I hear this a lot: Culture eats strategy for breakfast (or lunch, dinner, a snack, whatever). And the notion behind the statement is understandable: Culture is a strong thing. So strong, the statement argues, that if an organization chooses a particular strategy that requires employees to behave in ways that go against the culture, it […]

Associations love their strategic plans. It’s typically a given that associations should all have strategic plans, and when you get right down to it, the structure and sometimes the actual content of strategic plan is similar across many associations. Let me guess: Your association has three main pillars of your plan that are some version […]

We’ve provided a clear definition of culture and showed how that impacts behavior, as well as how it should impact the success of your association. You got to see how the leader of a very strong culture approaches the task, and then we discussed the link between culture and attracting and retaining the best talent. We challenged assumptions […]

One of the main sources of resistance I get against a more disciplined approach to organizational culture is that it is hard to define. It’s vague. It’s squishy. It’s complex. It means different things to different people. While it is complex, here’s what I have found to be a pretty clear definition: CULTURE IS THE […]

I was at an event recently for association CEOs on finding and keeping top talent. The topic of culture was raised repeatedly (yay!), but in the middle of the panel discussion, a CEO of a large and successful association dropped this bomb (not a direct quote, but my paraphrase of what she said): It takes […]

On the “love” side, I’ve seen many different organizations that I respect greatly — organizations with truly outstanding cultures — which not only have core values, but firmly believe they anchor an outstanding culture. They reference them frequently, at all levels inside the organization. They live them. On the “hate” side, however, I have also […]

Here’s a basic truth: everyone wants a “positive” culture. This is most certainly true if you’re in charge in an association. You want to be able to say that the culture there is good or positive—maybe even cool, fun, or awesome. Right? WRONG. I understand the desire to have a positive culture — it’s certainly […]

I assume you’ve all heard the expression, “People don’t leave organizations—they leave managers.” I get it: managers do matter and can have a big impact on the experience of an employee. But when you leave an organization because of a manager, in many cases, that manager is simply doing what that organizational culture expects of […]

IT’S TIME TO UP OUR GAME, ASSOCIATIONS. Join me in a year-long exploration of culture and association success. I am embarking on a fairly ambitious writing endeavor: one full year’s worth of content focused squarely on the role that culture plays in driving the associations’ success. For those who know me, you’ll recognize these are […]