{"id":15885,"date":"2018-10-03T12:14:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T19:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/?p=15885"},"modified":"2018-11-25T20:10:54","modified_gmt":"2018-11-26T04:10:54","slug":"6-mistakes-that-will-end-your-startups-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/6-mistakes-that-will-end-your-startups-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Mistakes That Will End Your Startup\u2019s Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

James has been a partner of\u00a0Founders Network<\/a>\u00a0since July 2018. He\u2019s been a prominent global partner within our ecosystem of founders<\/a>. To receive peer mentorship from James and over 600 Tech Founders, please\u00a0request an invite\u00a0<\/a>and join our global network.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>Company culture\u201d is one of those nebulous terms that lots of people throw around but never really have a true definition of what it means. To paraphrase the famous Supreme Court quote it\u2019s a \u201cI know it when I see it\u201d type thing. \u00a0And probably more accurately, you know it when you <\/span>don\u2019t<\/b> see it. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the last three years, my company, <\/strong><\/span>StackPath<\/strong><\/a>, has not only launched, but has acquired six companies:<\/strong> each with its own culture, its own idiosyncrasies, its own identity. Six companies brought together while building a seventh. As you may expect, it did not always go smoothly and we\u2019ve had some challenges throughout this process, but overall we have managed to build a culture that works.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of my more than 25-year career, I have seen amazing company cultures, abysmal company cultures, and an overwhelming number of companies whose culture was, well\u2026. meh. And while there isn\u2019t a single \u201cright\u201d way to create a positive culture for your company<\/strong>, there certainly are things you can do to help ensure it falls into the \u201cmeh\u201d or abysmal category. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are just a few that will kill your startup\u2019s culture. (Full Disclosure: I am guilty of making all of these mistakes\u2026.. in some cases, multiple times)<\/span><\/p>\n

Believing that everyone views things the same way you do<\/b><\/h2>\n

For all of the (much needed) talk regarding diversity in tech, never lose site that diversity of thought is also essential<\/strong>. A healthy company has a myriad of differing opinions and ideas exchanged \u2013 respectfully, often and without fear. Ask your staff their thoughts and opinions and LISTEN to the answers. You don\u2019t have to take all their advice, but to have a successful culture you do need to acknowledge and take different views into consideration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A healthy company has a myriad of differing opinions and ideas exchanged \u2013 respectfully, often and without fear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Assuming that employees are only after a paycheck<\/b><\/h2>\n

Employees aren\u2019t just part of of your company, they <\/span>are <\/b>your company. While pay and perks are certainly important, humans crave to be part of a larger whole. Make your culture an inclusive tribe where everyone\u2019s contribution, regardless of duties or title, is essential to the success of the group. You never know where a good idea where come from, and people should feel empowered to speak up and share thoughts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Make your culture an inclusive tribe where everyone\u2019s contribution, regardless of duties or title, is essential to the success of the group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Isolating teams or creating silos<\/b><\/h2>\n

To that point, some of the best marketing ideas can come from engineers. That problem that\u2019s stumped the dev team? A logical mind in accounting might be the one to solve it. \u00a0While duties and responsibilities need to be defined, they shouldn\u2019t be so rigid that is the only subset of the company a team sees<\/strong>. Collaboration not only breaks down walls, it gets shit done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Collaboration not only breaks down walls, it gets shit done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lack of transparency<\/b><\/h2>\n

While at a previous company, I asked one of the managers how her particular department was doing. \u201cGreat!\u201d of course was her enthusiastic reply. When I said \u201cGood to hear. How are your revenue and margins doing compared to plan?\u201d all I got was a blank stare. She had no idea. \u00a0Not because she didn\u2019t care, and certainly not because she wasn\u2019t capable. She was abundantly capable. It was because \u201cthat type of information is only shared with upper management. To be honest, they don\u2019t tell me what my plan is, only that I need to do better. I\u2019m not even sure there is a plan\u201d. Two things immediately stuck out:<\/strong> 1) We had a talented employee who wasn\u2019t able to do her job to her full potential because information was being withheld from her and 2) \u201cThey\u201d\u2026. \u201cThey don\u2019t tell me\u201d Lack of transparency had created an \u201cus and them\u201d mentality as well as suspicion and stress. While there are times for discretion, share as much as you can with everyone.<\/strong> \u00a0Open the books, let them know the good the bad and the ugly, share future plans and vision. It breeds trust and dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n

(As a side note: Now several years later, the manager I mentioned above runs her own region of a Fortune 500 company, with hundreds of people in her organization. I guarantee if you asked any of them \u201cHow is it going?\u201d they\u2019d be able to go three levels deep on the region\u2019s financial performance.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

While there are times for discretion, share as much as you can with everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Falling into the \u201cwe\u2019ve always done it that way\u201d mental trap<\/b><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a story about a scientist putting a group of monkeys into an enclosure and hanging bananas from the ceiling. \u00a0As one of the monkeys would start to scale up to get the bananas, the scientist would blast them all with cold water. It did not take long for the monkeys to become conditioned to leaving the bananas. When the scientist would substitute an existing monkey with a new monkey who didn\u2019t know the rules, the new monkey would naturally go for the bananas, and once again the monkeys would get sprayed. This pattern of monkey substitution continued and, after a while, none of the original monkeys were even in the enclosure. But as soon as a new monkey came in, this group of monkeys would attack it before it did anything because they had learned that every time a new monkey came in they would get blasted with water. This can happen in a company as well. People often do things without knowing why because it\u2019s \u201calways been that way\u201d.<\/strong> Even those who weren\u2019t around when a process was established can become completely entrenched without even knowing why.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

People often do things without knowing why because it\u2019s \u201calways been that way\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Thinking you can get by without process<\/b><\/h2>\n

While the \u201calways has been done that way\u201d can cripple a company culture, you do still need processes. Someone much smarter than me told me once \u201can idea without a business plan is just a hobby.\u201d If there\u2019s no process, it\u2019s just chaos. It\u2019s amazing how many startups have a genius idea, but no plan on how to get there.<\/strong> While it\u2019s good to have a level of flexibility, simply winging it and a multitude of one-off exceptions will always come back to bite you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, company culture needs to be genuine.<\/strong> It needs to be you. A culture isn\u2019t built on Taco Tuesdays or Thirsty Thursdays at the local bar (though I am a fan of both!), created by painting the walls of the break room a funky color, or having a foosball table next to the reception desk (if desired, you can read my thought on foosball <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>). Those might all be fun, but it is not culture. Culture is a feeling. It\u2019s dedication to each other, dedication to the company, and dedication to the customer.<\/strong> You do those three things, while avoiding the items listed above, you are well on your way to a company culture that <\/span>everyone <\/b>in your company can be proud of.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Culture is a feeling. It\u2019s dedication to each other, dedication to the company, and dedication to the customer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

@JamesLeaverton<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James has been a partner of\u00a0Founders Network\u00a0since July 2018. He\u2019s been a prominent global partner within our ecosystem of founders. To receive peer mentorship from James and over 600 Tech … <\/p>\n

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