In The Toyota Way to Service Excellence, we talk a lot about creating a ‘deliberate culture’. ‘Deliberate’ meaning the specific choices that get you closer to your purpose: organizational structure, hiring process, office layout, how you treat your customers. ‘Culture’ meaning “the way we do things around here’. Not what we SAY we’re going to do…but what we actually DO. Lately I’ve been thinking that creating a “deliberate culture” doesn’t just apply to organizations. It’s something that’s personal as well. In order to fulfill our purpose, to reach our goals, to do the things we want to do – in the way we want to do them – we need to be conscious of creating a “deliberate culture” for ourselves, as people. Because every choice we make (or don’t), every decision we make (or don’t), every action we take (or don’t) has an effect on what we – and our world – becomes. We’re not just passive recipients of the world as it is. We’re active creators. So, as we start a new week, I’m going to challenge you to really be ‘deliberate’ in what you’re creating. Not just at work…but at home, with your family, and in your community too. As my friend Sylvia Witter-Vliege says, “Sometimes the biggest enemy to being yourself is yourself”. This week, don’t let it be. Who you are, and what you have to contribute to making a better world is too important. Your ‘personal culture’ counts. Be deliberate in creating it!
A Deliberate Culture of YOU!
