I'm super pumped to have the opportunity to present a round table discussion about building staff culture at the Parisi Speed School National Summit in March! In lieu of this shin-dig I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the topic…

1) Culture has no strict definition

I mean sure…type culture in to google and a bunch of shit comes up.

Literally…shit.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but the point I want to make is that your staff or facility culture is unique to YOU and YOUR facility. Don’t chase what others are doing, rather, start to appreciate that culture truly is what you, your staff, and your clients make it.

2) Boundaries allow culture to create

This is my favorite analogy for staff culture. You and your buddies sit down to play a game of Monopoly (random game that I think we all are familiar with). Now when you start to play the game, typically you and your squad review the rules. This rule review sets a boundary of actions as you play the game. When everyone is clear on the boundary then you can now focus on how to act (play) within the rules.

Do boundaries get pushed? Sure…but then the group decides if it’s something to add or discard from the current rules.

Catch my drift here? Do you have boundaries that promote actions that support the rules?

3) Culture is ever changing- let it happen

Touching on the last point in number two…there will be actions that test the current boundaries. This is OKAY! Let it happen. Come to a decision as a group - not just you- if those actions will be allowed within the rules or not. This allows your culture to mold and form as your staff evolves, grows, etc. This concept might be tough to grasp at first, but the point I want to make is that you need to let your culture breath and evolve. A huge problem I’ve come across is with those who hold on too long to out-dated concepts or beliefs. Just like your systems, your culture needs to change and evolve over time.