Every founder believes fundraising, customer acquisition, and product-market fit to be their greatest challenges. Although, the most prominent obstacle faced daily is creating and maintaining the culture of the startup, which also happens to be the most critical step.
Culture is not just a box for set company values to tick, and nor do motivational posters qualify. Culture is the unquestionable force that dictates how your team performs in your absence. If neglected, it can result in an organization’s downfall, but if paid careful attention to, it turns into an invaluable asset.
Below are some unique insights new founders should think through:
- It’s certainly not misunderstood and overstated: Culture is behavior. Your business’ daily actions are more important than the bare values shared on the website, so setting decisions while under pressure is much more than following a rulebook.
- Culture can and should be a business strategy. If your culture is a carbon copy of your competitors then how do you expect it to add value? It should be aligned with your business culture and strategy to differentiate it.
- This makes it the hardest to compete against, thus culture is the strongest moat for any business. Ideas can be taken and products can be copied, but what matters the most is how a team gets work done. An established set of values leads to quick and accurate decision making, transforming action into something much more than just a competitive edge.
- Culture is not just an HR problem, it is everyone’s problem. Culture cannot be assigned to one single group within a company, it involves every employee, from interns to office holders. As the one in charge, you may set the agenda, yet it is a joined effort that determines end outcome.
- You are not above the culture and therefore culture is bigger than you and any individual. No one surpasses the culture including the creator. The values you claim to stand for are diluted when you create exceptions, and therefore culture is meant to outgrow you and outlast you.
- During difficult times, real culture comes to light. It is incredibly easy to flaunt a positive culture when everything is running smooth, but dark times like layoffs and financial crises are when the reality sets in. Decisions made during these moments show the heart of the company.
- The problem-solving characteristics is what defines culture, not perks. Yes, free meals and games are nice perks, but they do not symbolize culture definition. That is gauged by the ways set problems are approached, the communication channels, and the accountability mechanisms within the team.
- Culture is the operating system of a business. Visualize culture as the operating system of your startup that remains unseen. It determines how choices are made, how conflicts are settled, and how innovations are created. Get it right, and everything runs smoother.
- Do not confuse culture with comfort. Having great culture does not mean attending to people’s comfort; it is about cultivating a space that enables their best self to thrive. Growth requires discomfort. It encompasses hard conversations, seamless challenge, constructive feedback, and the setting of high standards.
- Culture as widespread. Like the coronavirus, culture starts at the top. Your teams, including the leaders at the top, act more than they speak. Morally, if you skim, they will too. The opposite holds when integrity is placed above. What your leadership does and does not value sets the tone for the culture, for better or worse.
The Culture Choice: An Asset or A Liability?
It’s not an accessory. It’s the core. The skin of a baby startup that cherishes the importance of a well-defined culture, is cherished by a strong, well-defined culture that aids them to align their team, speed up decision-making, and becomes the fuel behind the infant’s startup cherished goals.
