Over the past 20 years, I have gained a passion for people and a hunger for dynamically transforming corporate culture. Everything I’ve learned along the way has been imparted by another brave leader, brick by brick, who attempted many iterations of the light bulb before it could ignite a room (thanks, Edison). Here’s what I’ve learned about creating a progressive, imperfect, winning corporate culture that I believe we can all use pieces of to ignite our own teams:
The 9 P’s of Building a Great Culture
1. Purpose
Before the fun and games, it is vital to first establish your team’s purpose. Your mission, vision, strategy and company initiatives should ladder to this top point — and you should see it everywhere. Put it around campus, in your company newsletter and in every team meeting you have. That’s your north star; don’t let anyone forget it.
2. Practices
Funneling up to your purpose are your practices. This includes core values, or mantras, that reflect your mission and represent who you are as a company. For instance, one of my very favorite Bisk core values is “Be Humble.” Not only does this support our mission to amplify potential, it is also a daily reminder of how potential can grow exponentially when you check your ego at the door.
3. People
One of my biggest missions is making sure we surround ourselves with the right people in the workplace. This is where you can be absolutely picky. Your company culture begins with your people — it’s no good for you to sit near a Negative Nancy, and it’s no good for them if they feel like they don’t fit. Be as picky with who you bring onto your team as who you keep off.
Before the fun and games, it is vital to first establish your team’s purpose. Your mission, vision, strategy and company initiatives should ladder to this top point — and you should see it everywhere.
4. Places
I call this “Visual Culture.” It’s what you put on your walls, whether you have an open floorplan or offices — it’s your space, the place your employees call home. Put your mission and core values up on the walls, permanently. It’s simple to transform a bland environment into a brag-worthy one; allow your team to show off through your places.
5. Permission
I am a big fan of the “it’s okay to take risks” culture. It is okay to make a mistake — but fail fast. If you create a culture where team members are afraid to make an error, you will instantly drain a rich pool of creative ideas. Give your team permission to fail; that’s when they will begin to try.
6. Philanthropy
I have found no better way to bring people from different environments together than to unite them over a passion that has less to do with your company and everything to do with the community outside your four walls. If you do not already have a Corporate Social Responsibility program, I would encourage you to develop one. It creates a strong foundation for your culture strategy and introduces your team as an asset to the community.
7. Passion
You need a cheerleader in your organization. I am lucky to be surrounded by a team of passionate people, but let’s go one step further. I encourage you to create a Culture Club — a squad of people who are passionate about moving the culture forward. These are the rock stars of your team, and they will help ensure your culture sticks.
8. Patience
Culture does not happen overnight. You will never win everything. Not everyone will agree with you or believe in the cultural progress you’re working to achieve. And that’s okay. Transforming culture is a moment-to-moment process, and I celebrate the small wins daily. When I look back, I hope that these moments will have come together to create a revolution.
9. Ping Pong
In a competitive job market, you may never win the pay war, but you certainly can win by trusting your team with work and play in the same environment. Ping pong is one of the simplest, most cost-efficient ways to build bonds across teams and introduce a healthy spirit of competition in your org. If ping pong isn’t your game, find something that works for your culture. The point is to create a workplace that represents your willingness to create memorable, inspiring interactions beyond the typical meeting room.
As you embark on the great adventure of creating a winning corporate culture, you must live and breathe every piece of this puzzle and invest in a champion of the cause. The tone of your team’s culture is set at the top, but every team member impacts the change. When you’re personally influencing culture both up and down, walking into work with a purposeful mission every day and celebrating the wins alongside your team, keep celebrating. The work has just begun.
