The constant feeling

This feeling doesn't go away, this unsettling, incessant feeling of not belonging here. I hate it. 

Either this feeling has to go away, or I need to.

Culture -II

We continued talking about culture this week. Culture is an outcome, not a design variable, my professor taught. The design variables are team structures, team composition, processes, management styles and so on. 

The other important variable in this equation is Context. Everything DEPENDS. Yeah, that's not just the useless consultant-speak. Everything really depends on the environment, the industry and the history of how the elements come together. Context is ever-changing, and the only way to survive is adaptability. Nothing outlasts context shifts, not even the greatest cultures. Adapt, adapt, adapt. There's no point hanging on to "how things used to be". Things are continuously changing away from how they were, how they are and how they will be. 

The world is not simple! But didn't they say that on our first day? :)

The more we are different, the more we are the same

All around me people are different, but are they really?

Our basic needs, fears, insecurities, greed, dreams...they are all essentially the same. We all want love, approval, social desirability. Yes we look different, dress, eat and talk different, but if you go a layer deeper, we are all saying and doing similar things, born out of similar faultlines. Some hide them better than others. Some fight them better than others. 

In class last week, I learnt for the first time the importance of not giving in to your first instincts. A lot of my life has been about trusting the instinct and going with the intuition. But there are certain moments, in difficult ambiguous situations that need you to be courageous and resilient, when you need to hold past the first instinct. Fight or flight. It is hard coded in us. It is amazing how often I give in to those. It is amazing how often my reaction is to be defensive, to shut down, to sneak away. I wonder how life would have turned out if I had taken more risk and not rushed to the comfort zone, quietly running away. 

Culture

What is culture? Why is it so important? Who creates it? How? When?
Most importantly, can culture be engineered?

People these days try so hard to define culture. Culture decks. Structured early exercises. Norms. Conscience. Relationships. People are trying so hard to "create" these the way they want before they get formed inevitably. This is, quite literally, a battle against time.

It's probably worth a try. Cultures are hard to change. But then again, over engineering stifles natural expression. What-could-be could be better than what-you-think-should-be. Or worse.

Either way, over-engineering also leaves some people out, who feel they don't fit in. Who like to take time to settle in, get to know people and be themselves. Who don't like being judged from the first second.
Question is, do we value those people anymore? In this go-getter world of insecure extroversion, is there a place for the slow and steady?

Maybe not.