Culture Is the Way

CHAPTER 2What Exactly Is Culture?

Culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization, that operate unconsciously and define in a basic “taken for granted” fashion an organization's view of itself and its environment.

—Edgar Schein

I am obsessive when it comes to discussing, studying, and building culture.

As much as I love speaking on stage in front of thousands of people or partnering and working side by side with a senior leadership team to drive cultural excellence, those are not my favorite aspects of my work.

There is nothing I love more than the pre‐work that happens before every speaking engagement and consulting project. Maybe it is the athlete in me that still obsesses over the preparation work that is needed to perform to the best of my ability and make an extraordinary impact, but I truly love that part of the process. And I believe this is an important part of the process when it comes to building an extraordinary culture in a business or organization. It's the preparation. A great culture does not emerge by itself. It requires extensive planning, in‐depth internal research, mental shifts, collaboration, and more. Starting in Chapter 5, I'll walk you through a five‐step process for creating an elite, high‐performing culture.

Every situation, whether it's a 60‐minute keynote speech or a year‐long journey with a client to create and drive organizational change, needs a unique perspective and implementation ...