On my way home from work one day, I visited a lemonade stand operated by two young sisters. From the moment I got close enough to notice the pitcher had no ice, the lack of smiles on their faces were clear to see. The lemonade promised to be warm, but the servers were nothing but chilly toward one another. “How’s business, ladies?” I asked.
“I’m mad at her,” said the older sister.
“She’s not nice to me,” the younger countered.
So rather than a prolonged and awkward visit, I smiled and walked home. Culture means everything.
Question: What comes first, the right people for a great culture—or a great culture that attracts the right people?
Correct answer: Both. However, sometimes one attracts the other.
For example, consider interviews. Candidates frequently, and wisely, ask: “What’s it like to work here?” or, “How would you describe your work environment?” That wonderful, energetic person has just lobbed a heavy challenge over the net to you—because you must now describe your culture with a casual confidence that compels the person to say yes to the job. No problem, right?
Keep in mind that nearly every organization says it has a culture that’s positive—or really, really positive. Everyone will describe to an outsider how they work in a place where everyone gets along well. Every team has a family feel, cares for one another, works together, and focuses on the mission.
These statements could describe any church, nonprofit organization, company, youth soccer team, street gang, or lemonade stand entrepreneurs on a good day. Any candidate worth hiring, though, will realize that you don’t actually know how to talk about your own culture.
Unfortunately, people typically join a team because of the mission (or the money) but leave that team because of the culture. This is an expensive reality in a variety of ways, including morale. The positive difference a truly distinctive and healthy work environment makes on an organization’s effectiveness now receives greater attention than ever before. Why? Because good news travels far and fast; those that do culture well set the expectations for everyone else. Everyone wants to land A-level hires. To attract and retain the right people, an organization must first care enough about its culture to deliberately shape it into something then worth touting.
The first step is to honestly assess reality—what’s the team really like? Resist the urge to exaggerate the positives; If energy and engagement are sporadic, complaints and cynicism slither around unchecked, and many times the place just feels flat, then just admit it. But keep going.
Next, determine what descriptors would, if true, make this organization a great place to work. Not just any team, but this team. This step creates an excellent opportunity to involve a small team of motivated folks who would love to see the place rev up to their speed.
Don’t settle for generalities. Culture aspirations require specificity. Look around for examples, but use caution. What works for Google, Netflix, or a megachurch might not—or likely won’t—work for every organization. Yes, it’s good to learn what others do in order to see new possibilities, and to understand why things work and how real people react. Use the likelihood of application within your setting as a filter, but don’t wait for every idea to drip through. That could take years. Instead, take steps forward knowing you can amend as needed.
For example, according to a Harvard Business Review article, Netflix eliminated tracking and managing paid time off. Instead, they encourage employees to take whatever amount of time they need. The critical (or is it jealous?) side of me says their policy makes perfect sense only for organizations with substantial functional overlap. Yet, a healthier part of me feels somewhat exhilarated at the thought of eliminating many HR policies in favor of “do what’s best for the organization,” and then watching people maximize their efforts through self-managing their needs. Our team looked at the Netflix idea, morphed it into recognizing that work has peaks and troughs, and landed on: “Work more when needed and feel the freedom to work less when needed.”
An organization’s culture emerges from one and only one source: individuals’ participation. When the words “we can do that” mix with “we should do that,” you’ve discovered gold. But there it will sit until people say: “That’s what I will do because that’s the kind of place I want to work.” Replace “we” with “I” and watch out—your team will function like never before.
How do these new culture descriptors become reality? Creativity, commitment, persistence, honest conversation, self-motivation, communication, vision casting, accountability; these are all critical implementation factors.
Our team recently began a culture initiative. Following an afternoon of interviewing candidates for an open position, a leadership team member offered a brief update: “It’s great to share unique and definitive statements about the culture we’re building. Candidates really light up when they hear the descriptors; I have the feeling no one else can offer specifics like we can now.”
The task ahead? Guide the organization to live into the culture we’ve decided we want for our team. The decision about where we want to go, though, is the first—and largest—step to actually getting there.
David Staal, senior editor for Building Church Leaders and a mentor to a second grader, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. He also chairs the advisory board for a nearby college and served ten years in leadership for a local church following a corporate career. David is the author of Lessons Kids Need to Learn (Zondervan, 2012) and Words Kids Need to Hear (Zondervan, 2008). He lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky. His son Scott and daughter Erin attend Valparaiso University.
Copyright © 2015 David Staal
