What the hell is an Epiphyte?
It sounds like something that would pop out of John Hurt's chest in the movie Alien.
… or maybe even a new cryptocurrency.
“BRO. I scored 4,000,000,000 EpiphyteCoin last night for $300. It’s going to be the next big thing… You wait!”
Or perhaps it even sounds like—and I’ll let my previous life as a pastor show here—a biblical tribe of warriors who wear the skin of their enemies and drink only cactus juice as they wander the desert.
Though these sound cool, these are not Epiphytes.
So, what is an Epiphyte?
Well, it all starts with my wanderlust. Let’s get into it.
Sparking Curiosity and Clarity Through Travel
From the start of parenthood, my wife, Alicia, and I chose to travel with our kids.
Many parents decide against it because, well, let’s be honest, traveling with small children is absolutely, completely, entirely… exhausting.
Our thinking was this: If we travel now, we’ll not only inspire curiosity and wonder in the world we live in, but we’ll also have children who LOVE TO TRAVEL, just like me and Alicia. To us, this will make future travel easier and something they desire over gifts, video games, and other possessions—though they have those, too (let’s not be Amish about this).
It started with small beach trips, overnight stays at Niagara Falls, and trips to Lake Erie. Over time, we continued to travel further and further away from home, seeing new terrains, meeting new people, and immersing ourselves in different cultures.
Over 16 years, we’ve been to more places than I bet most people in America will see by the end of their lives. Check out some of our favorites here:
All of these trips have given me moments of clarity, gratitude, and chances to recover. But one moment stands out above the rest.
My Lightbulb Moment in Zion National Park
In 2024, I spent my birthday visiting a bucket list spot I had yet to check off: Zion National Park.
Once we arrived, we started our trek into the park on a jam-packed shuttle with 200 of our “closest friends” ( I was squished into, essentially, half of a seat for 20 minutes with a stranger’s ass directly in my face), and as we neared the first stop, it looked like we left this world. I have never seen such intense natural beauty. Ever.
I started to cry. Legit.
The towering orange cliffs and buttes swirled with streaks of white, as moss and ferns sprouted where they had no right to grow. It was arresting.
After my wife and kids asked me no less than 20 times if I was okay (I can only imagine the visual of a large bearded man crying into his hoodie while looking longingly out the window), we arrived at the Temple of Sinawa stop, ready to hike to The Narrows.
The Narrows is a long canyon slot in the middle of the park. You trade your hiking boots for water shoes and hike as far as you can (up to 12 miles one way) in fast-flowing water, completely surrounded by insane beauty.
I know, I know… where do the Epiphytes come in, dude?
Almost there. I’ll land the plane.
It was a one-mile hike to the entrance of the Narrows, giving me ample opportunity to take in the surroundings up close.
The terrain was rocky as hell. Rough. No soil. All sand and stone.
But, sprinkled along the path were things that shouldn’t exist.
Plants, moss, and ferns were sprouting out of the rocks.
There were even plants growing on plants, which was very strange.
Fascinated, I made a note to learn more about these alien plants when I returned to the Airbnb.
After some research, I found that these are called Epiphytes.
So, What Are Epiphytes?
Epiphytes [ˈepəˌfīts] are plants that grow on other plants and non-soil surfaces but are not parasitic.
They often emerge spontaneously on surfaces without any visible connection to the ground. This phenomenon occurs because their seeds or spores are dispersed by wind, water, or animals and can germinate upon finding a suitable surface with adequate moisture and light.
Their minimal soil requirements and efficient nutrient absorption mechanisms enable them to establish and grow in seemingly improbable locations.
They can grow without requiring the traditional things most plants need to grow.
They are unintentional. Accidental. Inevitable.
They… happen.
Just like an organization's culture.
“How?” you might ask.
Let’s pause here for a second and get aligned on a definition of culture.
What is Culture?
First and foremost, let’s acknowledge that culture is a buzzword.
Even as I typed the word, I swear I heard a “womp womp”…
Scroll through LinkedIn, and you’ll see the word about 50 times in two minutes.
Everyone seems to have their definition, and like politicians or snowflakes, no two are the same.
To create common ground, let’s agree on a simple definition: Culture is a set of shared beliefs, values, and practices encompassing how people think, feel, and behave.
It’s worth noting that these shared beliefs and values will exist for every member of an organization—whether or not they directly mirror leadership or each other.
While this simple definition is correct, it’s also incomplete, as it only addresses one piece of the puzzle: the internal component.
I believe culture has both internal and external roles within an organization:
- Internal: Culture is the establishing and upholding of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that shape how employees interact, make decisions, and work together to achieve the organization's goals.
- External: Culture is how the above elements position your brand in the market, shape its personality, and ultimately create an experience for your buyers, partners, and community.
Your culture doesn't just affect you; it also affects your buyers.
This means culture has a greater reach than Tom’s trust-fall exercise in Conference Room C.
So, how do we build culture?
The simple answer is: either actively or passively.
How Can Culture Be Like An Epiphyte?
A culture that is passively built is like an Epiphyte.
It fills in cracks and grows shallow roots, limiting growth and constantly threatened by simple environmental disturbances.
Though we’d like to believe that culture only happens when you build it, culture is caught more often than taught.
Culture develops when a group of people, big or small, spends a long time doing something together in close quarters.
Essentially, you’re building your culture just by being together.
Awww… so warm and fuzzy.
Well, kinda.
If you, as a leader, don’t actively participate in and nurture the building of culture, your culture will build itself. Like an epiphyte, you’ll have an unintentional, accidental, inevitable culture that sprouts spontaneously without connecting to your values, purpose, vision, and mission.
Passively built cultures are disengaged and inconsistent:
- Their purpose is to generate revenue.
- Their vision is to get through the day, week, month, and year.
- Their mission is to do the work.
- Their organization operates with no set standards of behavior.
- Their leadership communicates with words, not actions.
- Their teams blame and shame.
A culture built this way doesn't serve as a force that brings people together but rather as a series of individual forces that push people apart.
Passively built cultures are fragile and experience high turnover, unfulfilled employees, uninspired work, bad attitudes and resentment, stunted growth, and unpredictable customer experiences.
Ouch.
So, what happens when we actively participate in the building of culture?
How Should Culture Be Built?
A culture that is actively built is like a tree.
It grows deep roots that support stable, vertical growth and is steadfast in the face of significant environmental disturbances. (Thanks to my buddy, Chris McAlister, for the metaphor).
Actively built cultures are inspired and unified:
- They have a captivating purpose, sharing why the organization exists beyond turning a profit.
- They have an articulate vision of the future they wish to create.
- They have a bold mission outlining the actions to turn the purpose and vision into reality.
- They have defined values that set mutual expectations for how people operate.
- They have leadership that sets the standard in words and in action.
- They have teams that know how to take ownership and collaborate.
A culture built this way acts as a force multiplier, bringing people together, amplifying success, and deepening an organization's impact.
Actively built cultures are steadfast and experience high employee retention, empowered employees doing their best work, exponential growth, and outstanding customer experiences.
Actively Build—Don’t Just Hope For The Best
“This can wait.”
“We’ll have time later.”
“Our team isn’t big enough yet.”
“Our people understand what we’re trying to do.”
Leaders make a million excuses when discussing how their Core Identity builds culture.
It’s easy for culture to become an afterthought when generating revenue, serving your buyers, and building a brand are also on your plate.
Understand this: choosing not to build a culture still builds a culture.
How will you participate in the building: Actively or passively?
Inspired? Stuck?
Brave Little Beast is here to help you build an intentional culture through our Core Identity process. Please don't leave it to chance. Let’s talk.
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