How To Thrive In A Culture

All returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or wisdom, come from compound interest. When explored and practiced, our interests turn into expertise or special knowledge over time, which is compounded when we surround ourselves with people and circumstances that help these elements flourish. It’s like planting good seeds in good soil.

Expertise can’t be trained. If someone can train you, they can also train someone else to replace you. This is why true expertise must be earned. Like an excellent education, it’s not given to you by a university or degree program; you work at it and earn it. And when you earn it, it can’t be taken away unless you don’t apply it.

This unique knowledge you’ve earned can only gain compound interest when you apply it to the right circumstances. A highly specialized brain surgeon can’t apply their expertise if they’re not in a healing environment for people with brain trauma. The world’s best soccer player is no match for a pro team if youth players surround her.

The recipe for thriving in a culture is to find or make the one you’ll flourish in. Doing this means knowing your special something and finding a team that brings you on for just that. Or, if you find yourself in a culture that isn’t flourishing, you can work to fix it so you and your collective thrive.

Choose cultures with high self-awareness, intelligence, vision, energy, and, above all, integrity. Cultures with a growth mindset are willing to look at and address the “elephants in the room” that many cultures avoid acknowledging, let alone fixing. Often, this requires a team to slow down long enough to stop bypassing what’s impeding your team’s effectiveness.

Applying your expertise in the right environment will feel like play to you and look like work to those who don’t hold your wisdom.

If you want a more trusting team, a culture of belonging or a magnetic brand that attracts more of the right customers, I can help. If you'd like to explore if working together makes sense, drop me a line.

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