The other day we s
howed our son his first live-action super hero movie, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, a movie in part about the creation of a successful culture.
When the super heroes are first brought together, one of them describes their grouping as a time-bomb, as opposed to a team. They don’t get along well with one another, have no clear leader, and display personalities that conflict more than they cohere, each with the capability of inflicting serious damage.
They eventually rise to the occasion, but only after something of a culture is formed: a shared sense that their heroism is urgently needed. They become a team only after believing they can be a team, only after taking hold of the faith one of their “fans,” who died believing in the idea that they could come together.
You also need a culture in your business. It may not be one oriented toward saving the world, but it had better be one ordered toward success and what you and everyone on your team need to get there. After all, even the Avengers practiced and developed themselves.
