Have you ever been in a crowd of people where someone throws out a balloon and asks the group to “keep it in the air.” As the balloon makes it’s way through the crowd, people watch it, anticipate its arrival, ready themselves to hit it and then punch it upwards before it can reach the ground.
Perfect. That’s how you change the culture of an organization.
The balloon = Whatever new dynamic you want to bring into your organizational culture
The people in the crowd = Your organization
The act of following the balloon, readying for it, anticipating it and hitting it = The act of paying attention to the new dynamic, talking about it (consistently), working it into behaviors, and watching the new dynamic as it makes its way through your organization
The balloon hitting the ground = “We stopped paying attention and lost interest and energy for the new dynamic”
Organizational initiatives fail for many of the same reasons a balloon hits the ground.
Keep it in the air.