“But I want this place to feel like a family. I want people to feel warm inside when they think about our company. That’s the kind of culture I want to create,” Tracy explained.

“First, I can’t see what someone thinks,” I replied. “I can only see behavior. Culture may impact the way we feel, but culture drives behaviors. Culture starts with beliefs, but even beliefs are invisible. Tell me what people do, and it will give you insight into what they believe.”

“I should look at behaviors?” she wanted to know.

I nodded. “For example, let’s say we want to focus on safety, we want to create a safety culture. This is not your warm and fuzzy culture feeling, but a belief that every team member goes home each and every day with ten fingers and ten toes. If that is what we believe, what behaviors does that drive?”

“That they wear safety glasses, steel toed shoes,” she said. “That they watch for unsafe work practices. They watch perimeters, safety walk equipment, pay attention to balanced loads. Most important, watch out for each other.”

“So, you have a whole series of behaviors connected to ten fingers, ten toes,” I smiled. “What if your best technician shows up in tennis shoes? You see, behaviors get tested by reality. You don’t stand for the aspiration, you stand for what you tolerate.”

“Our best technician does not get a pass,” Tracy was firm. “He goes home, gets the right work boots.”

“And those behaviors that survive the test of reality become our customs and rituals. Daily safety huddles, site specific safety exposure meetings, maintained safety equipment, those become rituals. And those rituals reinforce what we believe – ten fingers, ten toes.”

Premeditated Culture – Consequences of What We Tolerate is now available on Amazon.