Since the launch many folks have asked me, “Why does Kulturenvy exist?” My natural response has been: “Because culture matters, it's one of the most important parts of a company.” I couldn't help but think back to a great panel discussion on startup culture with Julia Hartz, co-founder of Eventbrite, Tom Preston-Werner, co-founder of GitHub, John Lilly, Partner at Greylock Partners, Hannah Kain, CEO of ALOM, and Dave Kashen, co-founder of Quantum Leaning.
There are three takeaways which I underlined in my little notebook after listening to this discussion:
- You have to know how to define your culture. To some it's the common values that all employees follow when making decisions on their own; to others it's the mission or cause everyone truly identifies with. Whatever it is, it's not the fun parties, perks, and toys you have at the office.
- Culture doesn't just flow from the CEO. Culture happens from the bottom up — the values and mission everyone identifies with have to be partially created and modified by every employee in order for them to believe in it.
- Live your culture, don't be fake about it. Don't stick a bunch of good-sounding words on a board and try to follow them. Make your values actionable. Make your culture real, something you can identify with.
So what are you waiting for? Go kickstart your culture!