Mapping Your Cultural Genome - Part 1

Let me guess: everyone tells you that building a culture is of paramount importance.

Surveys, research, successful CEOs and management thinkers alike can't stop talking about the endless benefits of creating an awesome culture.

They are wrong.

You already have a culture

It's right here. It surrounds you - it's the invisible connective tissue between you and your team members.

You certainly don't need to build or create one. 

The moment your idea was born and you decided to give it a go was also the moment your company's DNA started forming.

Culture starts with the founders - it grows out of what they are passionate about, what they believe to be true, what they value, and the change they want to make in the world. 

The founders and the first ten to fifteen employees co-create the culture in the early days and then, the new joiners contribute to evolving it. With time, culture gains strength and starts shaping behaviors of all the employees - old and new. 

You don't build a company culture

Culture is neither built nor is it architected. Culture emerges organically. The best you can do is to nurture it and cultivate it so that it evolves in a way that supports your purpose and your vision.

Why do you need to work on your culture NOW?

Being intentional about culture will be the best investment you’ve ever made in your business. It will yield an incredible ROI because, ultimately, your culture determines what is and what isn’t possible for you and your team. 

The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is NOW.

Without an intentional approach, it’s highly likely that two-thirds of your culture will be an accident, and one-third will be a mistake. A culture “by accident,” produces haphazard results at best and leads to a terrible disaster, at worst. 

I know that you cannot afford to risk a disaster because your mission is too important and the problems that you are working on are too important to go unsolved.

So, let's get this culture thing work for you, rather than against you.

This is the first of the series of articles that will help you avoid the pitfalls of accidental cultures and show you how to map your cultural genome and build a solid foundation for a culture that truly and powerfully serves your purpose and enables you to bend history in the right direction. 

You can find the remaining parts of the series by clicking on the articles above. I hope that you find them helpful!

Copyright, Aga Bajer 2020, All Rights Reserved

If you want the content of this and other articles in this series, click here to download the Practical Guide to Mapping Your Cultural Genome. By downloading the guide, you'll also subscribe to the CultureLab Insider, a weekly newsletter where I share useful content that helps you cultivate a culture that brings your vision to life.