Company culture is frequently talked about and often over complicated. It’s not about what you say or do; it’s about who you are. Company culture is simply an extension of the people who are part of the organisation.
Defining your company culture is actually really important, as that sets the tone for the type of people you want to join the company and who will thrive in your environment. At start up, company culture is usually an extension of the characteristics of the founders. But as companies scale, it becomes harder to ensure new hires represent the characteristics, spirit and beliefs of the company.
So getting your characteristics down on paper, and discussing them as a team, is an important aspect to achieve consistent cultural fit. At My Food Bag, we define our character as: Winners, Fast, Bold, Sexy (cool), Positive, Collaborative, Real and Believers. So if you are stale, slow, dictatorial and lack faith – you don’t end up working at My Food Bag.
But are new characteristics or perspectives a bad thing for a company? Absolutely not. People change and so do companies. Reviewing your characteristics as you grow and evolve is important. Are they still relevant and are they the sorts of characteristics that still underpin the personality of the business?
Your characteristics will help shape your employment processes, brand, customer services and entire company culture. But whatever your company characteristics are, be authentic. It’s about who you are, not trying to be something or someone else.
