Job interviews should be just as much about you deciding if the company is a good fit for you as it is about them deciding if you are right for the job. Organizational cultures can roughly be split into two categories: don’t-make-a-mistake culture and create-something culture. If we want to live free, avoiding blaming our attitude and actions on our circumstances, we must also create a culture and community in which individuals take ownership of their choices and can innovate together.
Don’t-Make-a-Mistake Culture
Without intention and care, we will all slip into a Don’t-Make-a-Mistake Culture. Here, perfection is the goal, and members will strive to put on a good face and gloss over any errors in the pursuit of this perfection. But of course, as we know, humans are not perfect. We will make mistakes, and they will be found out, even if we try to cover them up.
So, what happens in this community when mistakes are made? Someone must take the blame for the mistake and be a scapegoat. A Create-Something Culture recognizes that there are many factors that go into a mistake. But a Don’t-Make-A-Mistake Culture will place the blame on one person so that everyone else can feel a false sense of absolution.
As a result of this culture, members are more likely to play it safe. They are scared that their risks won’t pan out and that they’ll have to take the blame. As a result, less innovation happens as people cannot think creatively while feeling like they’re walking on eggshells.
Create-Something Culture
In a Create-Something Culture, the goal is pursuing truth rather than striving towards perfection. On the road to truth, you may encounter some bumps or falls along the way. With this view, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and adjust rather than faults that someone needs to take the blame for.
Members of this kind of community can focus on the organization’s mission instead of being worried about their safety at the company. Rather than blaming others, this kind of culture requires members to take ownership of their actions. But, in an environment that learns from mistakes rather than weaponizing them, we can continue to move forward through our mistakes.
Taking responsibility for your actions and viewing mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow can help you to live more freely in community.
Gracie McBride is the Content and Systems Development Coordinator at The Crossroad.
