What is Your Tradition?

Have you ever wondered why even non-golf fans love watching The Masters? It’s not the lush greens, the magnolia trees or the beautiful clubhouse. We love The Masters because of the traditions of the tournament, the adherence to its past champions, and its ability to link the past and present.

To develop culture in any organization, we must teach history, we must have traditions. A great culture clings to its past tightly with respect and admiration for those who walked before. Whenever new talent arrives, we have a tendency to believe it alone can make the difference. After the NFL draft, for example, most teams and players feel they have crossed the finish line, that their work is over. In reality, the days immediately following the draft become the most important of the year. The organizational culture is formed, and the plan for getting the most of each player becomes vital to the short and long-term success. 

San Francisco 49ers Hall-of-Fame Coach Bill Walsh was relentless in his approach after the draft, often telling everyone that in the first year, we teach the system and traditions of the team. The second year, we develop the talent into the system. Walsh wanted to educate his new employees of his culture, the organization's history and what it meant to wear the uniform. He believed in the theory that United States Marines fought for United States Marines — the bond of the past created their future.  Walsh believed unless he educated his new recruits on what the team stood for in all phases, how could he expect them to comply with the culture?  

Whether we teach a 5th grade class or run a multi-billion dollar corporation, we need to spend time teaching new people/students on what our past represents. We can never assume the new talent knows — we must educate them constantly, make them proud to wear the uniform or be a part of the tradition. Understanding the traditions is the first step in understanding the culture. 

“A tradition unlike any other” is The Masters’ slogan. What’s yours?