It’s become one of the major focuses for business in the last few years. Sports teams are constantly talking about it and whenever there are issues in society, it becomes a major focus.

So what about the family? The basic building block of a strong society? It’s interesting that the majority of us have never given it a second thought.

It is possible to have the family you want — the question is: what sort of family do you want?

You can create the family you want — the attitudes, values and behaviour you would like in your household. And your children can become successful in whatever they choose to do.

Conscious Choice to Unconscious Habit

Here are some points about culture you may have never considered:

Every group of people, from businesses, to sports teams, school, church, the classroom and family has a culture.

Families who deliberately create the culture they want, end up with the environment and family they want. Those who don’t deliberately create the culture they want end up… well, wherever they end up.

Culture manages the outcome of an organisation and its individuals without having to manage every activity of each individual. It becomes ‘self-policing.’ As a parent, this makes family life so much easier and a whole lot more fun.

Headless

Have you ever walked into a home and it felt out of control? Like no one was in control or leading the home (except maybe the kids)? This is not uncommon. Then you can go into other homes and there seems to be a peace about the household. The kids could be running around, playing, laughing, having a great time, but there’s a different ‘feel’ to the home.

Whenever you have a group of two or more people, there is a culture. Every home, every family has a culture. The second home in the analogy above has a deliberate culture. The first one has a culture, but not one that has been planned or designed.

Definitions

So what is culture?

According to the Oxford dictionary, culture is:

• the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society;
• the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group

According to Michael Hyatt, chairman and former CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers and owner of one of the most highly read blogs on the planet, a culture is defined by the behaviour of its leaders.

Have you set a deliberate culture in your family and home?

Check back next week and we’ll start to look at:

• Who sets culture
• 3 simple things culture is based on
• Your role in the culture of your home

Thank you for reading the blog and by all means, leave feedback and even your own personal stories that could help others.

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Originally published at Mum Daily. Photo by Elina Fairytale.