A Checklist for Culture

10 things that are a must for building a positive culture.
Culture: how people are treated, how decisions are made, how information flows,  and what standards are accepted.

1. Culture is set by leadership and is seen on the front line.
2. Culture grows one of two ways: either by neglect or by design.
3. A culture by neglect is ineffective, dysfunctional, stresses position over performance and the goal is to maintain the status quo.
4. A culture by design is meaningful, productive, focused on people and the goal is to constantly improve.
5. The leader sets the standard for what is acceptable and what is not:  the leaders’ moods, attitudes, facial expressions and actions are watched and emulated.
6. To be an extraordinary organization, set standards of excellence. Not to be confused with perfection, excellence is when the talent can consistently use their skills to the best of their ability with the resources that are available. Excellence produces wins!
7. The positive culture promotes and rewards individual strength of character. Do the right thing at the right time for the right reason.
8. The positive culture promotes organizational integrity:  where the vision, beliefs and principles of the organization can be seen acted out in what happens every single day.
9. The positive culture exists where there is a culture of service to employees as well as customers and vendors.
10. The positive culture attracts and keeps top talent keen on problem-solving and generating ideas.