How’s Your Culture?
“Every company has a culture. The only question is whether or not you decide what it is.”
-Jason Cohen
Leadership has both the power and the responsibility to intentionally define and shape culture. In fact, if the leader doesn’t take charge of the culture, the culture will shape itself and be defined by tolerated behaviors and how people treat one another.
As we quickly approach the end of the school year, it’s a great time to evaluate your school’s culture. Am I defining it and driving it? What does a healthy Christian school culture look like? And how does my school measure up?
What can a school leader do to even begin to evaluate the health of their school culture?
Begin by asking some basic questions:
How would you describe your school?
Is it productive, upbeat and vibrant?
Or is it a dull, uninspired place that’s difficult to work in?
Make it your business to learn the condition of your school’s culture by:
Observing how people interact with each other.
Hold informal focus groups to learn employee perceptions of how the organization is operating
Gathering reliable data (ISM’s Faculty Culture Profile or The Best Christian Workplace Institute Survey are great data gathering tools.
As you make professional development plans for next school year, consider an investment in the foundation of your school’s culture. Best practice, curriculum planning, Bible-teaching, and even discipleship will all be for naught if they are not planted in the rich, fertile, cultivated soil of a healthy culture.
