“The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leaders are willing to tolerate.”

Following a meeting with a district police chief, Dean Megan Hughes shared this quote with me. It was in that particular police chief's signature line. She reflected on how powerful it was, particularly in the context of policing. The quote is from a book by Gruenert and Whitaker entitled "School Culture Rewired" and can be applied across a number of industries and professions.

We had our first President's Leadership Team (PLT) meeting yesterday morning, and as we discussed expectations for one another, the idea of culture was discussed quite a bit. There is nothing more pressing for me as president than the idea of culture and how powerful it can be for both good and bad. As I begin my internal listening tours in earnest in the coming weeks, I hope to get a deeper understanding of the culture and subcultures of the College. I hope to get a sense of our institution's best and a feel of things that have been tolerated for far too long. We, as leaders, do you a disservice if we are not both empowering you to do your best work and being diligent about the behaviors, attitudes, and practices that may not represent our best work.

I look forward to hearing what you think about our culture and the one we want to create.

Have a safe and happy weekend!