build THE culture that PAYS Attention

Part 1B of the ALIGN Series
Absorb | Legitimize | Integrate | Grow | Nurture

This post is part of the ALIGN Series, where I introduce each stage of the ALIGN Framework, a method designed to align leadership and engage staff so organizations can move forward with clarity and confidence.

When leadership is aligned, brilliant ideas take flight. When staff are engaged early to shape the details, those ideas take root. People feel valued and involved, and the organization moves forward with greater clarity and confidence.

When I work with an organization, I begin by listening to what people say, reviewing and analyzing data, and observing people in action. I take in all of this information and sit with it for a while. By taking time to absorb before acting, I am better able to see the full picture of what is happening and what may be needed next.

What I noticed in working with clients during change initiatives is that people often feel compelled to act quickly. Yet I found that when I took time to absorb the information—to listen, observe, and reflect—I developed a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.

In developing the ALIGN framework, I encourage organizations to do the same: to take time to absorb information, experiences, and perspectives before deciding what things mean or how to act on them.

Absorbing begins with connecting to the here and now, to the reality of what is actually happening. Different people can have very different experiences in the same environment. The goal is to understand what is real in this moment, in this phase, and in this context.

When we stay attentive to what is real, not just what was planned or hoped for, we give ourselves and our teams the best chance to learn, adapt, and move forward effectively.

An absorbing culture is one where people make sense of what they are hearing and seeing, then act with clarity. It does not happen by accident. The following five areas help create such a culture: leadership signals, meeting norms, decision design, sense-making practices, and trust.

1. Leadership Signals

Leaders set the tone by showing that thinking counts as work.
• Say plainly that reflection and planning are valued.
• Protect your own time for it and make that visible.
• Encourage teams to pace themselves so they are not always reacting.

When leaders pause to think, they give permission for others to do the same.

2. Decision Design

Absorbing well is what makes thoughtful decisions possible. Decision design builds on that awareness, helping people process what they have learned and translate understanding into action.

Decisions are only as strong as the information that supports them.

Consider:
• What information do people need to understand the situation and make an informed choice?
• Is the information current, credible, and relevant?
• Where does it come from, and who is responsible for gathering it?

Every decision exists within a larger environment.

Consider:
• Do people understand the implications of the decision to be made?
• What is the surrounding context, including timing, urgency, and interdependencies?
• What happens if we delay the decision?
• What happens if the decision proves to be wrong?
• When and how can we adjust?

Context helps people weigh options more wisely and recognize that decisions are not final; they are part of an ongoing cycle of learning and adaptation.

A well-designed decision includes clarity about how it will be shared and understood.

Consider:
• Who needs to know about the decision, and at what stage?
• How will we communicate what has been decided and why?
• How will feedback be gathered to confirm understanding and identify adjustments?

When communication is intentional, decisions gain traction. People understand not only what was decided but also why and how the decision connects to the larger purpose.

3. Meeting Norms

Norms shape how people listen, share, and participate.
• Send agendas three days in advance, clearly marking what is for information, discussion, or decision.
• Encourage one person to speak at a time.
• Begin with context and close with next steps.
• Name the energy in the room — tense, focused, hopeful — and invite brief reflection.

Meetings should create space for attention, not exhaustion. Simple, predictable norms make participation more thoughtful.

4. Sense-Making Practices

Absorbing takes time, and time is scarce. It does not seem reasonable to suggest that you find extra hours. Thankfully, even protecting small moments can allow sense-making to happen.
•For some, 20 minutes at the start or end of the day works well. Others use a midweek walk, a quiet commute, or time after a major meeting to reflect.
• When calendars are full, take a two-minute pause between meetings to jot a note or ask, “What did I just hear?”
• Once or twice a week, can you find one unbroken hour for reflection, review, or planning? Treat it as a meeting with yourself and guard it as such.
• When leaders normalize these practices, they give others permission to do the same.

Absorption is less about time management than attention management.

5. Conditions of Trust

Building and keeping trust is a practice. It enables people to share what is really going on for them and to speak honestly about what they see.

In The Trusted Advisor, David Maister and his colleagues describe the Trust Equation, a simple way to understand how trust is built and maintained. They call it the Trust Quotient (TQ) — a measure of how credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation combine to create or erode trust.

Each variable matters:
• Credibility is about words. People trust what you say when your knowledge and communication are clear and grounded.
• Reliability is about actions. Doing what you say you will do, time after time, builds confidence.
• Intimacy creates safety. It is the sense that a person can share what is true without fear of embarrassment or exposure.
• Self-orientation is about focus. When attention is primarily on oneself — reputation, performance, or image — trust weakens. When focus is on the other person and the shared goal, trust grows.

A culture that absorbs depends on trust at every level. When credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation are balanced, people feel safe to say what they see, ask for what they need, and engage in real dialogue.

Trust allows truth to surface. Without it, people protect themselves. With it, they protect the work.

Putting it all together

When we talk about absorbing, we are talking about the disciplined, collective act of noticing, listening, and taking in before acting. Building a culture that absorbs requires attention to how the day is spent: what signals leaders send, how meetings are structured, how decisions are made, and what conditions make truth-telling possible.

When absorption becomes a shared discipline, people stop reacting and begin listening to themselves and to others with greater curiosity. Curiosity opens the door to clarity, and clarity becomes action.