6The Checkup

Brian's GPS brought him to Stamina at 8:50 a.m. As he closed his car door, Sam walked down the sidewalk to meet him.

“You made it!” exclaimed Sam. “Any trouble finding this place?”

“No sir,” replied Brian, “GPS made it easy. What a beautiful complex. I've driven past it for years, but never pulled in. I remember when they built this place.”

“Ugh,” smiled Sam. “Don't remind me. That build's one process I don't want to relive.”

“That's exactly why I'm here! Instead of building an office, we'll be building your culture. The construction of this facility was painful, but don't forget how you liked the finished product. My job's to make that happen with your culture … with less pain.”

Sam walked Brian into Stamina's headquarters. Like a proud parent, Sam showed him the office space. Sam introduced Brian to some staff members and explained their roles. After the tour, Sam led Brian to his office, and the lesson began.

“Like I said,” Brian started. “Stamina's got a culture. That's for sure.”

“Is it bad?” asked Sam.

“That's not what I mean. There's a culture here whether you designed it or not. When people get together, a culture develops. Whether it's “good” or “bad” is according to how far the culture is from the culture you want. But don't worry; the checkup will show us where you are. Then we can take the culture where you want it to go.”

“Gotcha,” replied Sam. “I'm unsure what I want, but I know this isn't it. Does that make sense?”

“Absolutely. Open your notebook ...

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