The Culture You Create



How to create your own ‘culture’ anywhere

Wittingly or unwittingly you are creating a culture everywhere you go. At the office, at home, in a business meeting, or at a conference. The culture created by a company or an individual influences one’s beliefs, attitudes, and well-being. Today we will delve into how you can create your own culture or help improve the one within the organization in which you work.

Workers often rate a company’s culture as one of the most important attributes. This is not surprising since a positive company culture helps workers feel good about going to the office and interacting with their fellow colleagues.

What kind of culture do you want to create? That’s a good place to begin as you are certainly part of the equation, whether personally or professionally.

Here are a few tips to help become a culture creator!

  1. The ‘we’ factor. A ‘we’re in this together’ attitude fosters collaboration, open communication, and harmony among coworkers and family members.
  2. Clarity of communication. Who’s supposed to do what? Are the expectations not only clear but understood? Do all parties feel safe in giving honest feedback?
  3. Learning how to work through conflict. In a speech before our local Chamber of Commerce the founder of Center and certified coach Dr. Stephen Campbell said when facing conflict we should begin by assuming the good intention of the other party. Once we’ve done that we can move on to owning our own part and working collectively toward a solution.
  4. Define your values. What are the principles you hold dear? How do you reflect these in your personal and professional interactions? Your values are the cardinal points on your compass that will help guide your decisions.
  5. Self-care. If you don’t take care of your own body, mind, and soul it’s nearly impossible to be a positive force in any organization’s culture. Set boundaries, take breaks, and make time to unwind with an activity that rejuvenates you.

Creating your own culture, whether in the workplace or personal life, empowers you to shape your experiences, values, and relationships. What culture will you create?

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10 Life Lessons from Lord Chesterfield


The timeless advice of Lord Chesterfield

Philip Stanhope, better known as Lord Chesterfield was a man of letters, statesman, and diplomat. For over 30 years he dutifully wrote over 400 letters to his illegitimate son Philip which gave advice on a myriad of subjects. These letters were published in 1774 and contained dozens of nuggets of quotable wisdom that remain today.

Here are 10 quotes that apply to men and women of all ages.

  1. The power of concentration. “The power of applying attention, steady and undissipated, to a single object, is the sure mark of a superior genius.” 
  2. How do you get a good read on someone? Lord Chesterfield advises, “Look in the face of the person to whom you are speaking if you wish to know his real sentiments, for he can command his words more easily than his countenance”. 
  3. How do you make yourself liked by others? “Those whom you can make like themselves better, will, I promise you, like you very well.” 
  4. What’s the underlying motive? “When a man seeks your advice he generally wants your praise.” 
  5. What about the power of consideration and gratitude? “Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink, and paper.” 
  6. Here’s why we should always aim for the best possible result. “Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable; however, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it, than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.” 
  7. What’s your mission? What drives you? “Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character and one of the best instruments of success. Without it, genius wastes its efforts in a maze of inconsistencies.” 
  8. What we choose to give our attention to matters. “A weak mind is like a microscope, which magnifies trifling things, but cannot receive great ones.” 
  9. Sometimes it’s better to say nothing. “Silence and reserve suggest latent power. What some men think has more effect than what others say.”. 
  10. What does being frantic tell others about ourselves? “Whoever is in a hurry shows that the thing he is about is too big for him. Haste and hurry are very different things.”