Culture: What’s in the Sauce?

Companies Can Share Their Cultural Purpose from the Start

“Organizational culture is not about ping pong tables and pizza parties,” is something I’ve said about a million times in my career. Recently I experienced one of the strongest embodiments of organizational culture at a pizzeria in Paia, Maui, which gave me renewed understanding and appreciation for the saying.

While on vacation, my friends and I strolled into Flat Bread Co. We’d walked by a few times during our stay to see a line to get in wind all the way down the street. One afternoon, we decided to be the first in line when it opened.

When you enter the restaurant, the very first thing you see is a large wooden board that says, “Our purpose guides our actions and decisions.” The sign declares who the company is, what they care about and what they stand for. I geeked out right away. (Yes, I know I was on vacation, but I get excited when I see companies prominently share their values.). The board was a beautiful display of Flat Bread Co.’s values and an outline of their culture, up front and center for all to see.

Culture, however, is more than words on a wall. While I had a deep appreciation for how audacious this pizza company was to share their values with their customers from the moment they walked in the door, it wasn’t until later that I would witness their values in action.

My group sat down and was greeted by the server who asked us if we had any questions about the menu and waited for us to order. She then disappeared to the kitchen. Up until this point I would say that the service was standard — not overly friendly and certainly not unfriendly — but standard and efficient. As we sat there knowing we had been the first folks in the building, the wait started to feel quite long, and other tables around us were getting their pizzas before we did. One of our friends had to catch a plane right after lunch so we began to worry.

Just then our server came to the table, looked at us and said, “I wanted to let you know I forgot to push send on your pizzas. I put in the order but failed to submit it. I’m really sorry. I’ve made sure that they’re in the oven now, and I will get them to you as soon as possible.”

I was struck by this. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a restaurant where something took longer than it probably should have, and perhaps a similar, simple mistake occurred, but no one on staff said anything, much less acknowledged the error. If anything, I’ve heard folks apologize for the wait but offer no explanation as to why and showing no sign of regard for our time — at least not enough to keep us in the loop.

I thought back to their sign — “quality and integrity food and drink,” it said. This simple act illustrated that integrity. Our server approached our table because the value system of the company called for it, and our server believed she was responsible for upholding that value system.

In fact, the best way to know if you have the right team is not when things go well but when things go wrong. That’s when you see what the sauce is made of.

Had she not come to the table, our story of our lunch would have been something like, “One time, my friend almost missed his flight because some of the alleged best pizza in Maui took too long despite us being the first people in the building.” Instead, I left impressed by the integrity of the server, her willingness to take responsibility and to deliver on what Flat Bread Co. had promised. Plus, the pizza was delicious. And “Pizza with a purpose” as they call it, tastes so much better than pizza without purpose.

Read more: 4 books that will help you grow a thriving culture

There are many ways to talk about organizational culture, but in its simplest form I believe culture starts with the thoughtful gathering of your values and beliefs, which then outlines your behavioral code and ultimately cultivates the experiences you aim to deliver to your employees, customers, and community.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” This is true for us as individuals and as organizations with a purpose-filled mission. The healthiest and happiest cultures are ones in which employees wholeheartedly believe in your organization’s value system, are willing to work in accordance with that value system and hold themselves accountable to it, when it’s easy and when it’s difficult.

In fact, the best way to know if you have the right team is not when things go well but when things go wrong. That’s when you see what the sauce is made of.

Culture may not be all about ping pong tables and pizza parties but sometimes… it is.