The small things add up. Culture is key! Here are 10 ways we are strategic about our organizational structure.

Someday our daughters will be grown. I pray that they will be caring, responsible adults who love the Lord and are full of His joy and peace. That would be an incredible end result or end product.

But what does that mean for today? Today, in our home, my husband and I put a lot of time and energy into the organizational culture of our family - our mission, priorities, values, beliefs, how we communicate, how we spend our time, how we connect with each other and others, etc.
 
In this example, the end product (caring, responsible adult children) is very important to us! We have a long-term mission and priorities that, ultimately, we are trying to keep in mind with every step. And it's our family's culture - the day-to-day decisions, activities and conversations - that paves the way for the longer-term outcomes. 
 
In a similar way, we can think about our work in our churches, ministries or companies. We have a very specific mission or calling and priorities related to why our church or organization exists. We have a product or service (so to speak) to offer with specific outcomes we are working toward. It's awesome to be focused and motivated on these products, services and outcomes! Yet, day-to-day, how we are doing the work - and the organizational culture we are creating - is even more important. Ultimately, the culture lays the foundation for the success we hope to and will achieve longer-term. 
 
Often when we talk about organizational culture, we talk about the BIG things - an organization's mission, priorities, values and beliefs. And they are critical to defining and understanding organizational culture.
 
Yet we can't forget about the smaller things - the many details that add up day in and day out. These items are critical to building and living out your team's culture (and ultimately achieving your mission).

Are you headed in the right direction? For the short-term? For the longer-term? I believe that looking at the day-to-day details will help you consider this. The small things add up to support the big things (your mission, priorities, values and beliefs). If you're winning with the small things, typically the small things add up more and more to make a big impact with your mission and priorities. But if you're having trouble or barely making it with the day-to-day choices and habits, chances are there are bigger issues to address with where you're going for the future. 
 
Recently I was brainstorming about our culture at Fishhook. I was thinking about the daily habits and characteristics that make up our culture. Here is the list I started ...
  1. Many days, we wear T-shirts and flip flops. (But, when needed, we dress up. There are times to express to a client or partner - through our dress - that we respect them and are committed to excellence.) 
  2. We love to laugh. As much as possible, we take the time to tell a story, play a practical joke and enjoy one another's company.
  3. We love fun and buffoonery. Let's plan a fun lunch. Let's draw during team meeting. Let's invite our kids and pets to the office (on occasion). When we skimp on this area, our connections with one another, creativity and productivity suffer. We feel it quick!
  4. We love our proven processes and experience. Yet we also love new ideas and opportunities. We work to have a balance of both. 
  5. We enjoy being in the office connecting with one another (and we have core office hours/days to ensure we have the time we need together for the benefit of our work and clients). Yet we also love our flexibility to work from home or a local coffee shop. Thanks to the way we track our time/work through electronic timesheets, there is built-in accountability. This freedom encourages home/work balance and creativity. 
  6. We buy lunch. We're a small operation, yet, as much as possible, we try to be as generous as possible. If we can, we buy lunch ... for our team, with clients, with partners and friends.
  7. We care about one another. We try to lead with: How was your weekend? How are you? How is your family? How can I support you? (Next, we have important work to do together. But we try to keep this order as we interact.)
  8. We do our best to tell the truth. When business is great, we tell the team. When business is slow, we tell the team. When the work is a home run, we celebrate. When we miss the mark, we talk about it. Our aim is to meet face to face when we're talking through difficult topics. As a team and one-on-one, we try to be kind and direct. 
  9. If there is a conflict in schedules between something significant at home and something at work, home wins. We care deeply about our clients and meeting their important deadlines, but we care even more about our roles with our families away from Fishhook. So we get creative to make sure the client has what they need when they need it. And we make sure we're at the band concert or piano recital too.
  10. When we're confused, we talk about it, pray about it and then go eat some ice cream. We try not to force anything. We trust that more clarity will come as we give something a bit more time and continue to pray.
As I look at this list, I realize that it is these day-to-day ways of working together, communicating and growing that make up our organizational culture - and that lead the way to the bigger mission, priorities and outcomes that we strive to achieve. The small things add up! Culture is key!

So how will I respond today in my work? Well, I've got my flip flops on. And I'm taking one step at a time to live out who we are at Fishhook and what we are called to do. I care about the details. (We try not to be fixated or obsessed about them, but we care about them.) What do today's details involve? I'm welcoming some folks back from their summer vacation, ordering in lunch with a client and following up on some hard questions raised by a teammate last week. Later, I may get some ice cream to share with the team this afternoon! 
 
How about you? What does your culture of daily habits and characteristics involve? And how will you respond today?