Effective leaders are aware of the power inherent within an organization’s culture.  In this series of posters,  you get a sense for the varying cultures of the wealthy, middle class, and poor.  How difficult it would be to achieve success in one of the cultures to which you were unaccustomed.

Sometimes I’ll have a mentor think about culture like writing a book entitled My Organization: How It Really Works.  I ask them to give titles to ten chapters that would appear in the book for a newcomer to read upon entering the organization.  What does the organization value?  What are the unwritten rules of the culture?  What are its taboos?  What are its dysfunctions?

If a business person wanted to be successful in Japan, s/he would study the Japanese culture.  S/he would learn that bowing upon meeting another person is very common.  They might deem it unnecessary or even a silly practice.  However, if they wanted to be successful, they would bow when meeting someone.  They would adjust to the culture in which they wanted to achieve success.

A leader is aware of the culture in which s/he is trying to be successful and is explicit about explaining that culture to his/her followers as well.

Categories: Affiliation, Authority Relationships, Communications, Empathy, Influence, Presentation Style