You’ve just started at a new company. How can you learn about its culture quickly?

I love meeting with different people across the organisation and getting their perspectives. How long have they been at the company? What do they love? What is challenging about working here? What does success look like here? When have they tripped up? Finally what advice do they have for settling in.

Asking questions and seeking feedback to learn about a new company culture is like being a detective investigating a mysterious mansion (the company culture). Just as a detective gathers clues to understand the residents and their way of life, you can ask questions to unveil the company's values and norms. Here's how to be a culture detective: - Open-Ended Inquiries (Uncover Hidden Passages) - Seek Diverse Perspectives (Interview All the Residents) - Use feedback as a tool to understand your performance and cultural fit (Examine the Security Cameras)

Often the founders will define the mission, vision, and values in isolation. But culture is different because it's not a document, It's the way we treat each other everyday. Rather than prescribing a culture on a piece of paper, start an open conversation about shaping and co-creating the culture together. 1. What were some of the characteristics of the best culture you ever worked in? 2. What behaviors are most important in the way we treat each other? 3. When do you feel inspired and connected at work? 4. What work environment enables you to be most productive and happy? 5. What does work-life balance mean to you? 6. What traditions and practices would make you feel more inclusion and belonging? 7. What should we avoid?

It's important here to think about why you were hired. Adapting and fitting in may not be the best approach if you were hired to make change or bring a different perspective. While it's important to feel like you belong, it's also important to show up as your unique self and contribute your skills and experience that add to the culture and the success of the organisation.

Each company has its own, unique culture - the individual and collective values, behaviors, and actions exhibited within the workplace. Ideally, the desired culture is reflected in and fortified by the people, policy, and processes of the organization. One shortcut to understanding the culture of any company can be found by paying close attention in two distinctive areas: failure and improvement. How is failure handled? Is there blame or fear? Or is there nurturance, reflection, learning? How does the business improve? Are improvement activities reactive or one-off? Or is systemic, incremental improvement in place as simply 'the way we work'? Look to these elements to better understand the maturity of the organization's culture.