Maybe this explains why company culture really matters...
If you're a leader in business, you know you have a great responsibility. But what if it is greater than you realize and perhaps even more than you signed up for when started the company or took that job.Let me explain.Max Stackhouse in On Moral Business observed,
Business leaders are increasingly the stewards of civilization.
Take a moment to pause….and read that line again. Let it soak in for just a moment. Then consider that Max is a theologian, not a business person. Here are a few reasons behind his belief:
- "Families split, but companies endure.
- Governments fall while firms expand.
- The steeples of the churches are dwarfed by the towers of industry.
- People say they learn more at work than they did at school.
- The corporation reaches across cultures; it transcends the boundaries of nations; it serves as the primary center of production and applied technology, and it binds together people of diverse backgrounds in new global networks of interdependence and exchange." (On Moral Business, Stackhouse, 1995).
Many people spend a third of their waking hours working. What happens at work doesn't stay at work. It follows the worker home and impacts everyone else they encounter along the way and really impacts those with whom they live.What happens at work doesn’t stay at work. It ripples into the homes, communities, schools, and other businesses in your community.Who pays? In many ways we all do.Think of the encounters you've witnessed where frustrated workers vented their frustrations:
- on the drivers around them
- the clerk at the grocery or convenience store
- the barista
- the daycare worker
- the teacher
- the spouse
- the child
- the person who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time
Perhaps Stackhouse's insight helps explain why creating a vibrant culture where people thrive and flourish has increased and continues to increase in its importance.[clickToTweet tweet="You know that creating a vibrant #culture in the workplace is considered a huge competitive advantage, but what if it's more. What if it is has become a moral imperative?" quote="Creating a vibrant culture is indeed a compelling competitive advantage, but what if it's more. What if it is now a moral imperative?" theme="style3"]That's something to think about. Want to think out loud about it with me? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and ideas in a comment below.