This is part of an ongoing series of blogs based on the latest Level Five Associates book, The Power of Being All In.
What Will Effective Leadership Look Like in the Future? Part 4 — What If Our Culture Could Change?
“If we are to preserve (our) culture, we must continue to create it.” — Johan Huizinga
As mentioned in our last blog, every culture seems to fit into one of five categories, which we’ve characterized as Levels 1 to 5.
We’ve discussed Levels 1 and 2 previously, yet there are indeed higher levels with much more promise if the leadership recognizes where they are now and where they could go.
The most common level in companies and teams I’ve observed is Level 3, and it looks like this:
Level 3—The “Points of Light” culture: A few individuals characterize this culture and personally and professionally adopt the organization’s values as their own; however, most on the team are just doing their job and performing the associated tasks they are told to do.
This ecosystem is caused by the clash of the culture of compliance and the culture of commitment. Fear and complacency tend to drive leaders to simply accept the status quo in the Level 3 environment; they just look past the problem. But in doing so, they are missing a game-changing opportunity – to begin the transition to a true culture of commitment.
How do you change a work culture for the better? First, you have to believe it is possible… “What If Our Culture Could Change?” There has to be a vision to see the road ahead. 
Next — adaptive leaders must face their challenges head-on by aggressively supporting team members who are committed to the goals of the organization. Establish and recognize culture champions – those who demonstrate the company values in their daily actions and behaviors.
It is possible to actually weed out others who are just “going through the motions” by aggressively promoting the champions. Many in the ‘Level 1’/’Level 2’/’compliance-only’ ranks will subsequently vote with their feet and look for other cultures where dedicated ‘buy-in’ doesn’t matter.
Hopefully, others will join the champions, too. It might not be a quick turnover… but persistent, adaptive leadership will start to turn the tide.
Once you have a team where the values and behaviors start to align, you’ll be on your way to Levels 4 and 5 of your culture – where excellence is the standard and people want to come to work because they believe in the mission.
Enjoy the journey!
This blog post is partially based on the book, “The Power of Being All In.” You can download the first chapter for free at this link. Or, if you’d like to purchase the entire book (available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook), it is available on Amazon.
