"Why it matters is that it becomes the first principles you sort of go back to when you make decisions. It becomes a way to align people on values that matter to the company. It provides a certain level of stability to fall back on. And it provides level of trust, people sort of trust each other with, but it also gives us a list with which you should be able to figure out what to do and what not to do. And what the more important thing about that is what not to do. Then finally the other thing that is important is it allows you to retain the right employees. There are people in this world that are not going to be a fit for your company, but if you have good strong culture, and the strong core values, you'll know who you want to retain and who you truly do not want to retain. And if you take the first letter of those it happens to help you move faster."
Is it possible to have a conversation about company culture without mentioning Zappos? No, because they are nailing it. There's enough culture-related Zappos content out there to keep you busy all day, but the above chat with CEO Tony Hsieh hits on the major points. He cites research suggesing that specific values aren't important, but rather the impact comes from company wide commitment and aligning the organization on those values.
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, shared this extensive culture deck on Slideshare and it is jam packed with lessons. He makes an interesting point early on about how to tell the difference between what are actual company values, and what are values merely printed on a poster. A great way to assess actual values as opposed to purported values, he argues, is to look at the behaviors that lead to employees being promoted, rewarded, or let go.
Lastly, our friends over at Officevibe have put together a veritable compendium of cultural videos featuring dozens of innovators and thought-leaders in the organizational culture space. If you're serious about defining, growing, and pruning your company culture, these resources are invaluble.
How have you gone about defining or building your company brand? Leave a comment or tweet @EnteloRob!