Your Environment Determines Your Culture

The crime drama television series, The Wire profoundly portrays aspects of urban America. David Simon, the creative genius behind The Wire, allows us to examine the culture of drugs and crime as well as the pervasive challenges and struggles facing young African American men, families, and inner-city communities. Simon explores the thin line between good and evil within each episode and the real dire realities facing this Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood.

New York Times bestselling author Shaka Senghor knows better than most of the suffocating darkness that can transpire at times within America’s inner-city streets. While he was not in The Wire, he lived The Wire. Shaka Senghor, born James White, came home when he was nine years old one day with great news, only to have his mother throw a pot at his head. When asked how it made him feel, after a few moments, he answered, “like nothing, I would never do anything in life that would ever matter.” Even though Senghor did not officially hit the streets until age fourteen, his decision in which path he might choose was deeply influenced the moment that pot hit him in the head.

Senghor was convicted of second-degree murder at the age of nineteen. He would spend the next nineteen years incarcerated. While in prison, Shaka Senghor quickly learned of his unique skills that could benefit him later in life, if ever a free man again. He started to read deeply and study historical leaders while immersing himself in their culture-building philosophy. During this intentional daily discipline of rewiring his mind, body, and spirit, he began to realize that he could become a changed man. His prior world, the one David Simon captures, is filled with toxic energy, no hope, and harmful self-limiting beliefs, which translates often to detrimental decisions and cycles of living beneath one’s potential.

Bad cultures produce bad results. It is that simple. Shaka Senghor was not absolving himself of his crimes and past mistakes, only understanding that his cultural environment became a vehicle to continue down the wrong path. Senghor could not control and manage his culture before being sent away to prison. The next time freedom rung, he was prepared and equipped with the tools and knowledge to build the right culture.

The mass incarceration complex in the United States is supposed to reform, yet in reality, the system falls well short. Shaka Senghor decided to change the culture in his Michigan prison by establishing the initiative Real Men, Real Talk. Senghor installed a code of behavior by all members, including himself. It made every member responsible for one another. Violence against one became violence against all. He then held study groups to educate his membership on the perils of violence, even though their code was “if one is attacked, we are all attacked.” Senghor wanted to solve problems before force and physical harm, but within the confines of prison, he knew there would be times, his culture would have to defend themselves.

We all strive to have great cultures within our teams and organizations. We believe culture wins, but are we making sure we teach our culture? Are we spending time and investing energy in developing new members into the culture? Shaka Senghor wanted new members to be immersed in the culture completely. They say you learn something when you teach it to others; therefore, Senghor believed every new member upon acceptance would allow him to reinforce the culture.

There is much to learn from Shaka Senghor's inspiring story of redemption, but perhaps the most important lesson of all is that you can change the culture when you relentlessly commit and give your all to changing the culture. As momentum grows, you can impact others with your willingness to accept the code of the culture and your daily actions.

To learn more about Shaka Senghor and other ways to develop and cultivate the right culture, read Ben Horowitz’s intriguing and incredible book What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture.

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