Catalyzing Culture

Not only can we lead from wherever we are, I believe we can also shape culture from wherever we are. Here's how.

I love the concept of “norm entrepreneurship” which helps unlock this ability in all of us. Just as a business entrepreneur creates a new organization, a norm entrepreneur develops new attitudes or behaviors within a group whether formally (proposing a specific behavior) or informally (through modeling and reinforcing behavior). It’s inherently democratic -- anyone can be a norm entrepreneur -- and it’s infinitely empowering to become the change we wish to see in our groups.

During these times, this might mean creating a norm in your friend group to check-in once a day; it might be modeling the behavior of hand-washing for your children; or it might be creating the expectation that every zoom meeting begins with a check-in to see how everyone is doing. Just like traditional entrepreneurship the opportunities are wide-open and the potential impact is immense.

What might you do as a norm entrepreneur to shape culture in a group of yours?