It starts in the boardroom.

I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. (Psalm 101:2-4).

As David speaks of the code of conduct in his house, he starts with himself. He realizes that the leader determines the atmosphere and the culture in the palace. He becomes an example for his men when he does not kill Saul, who is hunting him to murder him, even though David has the opportunity (1 Samuel 24:2-8). With this behavior, he guides his men and orders them to stay calm.

As leaders, we must set an example when it comes to the culture we desire for our businesses. The managing director’s behavior is crucial in this. For any staff member, a good relationship with the boss is essential. A staff member invests in this relationship emotionally and follows the boss in displaying the desired conduct in order to receive appreciation.

In line with this principle, John desired a higher quality of service in his company, including more attention to details and more attention to the person behind the client. However, as a leader, John was task oriented, focused on figures and results, and he was an ‘authoritative’ boss. John didn’t manage to achieve the desired culture change. He asked advice from a good friend and colleague who owned a beautiful service-directed company. He joined one of John’s staff meetings and immediately knew why John had not been able to make a change in his company culture. He said, "John, if you don’t change yourself, your company won’t either. In the staff meetings you only talk about financial ratios, and you’re not intrinsically involved with your people’s well-being. You’re not interested in detail, only in outcome. How then can you expect your people to be interested in detail and intrinsically involved? Another example, if you see pieces of paper or rubbish lying on the floor, you merely walk past it, get irritated, and ask someone else to clean it up. This way you communicate that 'cleaning up is for the least paid employees; we do not need to do so ourselves.' As a consequence, no one cleans up after themselves, because no one wants to be associated with the least paid. You yourself are the problem, and you are the key towards a change for the desired culture."

Question for the day
What culture do you create by your own behavior?