Season 9 Episode 35: Thermometer vs. Thermostat Cultures

Is your team’s energy constantly up and down, dictated by the latest crisis, project, or external pressure? Do your days feel more like a roller coaster than a focused mission? If so, you might be stuck in a thermometer culture. In a recent episode of The Thermostat Podcast, host Jason V. Barger explains the critical difference between teams that simply react to their environment and those that proactively create it. Understanding this distinction is the first step toward building a more intentional, aligned, and compelling corporate culture.

Summary: Are You Reacting or Setting the Tone?

Everyone talks about the importance of a great company culture, but few define it well. Barger clarifies that culture is dynamic, not static. It’s co-created every moment of every day by the way people within the ecosystem think, act, and interact. The crucial question is whether that creation process is intentional or accidental.

The Trap of Thermometer Thinking

A thermometer’s job is to read the temperature. In a business context, thermometer thinking is purely reactionary. Teams and leaders with this mindset simply reflect the external conditions around them. This leads to a scattered and inconsistent environment where the “temperature” of the team changes based on who’s in the room, what pressures arise, or what challenges appear that day.

Barger shares the story of a senior leadership team at a rapidly growing company. Despite having a compelling mission, they were stuck in a reactive loop. They were so busy responding to daily pressures that they couldn’t find the time to align on their vision or define the culture they needed. Their efforts were scattered, threatening both their results and the well-being of their people. They were trapped, constantly reading the temperature without ever setting it.

The Power of a Thermostat Mindset

In contrast, a thermostat sets, regulates, and controls the temperature. Thermostat cultures are proactive and intentional. Leaders and teams with this mindset recognize they need to step back in order to move forward. They make time for dialogue, visioning, and development to get clear on the future they want to create together.

This proactive approach creates a purposeful and stable environment. When challenges inevitably arise, the “thermostats” within the organization—the people—respond in a way that is aligned with their shared goals. Barger highlights two organizations he has worked with for years that have committed to this journey. They are now receiving feedback that their culture “just is different” and feels unique in their industries. This intentionality hasn’t just improved morale; it has led to some of their most successful years in company history, improving talent retention and attracting more new hires than ever before. Their success wasn’t an accident; it was the direct result of choosing to be the thermostat. ?️

Notable Quotes

“Culture is dynamic… it’s changing and growing and evolving moment by moment, every single day… and they’re being co-created by every person within that cultural ecosystem.”

“Too many teams and organizations… they get stuck in thermometer thinking and that which is totally reactionary… If they could make the shift from that thermometer thinking to what I’m going to talk about today about this thermostat thinking, which is more proactive… the culture they will create will be dramatically different and more compelling.”

“The best cultures, and certainly the most aligned relationships, teams and organizations, they make time to align themselves and get clear on the intentional future they are trying to create.”

“The temperature they are setting didn’t just happen by accident, it was led and co-created by all.”

Questions to Ponder

1. What is keeping you or your team stuck in thermometer thinking?

2. What would help you shift your mindsets proactively into thermostat thinking?

3. What support do you need next to step back in order to move forward?

Links and References

Follow @JasonVBarger on social media for even more insights and new video content.

See the book referenced and buy it now on Amazon Thermostat Cultures.

For more insights and practical tips, be sure to check out Jason V Barger’s book Breathing Oxygen. This book dives deeper into the concepts discussed in this episode and provides additional strategies for fostering a positive mindset and effective leadership.

By incorporating these practices into your summer routine, you can breathe new life into your personal and professional endeavors. Remember, as Jason says, “The best leaders, teams, and cultures on the planet stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.”