Culture: And the four pillars of our baseball program

Almost everywhere you look sports teams, school districts, and business organizations are discussing the importance of culture.  Before you read any further, please take one minute and write down your definition of culture…

How did you do?  If you performed the exercise my guess is you found this “simple” assignment fairly challenging.  Attempting to describe culture is like trying to describe love; it’s just not that easy.  Many folks, when describing culture will point to another buzz term: core values.  When developing core values organizations typically turn to the usual suspects of words: integrity, commitment, excellence, and accountability.  What frequently follows the identification of these values is a mission statement.  This mission statement oftentimes is then displayed as a picture on the wall or made into a T-shirt.  All around the country organizations are attempting to create culture in this hollow way.

Today, let’s take a look at culture in a different light. First, let’s start by defining culture.

Culture: The invisible hand that drives the actions and ultimately the results of your organization 24/7/365.

Culture isn’t a list of words; it is living and breathing.  It’s the actions and attitudes of the members of the group.  When we are immersed in the culture we fail to notice things.  We assume.  This is dangerous because our culture is always at work.  We may proclaim “Teamwork” as one of our values, but the true actions of the culture are selfish.  Culture isn’t what we hope it is; instead, culture simply “is what it is.”  You can’t fake it, nor can you cheat it.

I’d like to briefly share the cornerstone of our baseball team’s culture.  As a disclaimer, please let me clarify that WE ARE FAR FROM PERFECT.  Just like so many of you, we are fighting daily to make sure the “invisible hand” of our program is working toward our goals and not against them.  We are extremely intentional about educating recruits, their families, as well as our current players and parents about our culture.

Here are the four pillars of our program:

1. “Mudita”- If you have read my articles in the past you have heard me discuss mudita.  It is vicarious joy.  It’s being happy for someone else’s success as if it were your own.  It’s selflessness.  It’s looking to serve others.  Mudita, at its best, is a force multiplier.  The best example of mudita I have ever seen is this video from Alabama softball.  Here is a link:
2. “Kaizen”- Kaizen was originally used as a Japanese business phrase that means: “continuous and never ending improvement.”  In our program it simply means our mission is to challenge ourselves to get better.  It starts with me.  I have to examine everything we do: recruiting, weight training, offense and defense philosophies; the list goes on and on.  This needs to flow throughout the program to our assistants, our players, and managers.  Kaizen is exhausting; you are never satisfied.  Here is a great article about “Everyday” Ray Allen that exemplifies Kaizen.
3. Grit – “Courage or resolve; strength of character; strength of will; toughness”- Rod Olson.  Striving for greatness is challenging.  It’s not for everyone. There are difficult days; days in which you want to quit.  Our culture is designed to knock everyone (including me) outside of their comfort zone. We have to actively look for ways to instill this “endangered” attribute, grit.  Angela Duckworth, in her incredibly popular Ted Talk, explained how grit; not money, upbringing, intelligence, or appearance, is the number one predictor of success. Grit is a skill that can be developed.
   (On a side note, for all of us parents, it’s ironic that our best intentions of protecting our children are actually damaging their chances of success).
4. Gratitude – “The quality of being thankful; a readiness to show kindness and appreciation.”- Rod Olson.  If you are playing baseball in our program you are extremely fortunate.  You have the opportunity to get a degree from an incredible university and the chance to be a part of something much bigger than yourself.  How many people in the world would love that opportunity?  I want our young men to understand this and to not take it for granted.  Our society is desperately missing gratitude.  We just assume that we deserve anything and everything we desire. I’m sure our players get annoyed with me, but I will continue to teach and model gratitude.

Your Assignment:
How is your culture?  Roll up your sleeves and do the tough, dirty work.  Get in there and examine the current climate of your organization.  Is the “invisible hand” driving the results you want?  Or is it pushing you further away from your goals?  It is incredibly important to face this head on; a culture exists whether you like it or not.  It’s our job as leaders to be intentional about creating the culture that is best for the organization.

One Final Challenge:
Write down the culture, values, and/or the goals and objectives of your organization.  Please take this challenge.  If you can’t write it down and clearly articulate it, you are leaving your culture up to chance.  Your culture is ALWAYS working; it’s up to you to create it.