By Carole Bratteig, Board Certified FL LDO, ABOC, NCLEC, Founder Top Five Life | Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Optical Business Consultant | Independent Advisor

Legendary management consultant and writer Peter Druker is known for the famous quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Of course, he didn’t mean that strategy is unimportant. More rightly that the execution of your strategy may be in great peril if your workplace culture is toxic and therefore uncooperative. A poorly realized culture can definitely eat your breakfast- AND your lunch. Bad culture is really hungry!

How can you tell if your culture’s toxic? Well, if you listen and watch, you will surely see signs. Does your staff like and respect each other? Does everyone help out and increase output when it’s needed? Do your patients enjoy coming in? Do you like coming in? If you answered yes to all of these questions- you’re on the right track! If you answered no, keep reading.

First, what do I mean by culture? It’s a little tricky to define and even harder to measure. It’s a collection of attributes that can be summarized by assessing “how you feel about stuff”. It may even be more about HOW you do things rather than WHAT you do. To assess culture, you’ve got to pay attention to the big picture as well as the small stuff. You’ve got to ZOOM In AND ZOOM Out.

As eyecare professionals- we tend to ZOOM In really well. We are quite focused on all the intricate details around us. We are perpetually measuring, analyzing, studying, interpreting, comparing. All of that is critically important to being a successful professional. Yet, to be successful in business, we must also see the bigger picture clearly as well. We need to take a step back and increase our field of view. We need to ZOOM Out. ZOOMING Out will allow you to feel the context and connectedness of the entire process. It gives clarity to why we do what we do and meaning to how doing things right is important to the overall outcome of our practice.

Here is my best tip to help you ZOOM Out and set yourself up to understand and impact your culture at work, even if you’re not the boss:

Go for a walk – yes, a walk. A QUALITY walk. Get out of your workspace and let your brain expand. (Believe me, if you’re at work, it’s contracted!) It’s best to go alone. Look at the buildings, the stores, the clouds, the trees, the cars, the mountains, whatever you’ve got. Just take it all in. Do NOT pull out your phone. Do not rethink your morning. Take this time to disconnect completely. You are walking to ZOOM Out. Absorb the atmosphere, ambiance, environment, background, the feelings you get. Enjoy the changing visual flow as you move. This will help you activate that part of your brain that’s been dormant while you worked. When you return to the office, you’ll see things and notice things that you didn’t before. Write those things down. Walking is relaxing, but it’s also stimulating. You are more likely to have new insights and innovative ideas after a walk.

I know you’re busy and going for a walk in the course of your workday seems impossible. Find a way. Strive for 20 minutes. If you do it right, you’ll have an immediate positive effect on your work culture when you return. After all, you are a part of that culture scape. You help set that table and play a significant role in creating a healthy, vibrant workplace. Now, go finish your break and enjoy your lunch.