Healthy Culture

For the past thirty years, I've recognized that the culture of an organization has a major impact on performance. It also has an impact on an individuals' mental health. At Gordon Graham and Company, we've encountered some very toxic cultures over the years as well as some that create an engaged workforce. Obviously, culture is driven by leadership. When leadership recognizes, acknowledges and rewards individuals fairly, creates an environment that encourages personal growth and views employees as whole human beings, not just as numbers, it goes a long way toward establishing a healthy culture.

When times get challenging these things are tough to sustain. Honesty and open communication can build the kind of trust that is the foundation of a constructive culture. In hindsight, I recognize how the culture of a prison can alter how an individual thinks. It can change your outlook on life. My first experience as an inmate had a tremendous impact on the next twenty years of my life. I went in to prison thinking like a scared young man and the induction into the prison culture gradually changed my thought patterns. I came out six years later thinking like a convict. It's the same idea as going in with a sprained ankle and coming out with a broken leg.

Cultures can change. Even in a prison, a constructive culture is a necessity for survival in a global economy. It will also have to become a reality in prisons if we are ever going to change the end product that returns to our communities.

My First Attempt at Blogging

Hey! This is my first attempt to enter the world of blogs. This is a voice that has concern for men and women, young or old, who are challenged by changes in our society. I speak from the vantage point of a unique background and perspective on life. My first thirty-eight years were spent living on the streets and as a "consumer of correctional services." I was a five-time loser, in and out of maximum security prisons. I've been shot, escaped from prisons, been involved in riots and hunger strikes, and spent 365 consecutive days on bread and water, confined to "The Hole." I was destined to either die in the joint or lose my life in the commission of a crime.

Then, thirty-eight years ago, something happened in my life that opened my awareness and changed the direction of my life. By chance, I participated in a seminar that was centered on cognitive psychology. I made a major decision at that time to build the balance of my life on honesty. I've never tried to be something I'm not. My life is an open book. In fact, I've written two books. The first is an autobiography entitled, The One-Eyed Man is King and the second, Change is an Inside Job. Both are available on my website at http://www.ggcostore.com/.

Everyone I work with from CEOs to union leaders and from wardens to inmates knows my background. I have been blessed with many friends who have opened doors and given me opportunities that are rare for people with my past history. I also know that there is a power greater than myself working through me when I am centered within.

I have spent the second part of my life sharing the awareness I've gained and teaching the tools for change with men and women in prisons across the United States and Canada. I've taught people in industrial plants, communities and organizations large and small, including many in union-management roles and individuals across the spectrum of life.

It's been a ride and I still have a lot of gas left in the tank! Corrections is my first passion. We have created a system that costs the tax payers billions of dollars each year with no real impact on public safety. In many cases, it would be much better to spend $40,000 on creating jobs and training programs that could create a productive, contributing member of society than to keep one person in prison for one year. There will always be a need for prisons. There are people who are a threat to public safety, but they are only one segment of the prison population. In many instances, people go in with a sprained ankle and come out with a broken leg. The first step to change is awareness, followed by a recognition that "change is an inside job."

I'll be back next week. You can visit our website at http://www.ggco.com/ or email Cat at cathyc@ggco.com or Kate at kolney@ggco.com.

Be at peace,

Gordy Graham