I recently wrote about the importance of great company culture. I believe it is everything.
But your company culture is a living, breathing thing, and just because you start off right doesn't mean it will always stay that way. You need to actively add new people to your team who will nurture, and even improve, your company culture.
Paul Spiegelman, chief culture officer at Stericycle, shared a story in Inc.com that illustrates the power individual employees can have inside a good culture.
One of his co-workers was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. As Spiegelman tells it, "Co-workers visited him, brought dinners and provided support. Although very ill and in a wheelchair, he was able to attend our annual holiday party. There, he learned that — despite missing our targets for the year — we were paying bonuses because of everyone’s hard work. He was so overcome with gratitude to have such a wonderful place to work that he wrote me a letter suggesting we reinvest the bonus dollars in the company."
This is the kind of employee who will not only maintain company culture, but help it thrive.
Finding people who fit this mold is a big challenge for companies that are desperate to fill open positions, but you don't want to rush the process. Make sure you have a solid understanding of what your culture is, then get creative with the hiring process to find people who can be a part of it. Once you hire good people, don't let them get away. Instill your culture in them from day one, and invest in them for the long haul. It will always pay off in the end.
Clarify your culture
Before you decide you want team members who fit your culture, it would serve you well to understand what your culture really is, writes Paula Fernades in Business News Daily. What is most important to your company? What is the driving idea behind your company's existence? Answering these questions brings the idea of your company culture out of the ethereal and onto solid ground. It can even help if you write it down in the form of a mission statement. If you want a refresher on finding your culture, read my last post, "Culture is Everything."
Once you zero in on what makes up your culture, you will more effectively identify the great hires that will fit into and strengthen your culture.
Make hiring a training experience
Most hiring managers try to find great fits by asking probing questions during the interview process, but that might not reveal the entire truth. I certainly think that it is beneficial to sit down and interview applicants. But you might consider taking it a step further: Make hiring a training experience. Give the candidate a taste of what it feels like to work for your company.
At Whole Foods Market, for example, the hiring process is team-based, according to a Harvard Business Review article by Tamara J. Erickson and Lynda Gratton. New hires are given a four-week probationary term during which they can decide if they like Whole Foods — and vice versa. After the trial, team members vote to decide if the new hire remains. This process clearly demonstrates to new hires — and reminds veteran employees — that teamwork is a central tenet of Whole Foods' company culture.
No matter what your core values are — teamwork and collaboration or independent creativity — you want to create an experience that reveals the candidates best suited to work with you.
Instill culture from day one
Too many companies focus on training new hires in their specific tasks. Although time should be spent on this training, don't ignore the importance of establishing your vision with new employees. You will be amazed at the long-term benefits of training on the company concept, vision, and message. Employees who understand their company's vision function better overall, writes Pluto.TV founder Ilya Pozin in Inc.com.
Instead of limiting your training to teaching company-specific skills, spend time and effort conveying to the new hire the importance of the company's mission, and why their specific contribution is important. This helps employees move beyond the drone ant mindset to the fully invested attitude of someone who "gets it." The first few months at a new company can be very formative for new hires; don't spend that entire time teaching them how to punch a clock. Teach them to love their company.
Make employees your big investment
Once you have team members who love the company culture, make sure you keep them. How? Invest in them, and they will invest in you.
Acquiring and developing good talent can keep your culture strong for many years to come. Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, puts it this way: “Realize how important you are to your employees and invest time in their development. … The best baseball teams, like the best organizations, are the ones that have the players that grow and cultivate their own minor league system." Keeping your best "players" will help your culture grow in the right direction, so don't hesitate to invest in them once you find them. Whether that means paying for their personal development or making their families feel comfortable with your company, you won't be wasting time or money. Read some ideas on how to do this, penned by the Young Entrepreneur Council in Inc.com.
Keeping your culture great is worth the effort, so don't spare any. Hiring someone who fits poorly can be costly, both in terms of productivity and momentum, according to the 7Geese blog, so don't risk it. Take your time and make sure you can find someone like Paul Spiegelman's co-worker, and you won't have to worry about your company culture going by the wayside.
Curtis Blair is the CEO of Froghair.com and principal at Hoodoo Capital. Email curtis@froghair.com.