Building Culture with Fences or Wells

If you and I have ever had a conversation about building culture you know that I believe there are three very specific components to the process: the people, the boundaries, and the stories we tell.

One of my favorite mental pictures to share about building cultural boundaries is that we can choose between fences and wells. For farmers who own a significant amount of land and cattle it can be a challenge to build a fence that covers their entire property. In some instances, the landowner may need to cover thousands of acres of land with fencing, and that is a costly and timely process. Additionally, it requires regular maintenance which takes human capital and significant financial resources.

Another option that many cattle owners choose is to build wells in the middle of their property. They do this because they know their cattle won’t stray too far from their life-giving water source. While a well does require planning and a lot of upfront cost, the long-term maintenance process is much more manageable.

This same concept applies to people and the culture we want to create and function within. As leaders, we have the opportunity to build our culture with fences or wells, or in many cases a combination of both. In the human context, fences focus on rules while wells focus on shared values and purpose. Fences provide limits, while wells provide community and connection. Fences are a line we should not cross, while wells provide something that is life-giving. Fences are black and white, while wells are much more intuitive, but both create boundaries for a group’s culture.

I often share with new leaders that it is easy to start your leadership journey by establishing some fences. It is important for people to know that as a member of a group there are some lines they just can’t cross, but the best leaders don’t stop there. Healthy leaders also establish their wells, that is, the things they want a group to celebrate, focus on, and stay close to.

Our fences (or rules) might keep people in place, but our wells—those life-giving elements within our culture—are what allow a group to thrive at the highest level because our vision and values are clear. Just like cattle, humans won’t stray very far from the things that give them life. As leaders, we need to be deeply aware of what it is that gives life to those we are serving.

I once worked for an athletic director who approached her leadership like a professional fence builder. Her preferred style was not just a basic fence, but rather a barbed-wire barrier that would jolt you with a bolt of electricity if you got too close. She ran our department with fear as her number one core value. This left most of us immobile and feeling stuck. It was impossible to take any risks or to try anything outside the box because we each feared we might get too close to one of her fences. Needless to say, this was not a department that had a healthy thriving culture. I was exhausted from the daily fear of running into a fence. I felt alone and questioned if I was doing work that was void of a shared purpose. Due to all the fences she built, I knew one thing to be true: I couldn’t work in an environment that felt like a prison and I had to get out.

In contrast, another leader I worked for (although it felt more like working with) was an expert at building wells that were connected to our shared purpose. These wells came in the form of celebrating the wins of others, of being a service-oriented organization, and viewing staff meetings as something to look forward to because we knew we would be spending time working to advance our cause. Our organization thrived because we were a true community with a clear purpose. We spent endless hours developing deep and meaningful relationships and none of us wanted to stray very far from our wells or from the group. We were able to do work together, to do life together, to grow and be stretched, and achieve new heights together because we were always gathered at our wells. There was no need for fences. In contrast to the athletic director I mentioned earlier, this was a very life-giving experience.

For me, I want to be a builder of wells. I want to help create cultures and experiences that provide boundaries by giving people life-giving things rather than a deep fear that paralyzes or discourages them.

I am choosing to build wells over fences. I hope you will do the same.

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