Culture is important to me

I grew up in a beautiful, no stunning part of the world, Zimbabwe.

I lived there for 19 years from the age of 7 having arrived from Singapore, two very different countries, cultures and traditions.

My father was an Irishman from Limerick, and my mother is an English rose.

Without knowing it I was surrounded by a tapestry of characters and behaviours that was driven by cultural traditions and personalities.  I learnt so much from the Rhodesian war, local and world political influences on the people of Zimbabwe and the perceptions the world (media) had of us.

Migrating back to England in the 90’s was a cultural shock, despite being an English citizen.  I quickly learnt I had more of a Southern African set of values, expectations and norms and had to learn the behaviours and norms of an English culture.

Not to fit in necessarily, but it was up to me to adapt and question in a way that I could give the best of me, get the best out of the people I was meeting and in essence working with.  I needed to be happy and content as well as everyone else.

Every organisation we go into we are walking into an environment that has its own culture, sets of values and behaviours, which may be familiar or alien to us. 

I have spent my working life creating environments where people can thrive, feel respected and grow in their personal lives and careers.

BUT it all went wrong!  I became part of a negative culture and did not know how I could change me around.

This the story:

I went into an organisation as the strategic manager to support the organisation to grow and create effective teams.

As is part of my strategy in working with any organisation I speak to every member of staff, 60 in this case.  The upshot of these interviews, we had a consistent message of staff feeling any promotion was dead man’s shoes; pay was poor; there was a culture of negativity and those who caused the most problems got what they wanted.  Finally, management did not back them up when it was right to do so.

These were quick wins, and I was able to structure the organisation so there was career development and training.  Weekly meetings and we gave clear communication that negativity, gossip and inappropriate behaviour would be addressed.

Within the first two years, I was nominated and won the Devon practice managers award for Inspirational leader, we grew by another 35 staff and all was going swimmingly for 4 years.

We then hit a tough and stressful 2 years, we buckled down and rode that challenge.  The toll was huge on several staff which I did not recognise in myself.

I started to become bored, my productivity declined, and I actually stopped caring about people, hated Mondays…. The result…

A negative culture ensued, I beat myself up daily and promised tomorrow would be a better day.  I had blown up and did not know how to recover from it.

You know the rest of the story…

Focusing on culture for an organisation is so important and it is the responsibility of ALL senior staff to carry it through.  Unfortunately, I and the business owners did not recognise the signs of burn out, stress or distress in me. 

In the end, culture isn't just a backdrop—it's the heartbeat of any organisation and the soul of our personal experiences. My journey from Zimbabwe to England and through various professional environments has taught me that culture shapes not only how we interact with the world but also how we view ourselves. When the culture is positive, it can inspire, uplift, and drive us to achieve great things. But when it turns negative, it can erode our spirit and motivation.

The lesson I’ve learned is that maintaining a healthy, supportive culture requires constant vigilance, self-awareness, and the commitment of everyone involved. It's not just about adapting to culture; it's about actively nurturing it to ensure that both individuals and organisations can thrive.