Culture on individual level
Culture on individual level means for us the values, beliefs, guiding principles, needs and fears we have and how these drive our decisions and actions. How this influences what we say or not say and do or not do. That is our ‘individual culture’.
Often, people know ‘more or less’ which values are important to them, but they find it hard to describe these clearly. Fundamental values are the values that you will never betray and will always respect. They are our essence, and they are always with us and in all kinds of contexts. Even if we are not always aware of them. Alongside these fundamental values, we also have a broad set of additional values, which supplement the fundamental ones to create our complete value compass. This combination and this compass will be visible to everyone through our behaviour (that is what we do/don’t do and say, and how we do and say it).
We do this work through values workshops and ‘personal iceberg’ retreats.
And often the matter of individual ‘culture’ is part of a mentoring-advisory mission or an executive coaching journey.
Values Workshops
We will look at values as a kind of behavioural compass, or a coat of arms. Values make us do – usually unconsciously – things in a manner that is specific to us, which allows us to distinguish ourselves from others. By behaving in a consistent and values-driven manner, we create clarity for those around us, and those whom we impact directly and indirectly. If one behaves authentically, with all people in all circumstances, then that individual’s environment will see and recognize that authentic behaviour, authentic communication, and authentic reactions. This recognition will in turn have an impact on that environment and how it reacts to the individual.
By learning to live in accordance with your values, you create for yourself a moral compass which, as it were, becomes your behavioural trademark or coat of arms: one does things that way, and no differently. Values are there to be displayed. There are no longer any surprises in other people’s behaviour. Your environment will know that there is no point in trying to persuade you to do things against your values. Because they know that you will refuse … when you really live and ‘defend’ your values. Nobody has the same values, or the same hierarchy of values, or the same experience of values. It is our values, together with our noble purpose, that make us unique human beings. It is in this way that we make who we are (more) visible. And by being more visible for each other, it becomes easier and more pleasant to deal with each other.
In these values workshops we help high impact leaders to understand the importance of values, from an inward (personal coherence) and outward (impact) focus. We let them discover which values are most important to them. And how to put them in alignment with their noble purpose.
Personal Iceberg Retreats or Workshops
In these profound and very meaningful retreats (two days residential) or workshops (1 day non-residential), we help high impact leaders to discover the drivers of their behaviour. This is what we call taking a deep dive in our symbolic personal iceberg. So doing we become aware why we display which behaviour. We’ll help discover what the impact is, on self and on the others, of values, beliefs, needs, and fears, and where they come from.
The purpose is to learn how to challenge our behaviour and which strategies to use to alter specific behaviour that ‘stands in the way’ (to be decided of what). We therefore will elaborate on specific behaviour we want (or should) further develop, stop having or start showing.
Iceberg retreats or workshops are often an important part of a much broader program or offering we have. We run these retreats or workshops in open format (everyone can apply) or in tailor made closed formats (for specific collectives or organisations). We prefer to hold the retreats in a residential format.
