Leaders Eat Last
Leading for a Culture of Ownership

This is the 33rd in a series of posts in which I share thoughts on a book that has inspired me over the years.

I agree with Sinek that leaders can “choose to set any kind of culture they want.” But how do you decide on what kind of culture that will be?

If you were deciding on the design of a new building, or a new wing of a building, or even remodeling an existing building, you would have an entire team of planners, designers, engineers, architects, and project managers.

You would commission conceptual renderings, schematics, design drawings, construction blueprints, and a detailed budget. You would have committees deciding on things like carpet color.

You would lay out rooms in the parking lot with masking tape and then have people go move furniture and equipment around to make sure that everything fit.

When it was all done, you would – hopefully! – end up with a building that is both beautiful and functional.

But the visible architecture of bricks and mortar is not what determines employee experience or customer/patient experience, is it?
That is shaped by what I called the Invisible Architecture – the Blueprint Behind the Blueprint.

When we work with client organizations, we use a construction metaphor where the foundation is core values, the superstructure is corporate culture, and the interior finish is workplace attitude.

If there was a Cultural Blueprint for the Invisible Architecture of your organization, would it match the beauty and functionality of your physical facilities?

NEW! COLAcademy

For more than 20 years, I’ve been working with healthcare and other organizations to help build a more positive Culture of Ownership. This July 20-22, I’ll be launching the inaugural Culture of Ownership Leadership Academy (COLAcademy), an interactive and immersive classroom experience on culture building.

This first class is July class is sold out. Watch for details on the second class, scheduled for September 7-9, 2022. Send me an email if you’d like to be added to the list for advance notice.

---