “There’s no list my friend, but we can start one…” 

So, in honor of my client, (shared with full permission), and his love for lists, I have started a list of all the places where culture gets built. I’ll add to our list from time to time.  

• In emails to your team 
• In your autoresponder 
• In the moments of silence at that board meeting 
• On your voicemail
• In your response to the late-night text 
• When you send that late-night text to a staff member 
• When you “take time off” 
• When you don’t take time off 
• When you say good morning 
• When you give feedback 
• When you’re kind 
• When you take lunch 
• When you don’t take lunch 
• How you respond to inflation 
• The email you send after an act of racism, sexism, or colorism 
• What things make you laugh 
• When you cry 
• How you talk about rest 
• When you grieve 
• The jokes you tell 
• The emails you’d don’t respond to 
• Where you park your car 
• The benefits you make available for your team 
• The benefits battles you’re willing to fight 
• The way you say no 
• If you say no 
• When you ask questions 
• When you don’t ask questions 

And the list goes on…