The Culture
Everything in The Way begins with The Culture. If the culture is not right, none of the other pieces will follow and fall into place. “Culture” is a concept that is usually hard for most business people to grasp, let alone manage. As a result, it seems to evolve in most organizations by default, rather than through thoughtful planning or conscious control. This triad provides a framework for specifying the key design elements to be included in an organization’s culture.
In The Culture triad, at the core is Our Spirit. Our Spirit is surrounded by Our Values and Our Virtues, with Our Relationships leading the way.
Our Spirit
At the core of The Culture is Our Spirit. Our Spirit is the essence of who we are as an organization. It reflects in our decisions, communications and actions. It is also the starting point when evaluating potential business partners, team members, suppliers and customers. .
At the core of Our Spirit is the Spirit of Giving, surrounded by Helping those in need, Sharing with everyone, and Trusting in others.
What does it mean to have a Spirit of Giving at the core? Foremost, It is a generosity of spirit toward others that is characterized by a first impulse to go the extra mile. Giving is intentional –having the intent to give fully to someone who is in need without any thought of what one will get in return. It is unconditional giving of time, energy, attention, and other immaterial resources—not just material items.
The Spirit of Giving is driven forward by Helping those in need and Sharing with everyone. Helping those in need is done from the Spirit, not the ego. Sometimes, Helping means having the discernment to let others stand on their own—avoiding over-involvement. Sharing relates to the exchange of material items, but can also mean disclosing information about oneself—sharing authentic feelings.
All of these qualities are difficult to bring about if Trusting in others is lacking. This includes trusting in others’ goodwill, that they won’t take advantage of a person’s generosity. But it also involves trusting oneself—one’s own judgment regarding the appropriateness of a gift in a given circumstance. Ultimately, it means Trusting in the Universe, its laws and processes.
At the core of Our Spirit is the Spirit of Giving, surrounded by Helping those in need, Sharing with everyone, and Trusting in others.
What does it mean to have a Spirit of Giving at the core? Foremost, It is a generosity of spirit toward others that is characterized by a first impulse to go the extra mile. Giving is intentional –having the intent to give fully to someone who is in need without any thought of what one will get in return. It is unconditional giving of time, energy, attention, and other immaterial resources—not just material items.
The Spirit of Giving is driven forward by Helping those in need and Sharing with everyone. Helping those in need is done from the Spirit, not the ego. Sometimes, Helping means having the discernment to let others stand on their own—avoiding over-involvement. Sharing relates to the exchange of material items, but can also mean disclosing information about oneself—sharing authentic feelings.
All of these qualities are difficult to bring about if Trusting in others is lacking. This includes trusting in others’ goodwill, that they won’t take advantage of a person’s generosity. But it also involves trusting oneself—one’s own judgment regarding the appropriateness of a gift in a given circumstance. Ultimately, it means Trusting in the Universe, its laws and processes.
Our Values
What are values? They are qualities or goods that are desired and pursued. At the core of Our Values is Integrity. This means that we keep promises, we do as we say, that our actions are in alignment with stated beliefs and aims. When a building is said to have integrity, it is implied that it has a strong foundation and a robust constitution.
Our core value of Integrity is surrounded by Accountability and Openness. To be accountable means to be visibly responsible for making something happen. It means taking responsibility for any negative outcomes, rather than shifting blame. Accountability goes hand-in-hand with integrity in an organization.
In addition to Accountability, The Culture is driven forward by Openness. This is the quality of not being afraid to face reality and “tell it like it is”—whether as a person or as an organization. Openness implies full disclosure to all concerned parties so that the most optimal decisions may be made and relationships built and maintained. It also means being open to feedback and inspiration from others.
At the apex of Our Values is Respect. An ongoing respect for both oneself and for others will enable the Openness and Accountability that fosters Integrity. At the same time, having integrity, accountability, and openness feeds self-respect and respect from others.
Our core value of Integrity is surrounded by Accountability and Openness. To be accountable means to be visibly responsible for making something happen. It means taking responsibility for any negative outcomes, rather than shifting blame. Accountability goes hand-in-hand with integrity in an organization.
In addition to Accountability, The Culture is driven forward by Openness. This is the quality of not being afraid to face reality and “tell it like it is”—whether as a person or as an organization. Openness implies full disclosure to all concerned parties so that the most optimal decisions may be made and relationships built and maintained. It also means being open to feedback and inspiration from others.
At the apex of Our Values is Respect. An ongoing respect for both oneself and for others will enable the Openness and Accountability that fosters Integrity. At the same time, having integrity, accountability, and openness feeds self-respect and respect from others.
Our Virtues
Virtues are those elements that affirm Life, rather than deny it. Truthfulness is at the center of Our Virtues. This means that we seek the Truth in all matters and deal honestly with ourselves and others.
Truthfulness is driven forward by Acceptance, which means the ability to accept others and life circumstances as they actually are, while remaining hopeful for a better future. Acceptance is augmented by Enthusiasm, which is the quality of having abundant, positive energy directed toward a desired outcome.
Leading the way forward is Initiative: the virtue of being a leader at any level to self-start and manifest results.
Truthfulness is driven forward by Acceptance, which means the ability to accept others and life circumstances as they actually are, while remaining hopeful for a better future. Acceptance is augmented by Enthusiasm, which is the quality of having abundant, positive energy directed toward a desired outcome.
Leading the way forward is Initiative: the virtue of being a leader at any level to self-start and manifest results.
Our Relationships
Our Relationships are at the apex of The Culture Triad. As such, it is the factor that propels The Culture forward, infusing it with its dynamic quality.
At the core of Our Relationships, are our Customers. Without them and the needs they have to be fulfilled, there is no business mission. Our customer relationships are supported by our relationships with Team Members who provide their labor in service to the customer, and Investors who make available their financial and other resources to meet customer needs.
At the apex of this triad, pointing forward, is the Community. In order for a business to be sustainable, Our Relationships must extend beyond the boundaries of our organization to include the geographic, social, cultural and political environments in which we operate. The Community is, ultimately, the source for all customers, team members and investors—as such, it rightly belongs at the apex of this triad.
At the core of Our Relationships, are our Customers. Without them and the needs they have to be fulfilled, there is no business mission. Our customer relationships are supported by our relationships with Team Members who provide their labor in service to the customer, and Investors who make available their financial and other resources to meet customer needs.
At the apex of this triad, pointing forward, is the Community. In order for a business to be sustainable, Our Relationships must extend beyond the boundaries of our organization to include the geographic, social, cultural and political environments in which we operate. The Community is, ultimately, the source for all customers, team members and investors—as such, it rightly belongs at the apex of this triad.
