Most companies think that they have great work cultures, and many do. For those that want to improve the culture of their team there are many ways to go about it, but forcing it isn’t likely to work.
I’m sure you’ve heard the very old saying “the beatings will continue until morale improves“, which is just a funny way of saying that you can’t force a great culture.
In the book he wrote about his own company, “Four Seasons“, Isadore Sharp shared many great lessons and I encourage you to pick up a copy. Among other things, he shares:
A culture cannot be mandated as a policy. It must grow from within, based on the actions of the company’s people over a long period of time.
In many cases, this means it’s based on the actions of the founder(s) and grows out from there. When it comes to GreenMellen, it means that Ali and I have worked hard to showcase the qualities that we wish to see from our team, because simply making rules is far less sustainable in the long run.
I’m thankful that as our team has grown, they’ve learned to push back on pieces of culture as needed as well to help keep us moving in the right direction. We all have the same goals and desires, which makes things easier to grow.
Sharp was a brilliant man and his book is full of great insights, so check it out if you can.
