High Ten. Martin Rooney

smiled Brian. “The word's used for partners too – ‘she's a keeper.' You're on the right track because your Culture Keepers are Beings you don't wanna let go. A keeper's defined as a person who manages something for someone. The difference from being a neutral ‘custodian' is that a Keeper's expected to ‘keep' the culture better than the leader left it. If you think about a zookeeper, they're expected to make the zoo a better place, not worse. Or from sports, imagine a goalkeeper. That keeper minds the net he's responsible for, and attempts to prevent bad things from happening.”

      “I understand,” said Sam “As we're covering these, I'm already categorizing my staff.”

“That's natural,” replied Brian, “and something a leader should do. Each Keeper's ability to uphold your culture is different, but to be categorized a keeper, they should at least maintain the culture you want. Before you get excited figuring how many ‘Keepers' you've got, let's worry about another animal at the zoo. As much as Keepers help your business, Culture Vultures do damage.”

      “Let me guess,” interrupted Sam. “They feed off the garbage?”

      “Yes! A vulture's a scavenging bird of prey that feeds off carrion – decaying flesh of animals. You might be familiar with vultures because they're often depicted circling above people in distress.”

      “That's how I picture them. They're ugly!'

      “Ugly for your business. If you've seen vultures, they're never alone either. Vultures gather and interestingly, a group of them sitting together is called a ‘committee,' while a group of them feeding's called a ‘wake.' So you're right about the garbage. The Culture Vultures not only love to feed off the bad news and negative aspects of your business, but they also gather in committees to enjoy what's rotten.”

      “Ugh,” grunted Sam. “I've placed some staff in this category, and one of those placements hurts. Can your business survive with a bunch of Vultures?”

      “Sorry, kid. That ends up with a wake.”

      Sam reviewed his notes. “This morning's been more insightful than I hoped. I had my doubts, but you've made me a believer. Any chance we can work together? I know you can help Stamina get on track.”

“Thanks, Sam. It's my pleasure to share these lessons. For me to best help you and Stamina, we'll need more than one-on-one meetings. I'm recommending my Cultural Checkup.”

      “What's that?” asked Sam. “Checkups remind me of my doctor.”

      Brian chuckled. “You're not far off. But instead of your health, imagine the Culture Checkup's an examination of Stamina's health. Many people ignore the health of their business until there's a problem. With my checkup, your business won't get sicker before it gets better. How it works is I meet with you individually for three mornings to teach more about culture. Then I meet with your staff, and do a ‘walk-through' around Stamina. At the end of the three days, I'll share what I found and deliver a treatment plan. Sound good?”

      “Sounds great … and expensive,” sighed Sam. “Let's cut to the chase. What's this checkup cost?”

      “That's the best part. Unlike visiting your doctor or mechanic, you decide what I'm worth after the checkup.”

      “Really?” asked Sam.

      “Once we cover my diagnosis and treatment plan, you can decide whether to hire me as a consultant,” Brian said. “So, do you want the checkup? What've you got to lose?”

      Sam agreed and the men shook on it.

      “Great work today,” encouraged Brian. “Until we meet up, I want you doing two things in preparation. First, continue to categorize Stamina's Beings into either Crusaders, Keepers, or Vultures.”

      “Check.”

      “And second,” said Brian, “get some new glasses …”

      “What's wrong with my glasses?”

“No worries,” replied Brian. “I mean I want you to use a new set of culture lenses. Think like X-ray vision, but instead of bones, they expose culture. Look at Stamina like you examined the ‘white space' of Arthur's. Take detailed notes, and email what you find.”

      “Check,” affirmed Sam.

      “It's not as easy as it seems,” said Brian as he flicked a coin toward Sam and said, “Catch!”

      Sam caught it.

      “What did I throw?”

      Sam answered, “A dime.”

      “Good. Now close your hand around it. You seen a dime before?”

      “Of course,” replied Sam.

      “Tell me who's on the front and which way he faces,” said Brian.

      “Uh …” Sam hesitated.

      “Not sure? Okay, tell me the three items on the back.”

      Sam stood in silence.

      “The man on the front's Franklin Roosevelt, and he faces left,” said Brian. “On the back are an olive branch, torch, and oak branch, from left to right.”

      Sam opened his hand and confirmed it.

      “I didn't do that to you to distress you,” said Brian, “but to impress upon you there's a big difference between looking and paying attention. And last thing. The lenses also work at home. I know we haven't talked about it, but Stamina isn't the only place with ‘white space' around the dots. Culture happens at home too.”