(Mashable) -- When I started my company 15 years ago, I didn't really
know -- or care -- what "company culture" meant.
I
figured it was a concept that only mattered to MBAs and struggling companies. I
was laser-focused on building quality products and services, not
fluffy-sounding "company culture."
In
other words, my company's culture developed pretty organically.
But, during
the process of building a business, I learned the value of a positive,
authentic culture. And, almost without realizing it, I learned how to build one
from scratch. From one employee to the hundreds we now employ in cities around
the globe, my team and I have built a culture we can be proud of.
Below,
I've outlined tips for fostering a company culture that will make work both fun
and rewarding, for you and your employees.
1. Know
thyself (and don't copy Google)
As the
CEO or founder of a company, you are ground zero for building a culture. And
while that might sound a bit intimidating, if you embrace it, you can make it
your own. Who you are at your core will lay the foundation of your company.
If
you're a nerd and you're the boss, then, ipso facto, being a nerd is cool at
your company.
Trying
to embrace or create a culture that isn't true to you is a big mistake.
I see a
lot of people today who observe the culture at big tech companies like Google
or Apple and are determined to replicate that in their own organizations. This
is a recipe for failure. Emulating another company's culture is a great way to
wind up with one that you won't relate to -- or like. It will also feel
manufactured and fake to everyone around you.
Remember,
there's no such thing as the "wrong" culture, but if you build one
based on someone else's ideals, you won't recognize the company that emerges.
2.
Don't hire clones
you can get along with almost any
personality as long as you're all rowing in the same direction
Of
course, if you're building a company that will have employees, you won't be the
only facet of your company's culture. Eventually you'll hire people who may be
similar to you but who aren't exactly like you.
That's
a good thing.
Some
founders make the mistake of only hiring people who look and talk like them,
thinking that this will help them preserve culture and continuity. In reality,
the lack of diversity -- whether in opinion, background or skillset -- will end
up handicapping you.
So how
can you choose employees who strike that magic balance between fitting into the
culture and bringing something unique to the table?
One
thing I've learned over the years is that you can get along with almost any
personality as long as you're all rowing in the same direction. In other words,
you need to share a common purpose. At my company, our purpose is to build
great technology that enables businesses to connect with consumers via a
transaction.
We're
passionate about making our customers happy-- and anyone who shares that
passion will thrive here.
3.
Don't poison the well
I keep
a business card on my desk.
It once
belonged to an employee on my sales team.
He was
the highest-performing member of his team in terms of production numbers. But
while he was killing it on the sales side, he was treating our customers like
crap, misleading them and otherwise contradicting our values. So I fired him.
Some
people probably thought I was crazy.
How can
you fire a supposed high performer? Isn't performance what really matters to the
bottom line?
I have
no regrets.
Still,
I watch companies make this mistake every day. They hire people who are high
performers but cancerous to their culture. When you have people on your team
who aren't acting in the best interest of your company, it doesn't matter if
they're good producers.
No
matter what your company culture is like, instill a strict "no jerk"
policy and enforce it.
4. Fire
fast
You
can't make perfect hiring decisions every single time. This is true when you're
employee number one-and-only, and it's true when you have a killer HR team.
Some people just aren't going to work out.
Instill a strict "no
jerk" policy and enforce it
A lot
of companies put serious stock in the "onboarding process," wherein
employees are inducted into your culture. They think it's the key to ensuring a
good fit.
We
definitely onboard new hires — we have them meet with HR and some key
employees, go through training and absorb our culture by osmosis. But let's get
real: Everyone has their best face on during the first few weeks.
It
takes about 60 days to figure out whether there's a strong culture fit. If
there isn't, you can try coaching and put together a performance improvement
plan and yadda yadda, but sometimes it's just not a good fit, end of story.
My advice
in this situation is to not waste time deliberating. Start having the tough
conversations early, and no one will be surprised if ultimately a parting of
ways is the best solution. (In fact, many will even be relieved; if there's not
a fit, it's probably no surprise to them.)
5. Be
the change
Culture
isn't something you can mandate or jam down employees' throats. You should have
a set of values (and, eventually, you'll probably want to write these out and
codify them) that everyone agrees to uphold. And you can and should model them
as often as possible to cultivate a positive experience.
For
example, at my company, one of our values is making people-centered decisions.
If a new benefits packages is expensive but will deliver a significantly better
experience for our employees, we're going to do that. It's part of our DNA.
That's one way we "show, don't tell" and avoid forcing culture on our
employees while still bringing it to life every day.
6. Live
and let live
Another
challenge when it comes to culture is that, as companies grow bigger, it often
makes sense to acquire other companies. Any company you decide to acquire will
have a different culture from yours, since no two are exactly alike.
I've
watched many businesses deal with this difference by instituting extensive
onboarding and training programs that don't do much to change culture and often
instill resentment.
To
avoid this, vet potential acquisitions based not just on their financials or
human resources, but on their values. If they're entirely dissimilar to your
own, you'll probably lose a lot of the value you're hoping to gain in the
process of trying to stitch the two contradictory cultures together.
On the
other hand, if the company's culture is different from yours in a way that
seems harmonious, it's probably a good choice.
Then,
once the acquisition happens, instead of trying to force the new company's
culture to blend seamlessly with your own, embrace it and let it unfold
naturally.
Don't
go charging in, giving marching orders; let them continue to do what they do
well and offer autonomy along with support. You'll find that this is a far less
painful process.
7. And
finally ... don't overthink it
Company
culture isn't the sort of thing that you can control the way you might be able
to control your product pipeline, office location or employee salaries. But
it's something you can shape and nurture -- and if you do it right, it will be
well worth the effort you put in.
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