How to Influence the Collective Culture With Love
The four principles of a courageous follower
All organizations have a distinctive culture, a set of norms, a way of engaging. Ways of behaving and interacting with the world.
“Our secret weapon for building the best culture is open and honest feedback.”– Gina Lau, Team Operations, HelloSign
Leaders and followers must adopt the ways of an existing culture and learn the norms. What's acceptable. “Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.” (Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, CEO, Airbnb)
We’ve all read stories of political representatives who disregard the culture of bureaucracy and discover defeat. Rejection by the electorate. These Stories are plentiful, legend, but for the wrong reasons.
Interaction and Engagement
Cultures are interactive. Engaging. Followers should not walk on a one-way street. A courageous follower that respects the culture they’ve signed up to can influence it. Good or bad. It’s a choice.
“One of our values is that you should be looking out for each other. Everyone should try to make the lives of everyone else who works here a little bit simpler.” — Stewart Butterfield, Founder, Slack
Often a follower simply blends in and adapts to the attitudes of the organization, even if they’re passive, cynical, conformist or defeatist.
Principles of Courage
In contrast, courageous followers don’t allow a prevailing culture to overrule them or others. Deny their personal values. As followers we can influence an existing culture if we respect the following four principles:
- Recognize, appreciate and support existing traditions. Values that underpin the group. This allows us to credibly model anew, a set of fresh characteristics yet to be embraced by others.
- Be willing to stand out. Demonstrate a different attitude. A positive attitude. Not as a challenge, rather as an expression of our own unique vision, one that adds strength to the group.
- Always adhere to our higher-self. In a culture that doesn’t obviously support your values requires clarity and self-acceptance of yourself.
- Love yourself. Be true to your own values, your vision and connect these to the collective purpose. In doing so we can influence and harness the energy that a group generates to accomplish a shared purpose.
These four principles are the bedrock of an innovative culture.
Love Human Culture
Culture is an aspect of human life. “Throughout history, we had many cultures emerged, progressed, ended; and the new ones came to life in many cycles” (Dr Mehmet Yildiz, 2020).
“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” — Simon Sinek, author, Start with Why
One of our writers shared enlightening words in his article, “The Language Of Love Transcends Cultural Barriers”, George said:
“I see everyone in the world as the same because we breathe the same air and have the same sensibilities.
It’s easy for me to love. I believe that our cultural differences are insignificant.“— George J. Ziogas
We all breathe. We Love. We write. Therefore, collectively we are equal creators of our culture.
“Love encourages unity and peace.” — George
