In the wake of the recent riots in Baltimore, I’m reminded of what makes me cling to the things that matter most. Loved ones, safety, traditions – specifically, the kind I participated in when I was in grade school. Thanksgiving and Christmas marked a time when my family and I would shiver in the church parking lot and load turkeys and beloved side-dish ingredients into brown bags and onto truck beds. The meals were then delivered to public housing throughout the county. When it was my family’s turn to distribute the meals to doorsteps, children squealed with glee and the adults graciously accepted the parcels. Each household expressed gratitude and it was that tradition of giving back that warmed my heart, and in turn melted theirs.
Traditions. We count on them. We look forward to them. National holidays are memorialized on our calendars. How we honor these moments shape our culture and invite us to appreciate what bonds us together.
In a business context, traditions take the form of regular meetings, the ways we greet one another, annual events, and the list goes on. Every now and again some customs become stodgy. They require a reset. Other organizations dismiss the importance of tradition altogether, and thereby stop honoring them or they lack such practices in the first place. What does that mean for culture? How are employees impacted? What can be done to foster more pride and bring back tradition?
One way is to introduce a very rewarding initiative - the timeless act of volunteerism. At eQ, we call it Impact Day; it’s when we strive to do some good as an entire company each quarter (at the least!) with the understanding that some of us will choose to engage in additional volunteer opportunities – just because we like to do more.
Perhaps you’ve seen #More4Bmore trending on social media. It reminds us that out of tragedy comes opportunity. In this case, the opportunity that has presented itself is an invitation to create innovative solutions to improve our culture.
To understand culture, and how it is shaped, consider the definition provided by Edgar Schein, an MIT professor who focuses on business management, “Culture is a way of working together toward common goals that have been followed so frequently and so successfully that people don’t even think about trying to do things another way. If a culture has formed, people will autonomously do what they need to do to be successful.” On the surface, culture appears to lack free will. Dig deeper and think about the strength that comes from working as a team – toward a shared goal – doing so frequently – in order to achieve success. Sounds really good to me.
In a 2011 Volunteer IMPACT Survey conducted by Deloitte, respondents signaled they are nearly twice as likely to be incredibly satisfied with their career path if they are provided with the ability to do community impact work. The individuals who took the survey are employees who frequently participate in workplace volunteer work. So ask yourself – how do I feel about my career growth? Does my organization have a tradition in place that supports volunteerism? Do I give my employees regular opportunities to contribute collaboratively for the betterment of society? If you answered negatively to any of these questions, figure out how you can make a change. Figure out what will provide you with increased satisfaction in your career and if it’s volunteering, gather a group of colleagues to provide ground support. Then, pitch ideas to leadership. If there’s no tradition in place, there’s nothing stopping you from becoming the tradition maker.
Now if this idea of suggesting something new or bringing back something old stirs fear in you, focus on the impact. Remember what tradition means to you, to others. To me, traditions aren’t traditions unless you celebrate them with those whom you share a connection with – whether by blood, by vocation, by interests, or by values. Your family, your colleagues, your friends, and your community make up a passionate, unstoppable, and thoughtful group. And when you do things together, and better yet - for the greater good, look around. Maybe you’ll say to yourself, I’m exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I need to do. In the words of musical group, Talking Heads, “This must be the place,” the place where it all happens – where it matters.
