Does the culture you're in bring out your best performance?

- What type of culture are you in right now? Is it energizing you or draining your energy? To decode the type of culture you're in, not the culture stated in the organization's website, but the real day-to-day culture, look at the predominant attitudes, use of language, and behaviors in your group. Attitudes are the feelings or ways of thinkings that affect behavior. Language refers to the words being used to express feelings or thoughts. Behavior is the way a person acts. There are three types of relational cultures you need to be aware of. As I describe each culture, consider which one you're presently in. Doesn't matter if you're in the office or working remotely at home. The first is a culture of control. In this type, people who have power, control, influence, and status rule over the rest. They expect people to follow orders without asking questions. If you were seen to push back, even if you've asked a legitimate question, you may find yourself publicly belittled or mocked. In a culture of control, people may feel micromanaged, criticized, or disrespected. Over time, people develop what psychologists refer to as learned helplessness. They don't feel they have the autonomy they need to do their jobs well, so they just go through the motions without extra effort. The second type is a culture of indifference. In this type, people are so busy, they don't have time to develop supportive relationships. Some leaders don't see value in the relational nature of work. Their attitude is you're being paid to do a job. I don't care how you feel or if you have friends on the team. All I care about is your work. In a culture of indifference, people may feel lonely, unsupported, left out, or like they're being treated as a means to an end rather than as a unique individual. You'll find that people working in this culture lack the energy to do their best. Because of the human tendency of out of sight, out of mind, remote workers can be at greater risk for experiencing a culture of indifference. The best relational culture is a connection culture. In a connection culture, people feel connected to their supervisor, to their colleagues. Whether they work onsite or remotely, they feel connected to their work because it's a good fit with their strengths and provides the right degree of challenge. They feel connected to their organization and to the people they serve. When they feel connected, they have the enthusiasm and energy to do their best work. You'll see a willingness to help out. Information will be more freely shared and discussed, and people will be recognized for their contributions. Supervisors will get people in roles where they thrive and they'll invest in mentoring and training to help people achieve their potential. For those who work remotely part or all of the time, supervisors make the additional effort to ensure they feel connected. A culture of connection meets seven universal human needs to thrive. Those needs are respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, meaning, and progress. Learn more about them in the handout titled "Universal Needs," available in the exercise files. Now that you've learned about the three relational cultures, is it obvious which type of culture you're in? If not, list attitudes, uses of language and behaviors you've witnessed in your organization, and then consider whether they reflect connection, control, or indifference.