Culture: the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group

Cultures define a movement, an era, the zeitgeist, the aura, the spirit, the essence, the purpose of its subject.

Pop Culture.
Youth Culture.
Counterculture.
Hippie Culture.

Businesses have a culture too. Typically these cultures are born directly from the beliefs, actions, and influence of their founders. Bill Hewlett and David Packard, from their Silicon Valley start in a garage, still affect the culture of HP. Steve Jobs is probably the most notable modern day example of the-man-who-made-the-company is the company. Apple has a culture that most companies would kill for, period.

Culture cannot be bought. It cannot be manufactured. It cannot be borrowed.

Could you publish your culture like Zappos? Would you enjoy what you read?

For these reasons, most companies choke on growing a culture that is anything other than expected and forgettable. At worst, the company culture is a limiting factor to becoming remarkable as Jim Collins wrote in his book Good to Great.

Your company probably does not have a distortion field inducing front man or founder that can formulate a culture out of thin air. Your company certainly has plenty of people with a soul. When they have the inspiration, direction, and latitude to inject their soul, they can bring the ideas, energy, and passion that moves the world.

You may not be able to set a direction or free up space, but you certainly can inject a little inspiration. Have you?

photo credit: Larry Tomlinson