Kulture™ is King
I’ve been ruminating a lot lately on the importance of culture in the workplace. In the not so distant past, we used to think about “work/life balance”. We used to break our life pie up into approximately 1/3 sleeping, 1/3 doing things we want to do and 1/3 working. The surge in technology and smart phones, the ability to communicate and get things done from the board room or the surf board (hey it is my final days in CA so please just go with it), has resulted in our pie just being our life as a whole. When there is no clear delineation between work life and home life, culture in the workplace becomes even more paramount to our success and happiness. Whether we are at work or home, our desire to cultivate meaningful relationships, be a part of something bigger than ourselves and make a difference is the same.
First, let’s look at why culture is important. Adweek’s piece, 4 Reasons the Death of Agency Culture, a Vital Differentiator, Is Near, sums it up perfectly in the first paragraph. At the end of the day when all agencies are creating in the same sandbox, culture is “the only true way to build something unique from the shop across the street.” But what is culture when it comes to the workplace? Culture is what is around us all the time. It is a feeling, an attitude. Is it happy hours, beer pong tables, pancakes and dogs in the office? Sure, those things are part of it, but at the core, culture is more like a three-legged stool made up of people, leadership and mission/vision/values. If one of these is lacking, the stool is sure to fall over.
How does culture start? I have found that companies with the best culture grew their culture by starting with like-minded people. Sometimes these people are leadership, sometimes they are the first employees — but it starts with the people. People decide what was important to them and why they come to work every day. They form a mission, something that they stand for and believe in. Clients were pitched around this mission. Values were formed. The group of like-minded people grew as Leadership hired talent to join the tribe.
As the tribe grows they contribute and add value, leaving their mark. It isn’t about necessarily fitting into the culture, though that is important, but about contributing to it. Someone decided to bring their dog to work one day and there was an increase in happiness, people getting up from their desks and chatting, taking walking meetings. A junior employee spoke up in company wide meetings, asking the questions that everyone was too scared to and the CEO gave them an honest and transparent answer. Transparency became something they valued. Employees are friends outside of the office, they enjoy each other’s company and hangout on weekends. Employee turnover is low and all of a sudden people have been with the company over 5 years, 10 years — unheard of in the agency world. The work life and home life have just become… life.
If the people leg of your stool is solid the rest should follow suit. Leadership is made of the people we hire and the mission and values are decided by the people. None of this is possible without them. The personalities and beliefs need to mesh and align with the vision. There needs to be a balance and collaboration of great minds. When culture is great, people that don’t fit will stick out right away. It is something that can’t really be taught. You can teach a designer how to use InDesign but you can’t really teach a cultural fit.
Culture is why I have been at Struck almost 8 years (and it is also why that one time I quit for 11 weeks I came running back — thanks Matt!). It is why I’m not afraid to call up our CEO and speak my mind or bounce crazy ideas off him. It is why I feel okay telling my clients no sometimes if it is not in the best interest of my team or their business. It is has shaped me into the professional I am today and helped me to be empowered, fearless and outgoing. It is why it is sometimes hard to separate the professional work from the personal relationships. It is why I’m not quitting a “job”, because these people are my people and always will be my biggest cheerleaders.
Thanks Struck for a great ride, for believing in me and challenging me and for all the love and support. You always have a place to visit in Atlanta. Oh, and take good care of Andy for me.
