HELPING LEADERS BUILD STRONG CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS
Building a strong cultural foundation in an organization is much like cultivating a healthy garden. Just as high-quality soil, sunlight, and water are essential for plants to grow, a strong culture is vital for an organization’s success. You can't change culture without understanding humans and how they learn, develop, and connect with one another.
​​
HEALTHY ROOTS
Just as roots need to grow deep into the ground to stay connected and strong, organizations need to foster deep connections among their people. This involves seeing each person as having unique talents and gifts, allowing for personalized career paths that maximize individual strengths and contributions. Traditional one-size-fits-all approaches may be easier to measure and manage, but they fall short in helping individuals do their best work.
NURTURING GROWTH
Leaders are like cultivators of their organization. They determine how much water, sunlight, and fertilizer to give—and more importantly, who receives these resources. Tend to your garden by focusing on what you can impact, getting rid of excess distractions, and giving your full attention to what truly matters. Expect accountability, not perfection, from your leaders and team members.
WEEDS VS. GRASS
Weeds and grass both grow when given water, sunlight, and good soil. It’s crucial to be mindful of where attention, energy, and resources are directed. By nurturing the right people and ideas, you prevent weeds from taking over the yard (culture). The CEO and executive team play a pivotal role in ensuring that the right elements are cultivated within the organization.
DEVELOPMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
We believe much of leadership comes from life experiences, many of which are formed in early childhood. These experiences often leave gaps due to the way we are educated and developed. Leaders must be conscious of these gaps and work to fill them.
​
Every day, we are watering our flowers, plants, trees, and grass, but we are also watering and seeding weeds. Leaders must be conscious of their behaviors, policies, compensation plans, recognition systems, and the common language they use. Actions speak louder than words, and the consistency of these actions builds or erodes culture.
​
Our approach includes:
-
Customized Development: Focus on personalized career paths that optimize individual strengths and contributions, rather than traditional, easy-to-manage methods.
-
Mindful Nurturing: Ensure that resources and attention are directed towards nurturing the right people and ideas.
-
Continuous Learning: Recognize that leadership development is an ongoing process, filled with trial and error, learning from mistakes, and constant improvement.
-
Environmental Awareness: Be aware of the organizational environment, much like a cultivator tends to their garden, ensuring that all elements support growth and sustainability.
THE ROLE OF LEADERS
The best and most conscious leaders think not about their legacy, but their ancestry. They focus on leaving behind the character and soul of an organization rather than just their name. These leaders develop talent that extends beyond their own benefit, preparing individuals to make meaningful impacts within and outside the organization.
​
We prioritize being recognized as "the best place to have worked for" rather than just "the best place to work." Our goal is to prepare individuals to do the best work of their lives, building their character, discovering their talents, and using them to make a significant impact. Leaders should recruit and identify talents, placing individuals in various environments to learn and discover where they can make the greatest impact.
EMBRACING IMPERFECTION
Organizations, like humanity, is inherently flawed. Conscious leaders accept responsibility, recognize their blind spots, and take steps to correct harm when it occurs. They do not justify, pass blame, or engage in comparisons. Instead, they practice courage, discipline, self-compassion, and patience.
​
As leaders, our responsibility extends beyond the bottom line. We aim to leave a legacy of character and purpose, not just a corporate name. This means developing leaders equipped to make a difference, both within and beyond our organization, and preparing them to make a lasting impact wherever they go.
​
At Make It Matter, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of conscious leaders who will transform the landscape of business and society. Join us in cultivating a future where strong cultural foundations lead to unprecedented growth and impact.