Field Notes: 5 Steps to Craft a Company Culture

A gut-based and emotionally honest guide to building a workplace culture.

Disclaimer

The Lab is not an authority on work culture. We've had dark ages with high turnovers and golden ages of great productivity and positivity. People who leave after weeks. Others who just won't leave. We've hired selfish, lazy assholes. We've had superstars who are now partners. Some ex-staff have remained close friends and some have unfollowed us on Instagram. Yet, what we've learned in the last 5 years is what everyone eventually learns: life isn't perfect, love isn't an excuse, and all you can do is try your best and learn from your shit.

Through it all, I'm proud that we have people who've been with us since Day 1. People who come back after working elsewhere. 4 marriages. 5 children (last count) born to our staff. When the decision is between $180,000 (to use a real example from a few years ago) or our team's wellbeing, the choice is always the latter.

"Today, I believe we're one of the most imperfect examples of an authentic company culture build on trust, freedom, and care."_Tuan Le

The Five D's

It's just easier to remember.

1. Define

• Description: What's the company culture that is most authentic and effective for your company?
• Notes: Authentic because it's hard to fake things for long. Effective because it should contribute to the productivity of your business. Ours is creative and personal freedom because it helps us produce good work and keep our people from feeling stuck.

2. Develop

• Description: Create rituals (activities) around building, reinforcing, and promoting that environment and culture.
• Notes: Again, be real.

3. Delegate

• Description: Identify key team members who will champion the rituals.
• Notes: Culture is zero without heroes. ??

4. Design

• Description: Design the assets, tools, and spaces that will allow #3 to do #2
• Notes: Think architecture (pointing at something grand as a reflection of your culture). Think interior design (furniture or fixtures that allow you to do things), think branding (can you wear something that reflect your culture), think communication (is your photography style, writing style reflective of your culture?)

5. Display

• Description: Promote #2, #3, #4 internally and externally until it's self-perpetuating.
• Notes: The reason we don't promote #1 widely is because it smells like marketing. For example: if you smoke (a ritual) to build an image that you're cool (your culture), you wouldn't promote the fact that you're cool, you'd just make sure people see you smoke. This is the principle of "don't talk about it, be about it."

Author

Tuan Le, Creative Director/Partner, The Lab