Stop looking for something that doesn’t exist
I hate to be the one to tell you, but what you’re looking for doesn’t exist.
It doesn’t matter how hard you search, how many podcasts you listen to or which books you read, you will not find the answer. Because there is no “right” answer to the question of culture. It’s not like manufacturing or marketing or competitive strategy, where there’s an optimal way to achieve your objectives (or at least agreed best practices).
Culture is about people, and like anything to do with human beings, there are many approaches you can take. Every company is different, and so is every group of people. As a result, each successful business has its own cultural flavour, characteristics and nuances. It’s entirely possible to get the same result in fundamentally contradictory ways - your approach will depend entirely on the unique makeup of your team. Permissive, autonomous cultures aren’t inherently better than strict, authoritarian ones, but it’s highly unlikely that someone will thrive in both. Your environment must reflect who you are, individually and collectively, for you to be comfortable, do your best work and thrive.
My LinkedIn headline says that I’m a “High Performance Culture expert”, and I’d like to think that’s true. I’ve spent the best part of 20 years working with companies to figure out how they build teams and create cultures that will deliver the results they’re looking for. But I can’t tell you what your culture should be. You have to decide that for yourself. And whatever you do, please don’t try to copy whichever business you most admire. Even if they’re the same size as you, doing the same thing in the same way, you have a different set of people. Take inspiration and ideas from others, of course. Adapt them, though, so that they’re right for the unique organisation you’re building.
Don’t worry about what’s popular, or what you think will look good on a job advert. You don’t need to appeal to everyone - just enough of the right people. When you’re early in your journey and still relatively small, that’s not a large percentage of the market, so you can afford to be extreme and polarising in your approach. In fact, the more polarising the better (just make sure you stay on the right side of employment law and do things with good intent).
The varying reactions to the recent “996” trend are a good example. For those unfamiliar, this movement emerged primarily from VC-backed startups that advocate working from 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week, in order to gain an advantage over their competitors and build a unicorn company. Unsurprisingly, there’s been a strong response, both in favour of and in opposition to the concept. Some call it exploitation, others view it as a great way to start your career. Both perspectives are fine and valid. It’s not supposed to be for everyone. If you’re with on the side of the debate that says “weekends are an artificial concept anyway”, joining one of these companies could be a great move. If you’re a champion of integrating work and life, they’re probably not the right environment for you.
Crucially, there are companies becoming very successful with this approach, as well as others making great strides while offering flexibility, autonomy and work that fits around people’s lives.
Again, there’s no one right path. It’s all about what’s right for you and your company.
There are, however, some principles that can guide you - seven core elements of High Performance Culture that persist regardless of the nature and tone of the business you’re building. The definition of these seven principles came from years of studying high performing companies large and small, across a wide range of industries, markets and geographies.
Whatever culture you’re trying to build, creating real clarity around the Mission, Purpose & Vision you’re pursuing is the crucial first step. Developing a set of Values & Non-Negotiables that define the rules by which you operate comes next. Recruiting people who align with these foundational elements is the third step, after which you must align them and manage their performance. Alongside performance management, a proactive approach to professional, skills and career development is key, as is shaping an environment that gives them what they need to succeed, and constantly improving it. Finally, you must inspire, motivate and lead those people to fulfil their potential.
These principles are universal, and if you’ve not yet attended one of our Decoding the Pattern: The Secrets of High Performance events, I’d recommend signing up for a session. They’re free, and will give you a much deeper understanding of how to apply these principles to your organisation.
Register now to choose your date and confirm your place.
Or, if you just want to know where you stand and where to focus your attention, we’ve developed a High Performance Culture Scorecard that will tell you exactly that. It’ll take you three minutes to complete and you’ll immediately receive your Culture Score, broken down into eight categories to give you clarity and direction.
What you’re looking for - the “correct” culture - may not exist, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build something spectacular. Just make it the right version of spectacular for you and your team.
(P.S. If you know someone who needs to read this today, send it to them and encourage them to subscribe to the Versapiens blog. If you haven’t subscribed yet, come join us on our journey through the intersection between culture, technology and business.)